It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
The agro-fuel transition closes a 200-year chapter in the relation between agriculture and industry that began with the Industrial Revolution. Then, the invention of the steam engine promised an end to drudgery. However, industry’s take-off lagged until governments privatized common lands, driving the poorest peasants out of agriculture and into urban factories. Peasant agriculture effectively subsidized industry with both cheap food and cheap labor. Over the next 100 years, as industry grew, so did the urban percentage of the world’s population: from 3% to 13%. Cheap oil and petroleum-based fertilizers opened up agriculture itself to industrial capital. Mechanization intensified production, keeping food prices low and industry booming. The next hundred years saw a three-fold global shift to urban living. Today, the world has as many people living in cities as in the countryside. [10] The massive transfer of wealth from agriculture to industry, the industrialization of agriculture, and the rural-urban shift are all part of the “Agrarian Transition,” the lesser-known twin of the Industrial Revolution. The Agrarian/Industrial twins transformed most of the world’s fuel and food systems and established non-renewable petroleum as the foundation of today’s multi-trillion dollar agri-foods complex.
The pillars of the agri-foods industry are the great grain corporations, e.g., ADM, Cargill and Bunge. They are surrounded by an equally formidable phalanx of food processors, distributors, and supermarket chains on one hand, and agro-chemical, seed, and machinery companies on the other. Together, these industries consume four of every five food dollars. For some time, the production side of the agri-foods complex has suffered from agricultural “involution” in which increasing rates of investment (chemical inputs, genetic engineering, and machinery) have not increased the rates of agricultural productivity—the agri-foods complex is paying more and reaping less.
Agro-fuels are the perfect answer to involution because they’re subsidized, grow as oil shrinks, and facilitate the concentration of market power in the hands of the most powerful players in the food and fuel industries. Like the original Agrarian Transition, the present Agro-fuels Transition will “enclose the commons” by industrializing the remaining forests and prairies of the world. It will drive the planet’s remaining smallholders, family farmers, and indigenous peoples to the cities. It will funnel rural resources to urban centers in the form of fuel, and will generate massive amounts of industrial wealth.
The U.S. Department of Energy is investing in research for low- and net-zero-carbon SMFs to replace heavy fuel oil in maritime activities.
Major companies, like Chevron, are partnering with marine fuel suppliers to develop and trial sustainable bio-based diesel in the U.S. and EU markets.
The World Shipping Council emphasizes the need for regulatory frameworks to provide investment certainty and guide the industry towards the 2050 decarbonization goal.
Sustainable marine fuels are finally gaining more traction as governments and private companies around the world look to decarbonise the shipping industry. This hard-to-abate industry contributes approximately three percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions at present, and as trade and passenger transport continue to increase, this figure could grow exponentially if nothing is done to decarbonise the sector. Meanwhile, the World Shipping Council (WSC) says better regulations are needed to ensure investments in green fuel are put to good use.
In the U.S., the Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is working towards the development of low- and net-zero-carbon sustainable marine fuels (SMFs) to decarbonise the shipping sector. While there is potential for smaller boats to be powered by lithium batteries or hydrogen fuel cells, larger vessels that travel longer distances will require a different approach. BETO is currently investing in research into the production of innovative green fuels that could help replace fossil fuels in powering maritime activities.
Over 90 percent of the goods transported around the world are carried on cargo ships, which rely on heavy fuel oil (HFO) for their power. This fuel comes from petroleum refining activities, which emit huge levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere. In contrast, SMFs are produced using materials and methods that help reduce GHGs. They can be made using feedstocks, such as forestry and agricultural waste, non-food energy crops, waste oils, fats, and greases, landfill gas and other waste products.
