Final Report Summary - CERES (Cereal Excess as a Renewable Energy Resource)
Executive Summary:
The two main innovations associated with the project were to permit more efficient straw pellet burning within tighter environmental frameworks with carbon dioxide emitted from the cleaned gas being negated by the carbon dioxide absorbed by the crops as they grow.
• The formulation of a pellet/additive recipe for the improved efficiency and quality of burn - to provide greater operating efficiencies due to an increase in pellet efficiency with decreased tendencies towards slagging/corrosion.
• A tripartite scrubbing system based upon a novel combination of separate technologies taken from other applications - to improve maintenance efficiencies generated by an enhanced off-gas cleaning system and coating leading to a reduction in downtime and costs.
CERES aim was to push the state of the art in a more sustainable direction and demonstrate how this could be practically achieved in the short to medium time frame. Research was carried out by UK Materials Research Institute (UK-MatRI), Technalia and Valtion Teknillinen Tutkimuskesus (VTT), supported by a consortium of stakeholder SMEs.
At the outset of the project the potential stemming from the rapid increase in Environmental Legislation currently in development and implementation was not fully known. There was a strong RTD need to be ready to meet the most stringent of conditions proposed. To achieve this it was necessary to determine and demonstrate how one can build an industry-quality, affordable, sustainable solution based on components manufactured and easily available within Europe, with economically viable standard components to facilitate improved standards and environmental compliance. Building upon the experience of the largely SME consortium and the scientific know-how and research capability of the Scientific partners is precisely what the present project undertook to achieve.
Market take up of such technologies is very much driven by cost of equipment/process versus the need to comply with current and upcoming regulations hence the CERES project came into being. As the key aims of the project were to deliver a solution for the short to medium term, we were very disappointed to learn that the regulations for the governance of emissions from pellet burners will no longer apply at the medium scale of operations targeted by the CERES project. Instead, the regulations will target power station scale operations, removing any need for grain dryers and other smaller users such as providers of combined heat/light for social housing/shared heating schemes to comply with incoming regulations.
CERES Advances over current state of the art
An efficient, cost effective, carbon neutral alternative to the existing technologies employed in drying Cereal crops.
We proposed a radical new grain dryer design running on straw-derived biomass to reduce fuel costs and positively impact Europe’s commitment reducing the level of climate change by bringing agriculture closer in line with the greenhouse gas directives.
Unfortunately, towards the end of the first year of the project, the legislations incoming were scaled and are no longer applicable to small and medium operations such as domestic heating or grain drying. With this in mind, the partners carried out a re-evaluation of the potential market given the removal of this key purchase driver. In the absence of any significant financial incentives to purchase a CERES system and utilise more costly pellets with additives, the market was found to be unsustainable and the decision to end the CERES project on commercial grounds was taken.
Project Context and Objectives:
The central objective of the CERES project was to develop a retrofit-able straw burner with integral scrubber, powered by straw pellets, for use in grain drying. The technology proposed to address upcoming EU legislation regarding the use of biomass in heating, emissions of harmful gases, transport emissions, and the common agricultural policy (CAP), as well as the development of a knowledge based economy in line with the Lisbon strategy, and securing jobs within the EU agricultural sector.
Project Results:
During the first 18 months of the project, the team were able to go some way towards achieving the objectives set out at commencement and provide some valuable results to the partners.
• Incorporate corrosion resistant coating to withstand the high chlorine content of straw at temperatures up to 800°C, giving the chamber and flue a life of up to 10 years
Achieved, along with a range of potential formulations which will facilitate the integration of systems using corrosive fuels with pre-existing flue/chimney systems.
• To establish enhanced understanding of oxygenating additives suitable for straw pellets to allow a 10% increase in pellet energy efficiency over normal straw pellets
Partially achieved with the partnership having been made aware of the various additive and straw processing options available to them.
• To develop a new type of straw pellet with an oxidising additive with a cost significantly below LPG <<6.2p/kWh and commercially available with the same calorific value (15.96 MJ/kg), or greater, as existing straw pellets
Partially achieved with potential additives identified and equipment for pellet manufacture optimised.
• To develop/produce a three part flue gas scrubber consisting of active carbon, alkali compound and a mesh, to remove the 45 mg/kg heavy metals, acid gases, and particulate matter.
Partially achieved however scale required will mean that the flue gas scrubber would not be suited to use in small applications.
• To combine the developed component parts into an efficient prototype burner (>80%) that is capable of drying up to 0.5 tonnes of grain/hour with a maximum output of 150 kWth
Not achieved however the consortium have been made aware of a range of new technologies being developed in the field of boiler/burner design and software models to assist them in future have been identified and reviewed.
• Achieve an economical total cost per unit (€44 000) that is approved by SMEs and complies with the Machinery Directive (98/37/EC)
Not achieved, project voluntarily ceased prior to this point.
Potential Impact:
Changes to the regulations driving the project mean that the market no longer exists in sufficient quantity to sustain business. Until such a point as the market again becomes viable, the consortium do not consider further investment in this project to represent value for money although the research provided will be of benefit to the partners in their existing businesses.
