Project Scope and Relationship to China's Agenda 21

The project is based on the objective of sustainable use of natural resources of chapter 13D of China's Agenda 21. It is further related to 13B and 18C.

1. Background

Biomass is one of the important energy resources on which people have come to rely, and it is estimated that 40 percent of the world's energy consumption will come from biomass in the next century. In China's countryside, already 70 percent of the energy consumption is from biomass.

However, most of the rural biomass energy consumption is achieved by direct burning, which results in a serious squandering of energy resource, and health hazards for those exposed to the smoke and ash. In addition, biomass itself emits greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Due to the rapid growth of industry and energy consumption in the countryside, the energy shortage is more than 30 percent. Forests are cleared for wood faster than new forests can be reclaimed. As a result, forests are destroyed, water lost, soil eroded, and land lost to the desert.

Thus, improving the exploitation and use of biomass energy will play an active role in solving problems of energy and environment in China and the world at large.

The government pays great attention to the exploitation and utilization of biomass energy, and has provided for many research and application projects since 1981. Many fruitful results and applications have been achieved and considerable social and economic benefits gained. Examples are the household digester, industrial biogass, planting of fuel forest, fuel saving stove and biomass briquetting fuel.

A number of institutions and entities have contributed to research and development of biomass energy, and as a result, some new technologies have been introduced to improve the efficiency of biomass energy, such as biomass pyrolysis gasification, liquefaction and carbonization. However, the application of new technology in the field of biomass energy is just at the onset and some problems need to be resolved, such as high system energy input, low energy conversion efficiency, and high product cost. It is necessary to set up some demonstration projects for developing some excellent technology.

2. Objectives

• Long-term Objectives
  • To reduce energy shortages, eliminate health hazards, and reduce air pollution by development and diffusion of biomass energy technology in the whole country. In the coming century, biomass energy products such as solid fuel, liquid fuel, combustible gas, electricity and heat have to substitute partly the fossil fuel.

• Immediate Objectives
  • To develop a national plan for development and diffusion of biomass energy;
  • To develop new technology for improving the utilization and efficiency of biomass energy;
  • To establish demonstration projects with an annual energy output of 10,000toe from biomass.

3. Activities

• 3.1 Drawing up of a national plan for the exploitation and utilization of biomass energy.
  • To organize technical exchange among domestic and international experts, and establish a network management system;
  • To send some experts abroad to survey international techniques and seek international assistance.
  • To seek ways to acquire technology and equipment;
  • To research the capacity of and demand for biomass energy resources in the whole country.
  • To develop a national plan and implementation programme for the exploitation and utilization of biomass energy;

  The duration of this activity will be one year.

• 3.2 Development of new biomass energy technology.
  • To establish a pilot system for biomass pyrolysis liquefaction in Beijing:
    • To treat 2,000 kg of maize straw and produce 600 kg of oil fuel daily;
    • To introduce equipment from abroad;

  • To establish a pilot plant for the production of alcohol from cellulose wastes in Shanghai:
    • To use bagasse and other wastes and produce 1,000 kg of alcohol per day;
    • To cooperate with industrial countries in technology development.

  The duration of this activity will be six years.

• 3.3 Establishment of demonstration plants for the exploitation and utilization of biomass energy.
  • To establish a demonstration plant for tri-generation of biomass energy in Yingkou, Liaoning Province:
    • To treat 6000 tons of rice husk and straw yearly and to produce energy products equal to about 1000 TOE per year, such as thermal energy, electricity and combustible gas for industry production and household consumption.
    • To introduce the gasification, tar removal and electricity generator systems from abroad.

  • To establish a demonstration plant for multi-energy production from biomass in Zhalaite Qi, Inner Mongolia:
    • To treat agricultural waste, brown coal or peat into good quality energy products, about 9000 TOE per year, such as gas fuel, liquid fuel, solid fuel, heat, electricity and methanol;
    • To introduce the high-temperature pyrolysis system and methanol synthesis system from abroad.

  The duration of this activity will be six years.

  All three actions above would be organized by the State Science and Technology Commission, the State Planning Commission and State Economy and Trade Commission, and the China Biomass Development Center and other institutes would take part in this activity.

• 4.1 Chinese Input
  • Administration of the projects:
  • Domestic experts and other personnel, local transport, office facilities and necessary equipment available in China;
  • Related scientific and technical information;
  • Domestic necessary equipment and operation funds for the projects;

• 4.2 International cooperation
  • International technology exchange and consultant, personnel training;
  • Cooperative research on alcohol production from cellulose waste and methanol synthesis.
  • Introduction of technology of gasification-electricity generation, catalyst gasification, and high-temperature pyrolysis liquefaction.

5. Benefits

Energy benefits occur in the energy utilization efficiency of biomass of not less than 40 percent. The total energy production from biomass in the proposed demonstration projects will 10,000 TOE. Environmental benefits are expected in the reduction of GHG (CH4 and CO2) by the demonstration projects of 37,000 tons per year.

Economic benefits of the demonstration projects will be US $3 million per year. The loan pay back time will be 2.3 years. The social benefits are the provision of more jobs for rural people, and the improvement of living conditions of women and children and the general social welfare in the countryside.