There are two main approaches to the development of SMFs, the production of fuels that can be used in existing or modified vessels and the manufacturing of fuels that can be used in new, specially made ships. Low-emissions drop-in fuels can be used in existing ship engines without the need for modification, making them suitable for the immediate decarbonisation of the sector. These include renewable diesel, biodiesel, hydrotreated vegetable oil, bio-oil, and bio-crude. Meanwhile, emerging marine fuels with zero or near-zero GHG emissions are being developed to be used in new or modified ship engines, meaning they are suitable for mid- and long-term decarbonisation efforts. These include bio-methanol, lignin-alcohol mixes, and bio-based natural gas
One of the biggest limitations to emerging marine fuels is the time required to roll these out at the commercial level. It can take several years to develop new ship technology and manufacture a fleet of new vessels, meaning that these fuels cannot be used in the short term to decarbonise marine activities.
Many major companies are now investing in the development and production of SMFs to support the decarbonisation of activities, as governments push companies to support a green transition. Oil and gas giant Chevron hopes to increase its production of renewable diesel to 100,000 bpd by 2030. In 2022, Chevron Renewable Energy Group entered a strategic agreement with Bunker Holding Group, the world’s largest supplier and trader of marine fuels, to develop the U.S. and EU marine markets for sustainable bio-based diesel. The partnership is currently running trials with B20 and B30 SMF across both regions.
Bob Kenyon, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Chevron Renewable Energy Group stated of the partnership, “At Chevron Renewable Energy Group we see clearly the opportunity for biodiesel to be a sustainable fuel option of choice for customers in the clean energy transition. Partnering with Bunker Holding will accelerate the marine industry adoption of biodiesel to achieve aggressive carbon reduction goals.” Kenyon added, “Our renewable fuels and customer service are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions today and offer a plug-and-play solution for the current shipping infrastructure. We look forward to further developing our relationship with Bunker Holding and supporting the shipping industry’s decarbonization movement.”
While strides are being made in the development of SMFs, John Butler, President and CEO of the World Shipping Council (WSC) says, “To ensure there are renewable fuels available to run… ships in a competitive manner, energy providers must see regulations written in the next two years that demonstrate sufficient demand for new fuels to justify the massive investments need in the immediate future. The challenge for member states at IMO (International Maritime Organisation) is not just to agree, but to agree on regulations that will provide investment certainty. If we can get this right from the beginning, we will speed the energy transition and make it more affordable by avoiding stranded investments.”
Butler believes the WSC must establish GHG fuel intensity standards to guide the industry. This would support technology and vessel development and drive SMF production. It would allow shipowners and energy providers to better understand the global demand for SMF and facilitate the transformation of the global fleet. Butler says that “IMO regulations must evaluate and reward a given ship or group of ships based on the GHG reduction achieved”. The WSC has urged member states to implement implementing the necessary regulatory framework by 2025, for full implementation in 2027, to support the decarbonisation of the shipping sector by 2050.
But at what cost? The death of the Wheat Board so that the big agribusiness corporations that are producing bio-fuels, like Archer Daniels Midlands, can gain more state subsidies
The answer is Bio Fuels, which the Green Party supports. The problem is that they are not economical, without massive state subsidies. And the Green Party knows that.
Ethanol is the best reference biofuel when discussing options for biodiesel support. In the last 3 years, Canadian ethanol capacity has grown from 175 million litres to 1.2 billion litres. To initiate the rapid growth of a Canadian ethanol industry, the government of Canada provided $123.9 million in capital subsidies to corporations during the first two rounds of the Ethanol Expansion Program ethanol production has increased as a direct result of the capitalization assistance
Currently, 110 grain ethanol biorefineries have the capacity to produce more than 5.3 billion gallons of ethanol ethanol.An additional 79 (81 according to their latest update of their list) construction projects are underway that will add nearly 6 billion gallons of new ethanol production capacity.
Archer Daniels Midland remains the largest producer with 1,070 mgy of capacity at six sites and 275 mgy under construction or planned. VeraSun comes in second and US Bioenergy third, each with less than half of ADM's capacity.
And the biggest critcs of the biofuel hoax are environmentalists, not political opportunists like May and her Party.
Biomass for biofuel isn't worth it Although Pimentel advocates the use of burning biomass to produce thermal energy (to heat homes, for example), he deplores the use of biomass for liquid fuel. "The government spends more than $3 billion a year to subsidize ethanol production when it does not provide a net energy balance or gain, is not a renewable energy source or an economical fuel. Further, its production and use contribute to air, water and soil pollution and global warming," Pimentel says. He points out that the vast majority of the subsidies do not go to farmers but to large ethanol-producing corporations.