List of Websites:
http://www.fp7-ceres.eu
The two main innovations associated with the project were to permit more efficient straw pellet burning within tighter environmental frameworks with carbon dioxide emitted from the cleaned gas being negated by the carbon dioxide absorbed by the crops as they grow.
• The formulation of a pellet/additive recipe for the improved efficiency and quality of burn - to provide greater operating efficiencies due to an increase in pellet efficiency with decreased tendencies towards slagging/corrosion.
• A tripartite scrubbing system based upon a novel combination of separate technologies taken from other applications - to improve maintenance efficiencies generated by an enhanced off-gas cleaning system and coating leading to a reduction in downtime and costs.
CERES aim was to push the state of the art in a more sustainable direction and demonstrate how this could be practically achieved in the short to medium time frame. Research was carried out by UK Materials Research Institute (UK-MatRI), Technalia and Valtion Teknillinen Tutkimuskesus (VTT), supported by a consortium of stakeholder SMEs.
At the outset of the project the potential stemming from the rapid increase in Environmental Legislation currently in development and implementation was not fully known. There was a strong RTD need to be ready to meet the most stringent of conditions proposed. To achieve this it was necessary to determine and demonstrate how one can build an industry-quality, affordable, sustainable solution based on components manufactured and easily available within Europe, with economically viable standard components to facilitate improved standards and environmental compliance. Building upon the experience of the largely SME consortium and the scientific know-how and research capability of the Scientific partners is precisely what the present project undertook to achieve.
Market take up of such technologies is very much driven by cost of equipment/process versus the need to comply with current and upcoming regulations hence the CERES project came into being. As the key aims of the project were to deliver a solution for the short to medium term, we were very disappointed to learn that the regulations for the governance of emissions from pellet burners will no longer apply at the medium scale of operations targeted by the CERES project. Instead, the regulations will target power station scale operations, removing any need for grain dryers and other smaller users such as providers of combined heat/light for social housing/shared heating schemes to comply with incoming regulations.
CERES Advances over current state of the art
An efficient, cost effective, carbon neutral alternative to the existing technologies employed in drying Cereal crops.
We proposed a radical new grain dryer design running on straw-derived biomass to reduce fuel costs and positively impact Europe’s commitment reducing the level of climate change by bringing agriculture closer in line with the greenhouse gas directives.
Unfortunately, towards the end of the first year of the project, the legislations incoming were scaled and are no longer applicable to small and medium operations such as domestic heating or grain drying. With this in mind, the partners carried out a re-evaluation of the potential market given the removal of this key purchase driver. In the absence of any significant financial incentives to purchase a CERES system and utilise more costly pellets with additives, the market was found to be unsustainable and the decision to end the CERES project on commercial grounds was taken.
Project Context and Objectives:
The central objective of the CERES project was to develop a retrofit-able straw burner with integral scrubber, powered by straw pellets, for use in grain drying. The technology proposed to address upcoming EU legislation regarding the use of biomass in heating, emissions of harmful gases, transport emissions, and the common agricultural policy (CAP), as well as the development of a knowledge based economy in line with the Lisbon strategy, and securing jobs within the EU agricultural sector.
Project Results:
During the first 18 months of the project, the team were able to go some way towards achieving the objectives set out at commencement and provide some valuable results to the partners.
• Incorporate corrosion resistant coating to withstand the high chlorine content of straw at temperatures up to 800°C, giving the chamber and flue a life of up to 10 years
Achieved, along with a range of potential formulations which will facilitate the integration of systems using corrosive fuels with pre-existing flue/chimney systems.
• To establish enhanced understanding of oxygenating additives suitable for straw pellets to allow a 10% increase in pellet energy efficiency over normal straw pellets
Partially achieved with the partnership having been made aware of the various additive and straw processing options available to them.
• To develop a new type of straw pellet with an oxidising additive with a cost significantly below LPG <<6.2p/kWh and commercially available with the same calorific value (15.96 MJ/kg), or greater, as existing straw pellets
Partially achieved with potential additives identified and equipment for pellet manufacture optimised.
• To develop/produce a three part flue gas scrubber consisting of active carbon, alkali compound and a mesh, to remove the 45 mg/kg heavy metals, acid gases, and particulate matter.
Partially achieved however scale required will mean that the flue gas scrubber would not be suited to use in small applications.
• To combine the developed component parts into an efficient prototype burner (>80%) that is capable of drying up to 0.5 tonnes of grain/hour with a maximum output of 150 kWth
Not achieved however the consortium have been made aware of a range of new technologies being developed in the field of boiler/burner design and software models to assist them in future have been identified and reviewed.
• Achieve an economical total cost per unit (€44 000) that is approved by SMEs and complies with the Machinery Directive (98/37/EC)
Not achieved, project voluntarily ceased prior to this point.
Potential Impact:
Changes to the regulations driving the project mean that the market no longer exists in sufficient quantity to sustain business. Until such a point as the market again becomes viable, the consortium do not consider further investment in this project to represent value for money although the research provided will be of benefit to the partners in their existing businesses.
List of Websites:
http://www.fp7-ceres.eu