# Presentation: 744274

## Feedstock Engineering

**Shahab Sokhansanj**
**Bioenergy Feedstock Development Program**
**Oak Ridge National Laboratory**
**Telephone: 865-574-8029**
**Fax: 865-576-9939**
_**[sokhansanjs@ornl.gov](mailto:sokhansanjs@ornl.gov)**_
**November 9, 2001**

## STRATEGIC GOALS

- I. Near term   2005
- II. Mid range  2010
- III. Long term 2015

- Improving the existing collection, densification, and  transportation technologies

- Innovative single step harvesting, whole crop utilization and transportation concepts

- Full integration of feedstock supply systems and bioconversion processes.

## I.Improving the existing collection, densification, and  transportation technologies

- Feedstock characterization – quantity and quality
- Operational parameter - rate of work, reliability, timeliness
- Densification – compacting, cubing
- Moisture control and management – drying and safe storage
- Systems modeling and optimization

## 	Develop an integrated system that harvests the whole plant and fractionates it into its valuable components: grain, stalk, cobs, and leaves.  
Applies adequate residue to the soil for productivity and conservation – precision farming
Process the valuable components for storage and transport to conversion facilities. 

- Applies adequate residue to the soil for productivity and conservation – precision farming
- Process the valuable components for storage and transport to conversion facilities.

**II. **
- Improving existing collection, densification, and  transportation technologies

## Corn stover is pre-treated at the farm level, the substrate (in a slurry form) is transported to a central conversion plant
the dairy model, the crude oil model
Paradigm shift

*the dairy model, the crude oil model*
*Paradigm shift*

**III. **
- Full integration of feedstock supply systems and bioconversion processes.

## CURRENT PROJECTS

- Moisture control
- University of Tennessee, Lester Pordesimo
*To determine the drying rate of corn stover: cob, leaf, husk, and stalk in the field and by artificial drying*
- Field characterization of corn stover
- University of Kentucky, Mike Montrose, Sam McNeil, Scott Shearer, Tim Stombaugh,
*To quantify the amount and quality of corn stover that can be collected using the existing collection equipment*

## HIGH TEMPERATURE DRYING RATE

## BIOMASS ESTIMATION

## DRYING RATE IN THE FIELD BEFORE HARVEST

## CURRENT PROJECTS

- Innovation in corn stover harvesting
- CEA and University of Wisconsin, Jim Hettenhaus and Kevin Shinners
*To evaluate innovative corn stover collection techniques and recommend feasible technologies*
- Harvest, handling and densification for commercial processing of biomass feedstock
- Iowa State University, Graeme Quick
*To design and build one pass combine harvester for corn grain and stover at any moisture content*

## CURRENT PROJECTS

- Sensitivity analysis on the cost of stover collection
- BFDP – ORNL , Anthony Turhollow, Robert Perlack, Shahab Sokhansanj
*To quantify the magnitude of change in the collection cost of stover due to change in operational variables (yield, density, hours of operation, speed)*
- Application analysis of commercial forage processing to feedstock processing for bioenergy
- BFDP – ORNL, Anthony Turhollow, Robert Perlack, Mark Downing, Shahab Sokhansanj
*To investigate the current logistics of harvesting and processing operations for high density forage products as potential models  for feedstock supply logistics*

## Sensitivity of collection (windrow, bale, load, transport for 5 miles, stack)  costs to operational variables

|  | Worst | Base | Best |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Yield,  ton/ac
$/ton | 1.1
31.10 | 1.5
26.90 | 2.5
22.20 |
| Density, lb/ft3 
$/ton | 7
30.90 | 9
26.90 | 10
25.50 |
| Operating hours
$/ton | 50%
29.80 | 100%
26.90 | 150%
25.80 |
| Combinations*, 
$/ton | 
41.00 | 
26.90 | 
21.00 |

## Yield Map – 36 acres

## Grid Data of Stover DistributionStover to grain mass ratio 1:1

## PLANNED PROJECTS

- Densification technologies
- RFP
*To develop innovative technologies (sceince and engineering) for low cost densification of biomass*
- Operational research data and modeling
- RFP
*to develop engineering management data (performance, service, timeliness) for field operations and for off the field operations applied to feedstock handling** *

## PLANNED PROJECTS

- Measure of Performance for Engineering Projects (Feedstock)
- BFDP – ORNL/NREL, Shahab Sokhansanj
*To develop indicators and baseline on which the progress in feedstock supply projects can be measured on an annual basis*
- Bio-feedstock and equipment industry
- BFDP – ORNL, Shahab Sokhansanj
*To development of a paper on the impact of feedstock collection and delivery system on manufacturing and related industries*