Once again the State interferes in the marketplace and prices jump on commodities exchanges.
In the U.S. George Bush announced subsidies for bio-fuels not once but twice in State of the Union addresses.
And while he talked about switchgrass and other waste material based biomass, no funding opportunities have been created to subsidize this.
Instead bio-fuel announcements have fed the monopoly agribusiness oligopolies like ADM, who specialize in corn and wheat based ethanol production.
In Canada part of the Governments Green Plan and its efforts to undermine the Wheat Board was to announce subsidies for ethanol production.
While the only existing wheat straw based bio-fuel company in the world with new technology, remember that new technology that the government talks about is going to solve the global warming crisis, can't find anywhere to pedal its technology in Canada and is looking for investors. Just as its American counterparts are.
Meanwhile in Mexico tortilla prices have skyrocketed on ethanol speculation as corn is transformed from a basic food stuff into a fuel for financial speculation.
In Canada and the United States the increase in corn speculation has led to higher costs for pig farmers.
Bio-fuels are not a green solution, in fact they are not ecological at all, but a way to subsidize big Agribusiness like ADM and the financial markets. The only green about them is greenbacks.
In fact, in the fall of 1998, Celunol, then called BC International, announced plans to build a cellulosic ethanol plant in Jennings with Department of Energy assistance. The plant was never built, a spokesman says, because the company wasn't able to secure the rest of the financing.
Today, Celunol has competition in the race to build the first cellulosic ethanol plant. The enzymes company Iogen operates a small wheat-straw-based facility in Canada and is scouting locations for a larger plant. Kansas became America’s top wheat grower, regularly producing close to one-fifth of the country’s total harvest. With their sheaves of wheat, called shocks, stacked upright everywhere in the fields to dry, wheat became so ingrained in the Kansas mind-set that Wichita State University adopted the name Shockers for its mascot.
But in the last two decades, farmers have increasingly turned to corn and soybeans, which need nearly twice as much water.
“That part of the state is going to be out of water in about 25 years at the current rate of consumption,” said Mike Hayden, the secretary of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and a former Kansas governor.
Along with its connection to Brian Mulroney, Archer Daniels Midland, ADM, the major beneficiary of subsidies for bio-fuels in the United States and Canada has a connection with Conrad Black.
ADM's de facto monopoly in ethanol and its subjugating influence across wide swaths of our agro-food system has been accomplished stealthily over decades and is currently enforced by several largely hidden (but interlocking) realities: (1) political contributions and placement of ADM-approved toadies at all levels of government, particularly USDA and Congress, (2) a large phalanx of controlled trade associations, commodity groups, and related foundations at national, state and local levels and (3) controlling influence in important media sectors through stock ownership of newspapers, advertising and holding companies.
Let's illustrate the last point --- Have you been watching the public destruction of Conrad Black, erstwhile chairman of Hollinger International, and a member of British House of Lords? Hollinger, which controlled, among other assets, The Chicago Sun Times, The London Daily Telegraph and dozens of smaller newspapers, began imploding shortly after ADM's chairman emeritus Dwayne O. Andreas and another longtime ADM director, Robert Strauss, resigned their board seats at Hollinger in early 2003.
Other ADM directors and toadies, including former Ambassador Richard Burt and former Illinois governor James Thompson, continued serving on Hollinger's board and helped spark an internal investigation, brought in a former SEC chairman for window dressing and dumped Black amid a swirl of nasty allegations. Having orchestrated Black's ouster, by exposing audits and other internal revelations of indefensible corporate greed, it would appear the "Pot (Andreas) can call the kettle (Black)" and get away unscathed --- while simultaneously riding the public's post-Enron indignation.
Maersk continues to forge ahead with efforts to develop methanol as an alternative fuel to support the maritime industry’s transition. The shipping company is supporting the development of a large green methanol production facility in Central Louisiana while in Singapore they completed the port’s first-ever ship-to-ship methanol bunkering operation. With its maiden voyage underway, the first containership fueled by methanol is now a little over a month away from reaching Maersk’s headquarters in Copenhagen.
Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) is highlighting the unique bunkering operation and the preparation it undertook. Before the operation, extensive safety preparations were made, including tabletop exercises, workshops, and a ground deployment exercise involving various stakeholders and government agencies. The MPA highlights that it conducted a thorough risk and environmental impact assessment, reviewed global methanol-related incidents, and incorporated the use of drones, weather and tide forecasting, plume modeling, and monitoring to support the operation.
The 32,300 dwt containership built in South Korea which will be officially named Laura Maersk when it reaches Copenhagen, arrived in Singapore on July 26 from Shanghai. Working with Hong Lam Marine which received the green methanol from Vopak Terminals, the vessel was refueled with approximately 300 metric tonnes of bio-methanol from the bunker vessel MT Agility. The containership will depart Singapore for the more than 5,300 nautical mile voyage to the Suez Canal.
Singapore undertook extensive preparations to ensure the safety of the bunkering operation (MPA)
As the voyage continues, Maersk also continues to build out its global supply network for the future fuel that will be required for its fleet of ocean-going methanol dual-fuel ships now on order as well as the other major carriers that have followed with orders for ships.
SunGas Renewables, a Louisiana-based company spun out of GTI Energy to focus on renewable syngas products announced plans to proceed with the construction of a large green methanol production facility that is expected to supply methanol to Maersk’s fleet. The company plans to invest approximately $2 billion to construct the project at the former International Paper facility in Rapides Parish, Louisiana. Construction is expected to begin in late 2024 with commercial operations commencing in 2027.
“Using biomass from sustainably managed forestry along with carbon capture allows our project to generate green marine shipping fuel while simultaneously removing carbon from the atmosphere,” explains Robert Rigdon, CEO of SunGas Renewables.
The project which will be called Beaver Lake Renewable Energy is expected to produce nearly 400,000 metric tons of green methanol per year for marine fuel. It will utilize wood fiber from local, sustainably-managed forests in the production of the fuel with a carbon sequestration process of nearly a million tons per year of CO2.
In late 2022, SunGas Renewables announced a strategic green methanol partnership with Maersk to produce green methanol from multiple facilities around the United States. The BLRE project is SunGas Renewable’s first facility to produce green methanol for Maersk.
SEA-LNG Highlights Growth of Bio-LNG Bunkering
SEA-LNG highlights the growth of bio-LNG to meet shipping's demands and emerging regulations (CMA CGM file photo)
SEA-LNG, the industry coalition established to demonstrate the commercial advantages of LNG as a marine fuel, is reporting strong growth in the availability of bio-LNG including in major bunkering ports. Growth of the alternative fuel is increasingly important both to support the expansion of the LNG-fueled fleet and to meet emerging regulations designed to reduce methane emissions as well as support the development of renewable fuels that do not compete with the production of food.
The European Council’s moves this week to complete the adoption of FuelEU Maritime due to become effective in 2025 highlight the critical need for bio-alternative fuels that meet the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive and requirements that fuels do not compete with food production. SEA-LNG reports that the current fleet of 355 LNG-fueled vessels, excluding LNG carriers, are all capable of using bio-LNG as a drop-in fuel without modification. DNV on its Alternative Fuels Insight platform estimates that the LNG-fueled global fleet with grown by 2.5 times in the next five years to nearly 1,000 ships.
SEA-LNG in its market analysis reports that annual production of biomethane, from which bio-LNG is produced, is currently around 30 million tonnes or around 10 percent of shipping’s total annual energy demand. Further, they report that bio-LNG is currently available in almost 70 ports worldwide, including in Singapore, Rotterdam, and the US East Coast. They highlight that bio-LNG can also be transported, stored, and bunkered in ports using the existing LNG infrastructure, which provides a route to further expansion of its availability in coming years.
“The fact that bio-LNG is commercially available now and being used as a drop-in marine fuel by operators in Europe, North America, and Asia, demonstrates the sustained contribution that the LNG pathway can make to decarbonizing our industry, starting today,” said Adi Aggarwal, General Manager of SEA-LNG. “Climate change is a stock and flow problem, the longer our industry waits to start using low-carbon fuels, the tougher the decarbonization challenge will be.”
Bio-LNG used in the maritime industry is produced from sustainable biomass feedstocks such as human or agricultural waste, which means it does not compete with the production of food, fiber, or fodder, as defined by regulations such as the EU’s RED II and the Renewable Fuel Standards in America. SEA-LNG highlights that in general, the use of bio-LNG as a marine fuel can reduce GHG emissions by up to 80 percent compared to marine diesel on a full well-to-wake basis. They further contend that depending on the method of production, bio-LNG can have net-zero or even net-negative GHG emissions on a lifecycle basis.
Environmentalists have been critical of the growth of the LNG fleet pointing to methane slip, the condition where unburnt methane which is especially harmful to the environment is contained in a ship’s exhaust. Global regulations, including an initiative from the UN Climate Summit, specifically are targeting methane slip at all sources from production to the use of LNG as a fuel source. SEA-LNG argues that newer marine engines and technologies are reducing methane slip while additional research is also underway to eliminate methane emissions from ship’s exhausts.
SEA-LNG also addresses the challenge of scaling up bio-methane production to meet demand. The industry coalition cites research from the Nanyang Technological University’s Maritime Energy and Sustainable Development Centre of Excellence (MESD) released in October 2022, showing the global potential for the expansion of biomethane production of up to 20 times current production levels by 2050. Accounting for demand for other sectors, MESD forecasts that bio-LNG as a marine fuel could be available in sufficient quantity to decarbonize approximately 13 percent of the global shipping fleet in 2050.
HHI Gets Approval for Ammonia-Based Shipboard HVAC Plant
ABS has issued an approval in principle to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for its new ammonia-based ship HVAC refrigeration system.
Ammonia is the most common industrial refrigerant worldwide because of its excellent efficiency and affordable price. In addition, it has zero greenhouse-gas impact, unlike some modern refrigerants, and has no effect on the ozone layer. It is a common refrigerant aboard reefer ships and large fishing vessels, with decades of proven service.
Ammonia's drawbacks are also well-known, and much discussed in the maritime industry. It is toxic and flammable, and these safety challenges have to be managed in a shipboard environment. Its long history in fishing and in shoreside applications have established its risk/benefit profile, and two research studies recently concluded that it can be used safely as a marine fuel - with the right precautions. Extending its use to merchant shipboard HVAC is a small step towards far larger ammonia-fuel systems.
HHI developed its new ammonia refrigeration system in response to shipowners’ requests for a more eco-friendly refrigerant for HVAC, the company said in a statement. Ammonia's attractiveness for the owner is in its zero global warming potential, as well as its inherent safety for the ozone layer. Hwan-Sik Lee, head of the ship design office at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, emphasized that HHI wants to help reduce the GHG footprint of the whole ship, not just the propulsion system.
“This is an exciting development from HHI for the maritime industry’s decarbonization quest to find sustainable solutions. ABS has always been a safety pioneer, so we are well placed to tackle the challenges on board and ashore presented by ammonia’s toxicity and flammability. ABS is committed to leading the industry in supporting ammonia’s safe adoption at sea,” said Panos Koutsourakis, ABS Vice President, Global Sustainability.
Thursday, June 08, 2023
Op-Ed: Bio-LNG En Route to Deliver Decarbonization
The zero-emissions profile, availability, and cost of bio-LNG as a marine fuel have been widely discussed in the maritime industry. This includes in my last article, ‘The Emergence of Bio-LNG’ and The Maritime Executive’s coverage of the latest independent study commissioned by SEA-LNG – ‘The Role of Bio-LNG in the Decarbonization of Shipping’.
The expanding use of bio-LNG and the regulations surrounding its use continues to evolve as we travel down the LNG pathway to decarbonization. Work is now focused on the finer details such as the realization of regulations, feedstock traceability, and cementing the next steps on the journey. These practical discussions highlight the growing maturity of the bio-LNG value chain and its place in the LNG pathway that SEA-LNG has been highlighting for years.
Reaching the Regulatory Mile Marker
The journey to decarbonization is an incremental one, as recognized in the recent agreement in Brussels on FuelEU Maritime. This European legislation sets out probably the world’s most ambitious path to zero-emission shipping.
FuelEU Maritime has outlined greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity targets for all energy used onboard ships larger than 5,000 gross tonnes for intra-EU voyages, and 50% of the energy used on ships stopping in the EU and sailing to or from ports outside the EU. The trajectory specified starts with a 2% reduction in intensity by 2025 over a 2020 baseline, 6% by 2030, 14.5% by 2035, 31% by 2040, 62% by 2045, and 80% by 2050.
The use of LNG as a marine fuel enables vessels to be compliant with the well-to-wake GHG intensity targets proposed under the legislation until 2039, depending on engine technology. Following the LNG pathway, the use of a 20% drop-in blend of bio-LNG can extend compliance for a further 5 years. Thereafter, compliance can be achieved through increasing use of blends containing bio-LNG and its electro-fuel cousin, renewable synthetic (e-) LNG produced from renewable hydrogen as and when it becomes available together with other anticipated green fuels.
This compliance with FuelEU Maritime and strong performance within its framework highlights that the LNG pathway to decarbonization is not only a viable one but also a strong and practical route for shipowners and operators to continue to consider. The commercial weight behind LNG is proof that shipowners recognize this fact. Shipping stakeholders are investing in LNG because it provides a low risk, incremental pathway for decarbonization, starting now, not years or even a decade in the future.
Putting the right Gas in the Tank
For bio-LNG to be a zero-emission fuel, it must be produced from sustainable biomass feedstocks, i.e., those that do not compete with food, fiber, or fodder production. This generally means it is derived from waste streams, residuals from agricultural or forestry residues, as well as dedicated non-food energy crops grown on marginal land unsuitable for food production. This is not a challenge to bio-LNG supply as these feedstocks are plentiful and widely distributed.
Currently, the main way to produce bio-LNG (liquified biomethane) is through a process called anaerobic digestion. Here one puts waste biomass, mainly agricultural slurries, into a digester where it produces biogas. This biogas is then cleaned to remove impurities resulting in streams of pure biomethane and other commercially valuable byproducts.
While the traceability of bio-LNG supply chains and resulting certification is an international challenge that will require continued global collaboration, the EU does already have standards in place. Namely the revised Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2018/2001 (RED II). Certification schemes like the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification EU (ISCC EU) are compliant with this standard and are recognized by the European Commission. These certification schemes ensure that bio-LNG can be traced back to a sustainable source.
This means it is increasingly simple for ship owners and operators, bio-LNG suppliers, and regulators to ensure that they’re putting the right gas, from the right source, in the tank. The recent bunkering of MSC’s new cruise vessel, the MSC Euribia, with bio-LNG supplied by Gasum, sets a new global standard for vessels operating at net zero emissions through the use of bio-LNG. When bio-LNG from sustainable biomass feedstocks is used, the net-zero or net-negative emissions benefits are clear. Further, there is a significant contribution to the circular economy offered by bio-LNG as it turns waste into a viable product.
Comparing the Viable Routes
Just as your satellite navigation systems might compare multiple routes to a destination, the shipping industry must compare its routes to zero emissions. The sat nav’s computer evaluates each route based on a consistent set of metrics and calculations and we must do the same for the emissions, availability, cost, and safety implications of each alternative fuel. We must compare alternative fuel pathways on a like-to-like basis.
It is also important to recognize that there can be multiple viable routes to decarbonization. Just as today, different vessel types may favor certain fuels due to design and operational considerations, that will continue into the future. SEA-LNG has long stated that there are likely to be a basket of alternative fuels and technologies if shipping is to reach its decarbonization destination. Our coalition believes the LNG pathway currently offers the safest, most practical, and realistic, cost-competitive pathway to net zero for maritime. It also is the only pathway with significant infrastructure in place thereby freeing the industry from massive investments into untried technologies.
The shipping industry is making newbuild investment decisions right now that will impact emissions today and for the next 25-30 years, the typical lifetime of a deep-sea vessel. Shipowners and operators need factual and practical like-for-like analysis that can inform their decisions and actions.
Acting now on shipping’s GHG emissions is a key point. Waiting is not an option. GHG emissions are cumulative and the longer low-emission, zero-emission, and net zero fuel decisions are delayed, the more carbon continues to accumulate in our atmosphere. Shipowners and operators can start down the LNG pathway to decarbonization now because the technologies are mature, and the fuel and infrastructure are in place. The LNG pathway to decarbonization looks like a four-lane highway, while some alternative routes look more like dirt tracks with the first paving is only in the initial planning phase.
Peter Keller is the chairman of SEA-LNG, a multi-sector industry coalition established to demonstrate LNG's benefits as a viable marine fuel.
Monday, September 29, 2025
Turning a problem into a resource: Scientists transform biomass tar into high-value carbon materials
Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
A sticky, toxic by-product that has long plagued renewable energy production may soon become a valuable resource, according to a new review published in Biochar.
When biomass such as crop residues, wood, or other organic matter is heated to produce clean energy and biochar, it also generates a thick liquid known as bio-tar. This tar easily clogs pipelines, damages equipment, and poses environmental risks if released into the atmosphere. For decades, researchers have sought ways to eliminate or neutralize it.
Now, a team led by scientists at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences argues that instead of being treated as waste, bio-tar can be converted into “bio-carbon”—a novel material with applications ranging from water purification to clean energy storage.
“Our review highlights how turning bio-tar into bio-carbon not only solves a technical problem for the bioenergy industry, but also opens the door to producing advanced carbon materials with high economic value,” said senior author Dr. Zonglu Yao.
The review examines how chemical reactions inside bio-tar, particularly those involving oxygen-rich compounds like carbonyls and furans, naturally promote polymerization—processes where small molecules link together to form larger, more stable carbon structures. By carefully adjusting temperature, reaction time, and additives, researchers can harness this process to produce bio-carbon with tailored properties.
The resulting material, the authors note, is distinct from ordinary biochar. Bio-carbon typically has higher carbon content, lower ash, and unique structural features that make it especially suited for advanced uses. Early studies suggest that bio-carbon could serve as:
Adsorbents to clean polluted water and air by trapping heavy metals and organic contaminants.
Electrode materials for next-generation supercapacitors, which are vital for renewable energy storage.
Catalysts that speed up industrial chemical reactions more sustainably than traditional fossil-based options.
Clean-burning fuels with lower emissions of harmful nitrogen and sulfur oxides.
Importantly, recent economic and life-cycle assessments suggest that converting bio-tar into bio-carbon can deliver net-positive energy, financial, and environmental benefits. For example, replacing coal with bio-carbon fuels could cut carbon dioxide emissions by hundreds of millions of tons annually, while also generating profits for biomass processing plants.
Still, challenges remain. The chemical complexity of bio-tar makes it difficult to fully control the polymerization process, and large-scale production has not yet been achieved. The authors recommend combining laboratory experiments with computer simulations and machine learning to optimize reaction pathways and design bio-carbon with specific functions.
“Bio-tar polymerization is not just about waste treatment—it represents a new frontier for creating sustainable carbon materials,” said first author Yuxuan Sun. “With further research, this approach could significantly improve the efficiency of biomass energy systems while providing new tools for environmental protection and clean technology.”
The study provides a roadmap for scientists and industry partners to turn one of bioenergy’s biggest obstacles into a powerful resource for the future.
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Journal Reference: Sun, Y., Jia, J., Huo, L. et al. Preparation of bio-carbon by polymerization of bio-tar: a critical review on mechanisms, processes, and applications. Biochar7, 90 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42773-025-00477-9
Biochar is the first journal dedicated exclusively to biochar research, spanning agronomy, environmental science, and materials science. It publishes original studies on biochar production, processing, and applications—such as bioenergy, environmental remediation, soil enhancement, climate mitigation, water treatment, and sustainability analysis. The journal serves as an innovative and professional platform for global researchers to share advances in this rapidly expanding field.
