Renewable energy supply of buildings

Lecture 08
Biomass
19.06.2023

Fatma Deghim, M.Sc.

Lehrstuhl für energieeffizientes und nachhaltiges Planen und Bauen Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang
Semester plan
Date Lecture Exercise

17.04.2023 L 01 Introduction

24.04.2023 L 02 Technical basics (online)

01.05.2023 - -

08.05.2023 L 03 Demand assessment E 01 Demand assessment of a building

15.05.2023 L 04 Solarthermal power E 02 Exercise solarthermal power

22.05.2023 L 05 Photovoltaics E 03 Exercise PV

29.05.2023 - -

05.06.2023 L 06 Geothermal heat and heat pumps

12.06.2023 L 07 Wind power

19.06.2023 L 08 Biomass (video)

26.06.2023 L 09 Energy storage systems for buildings

03.07.2023 L 10 Power and heat networks

10.07.2023 - Digital excursion Oscar von Miller Forum

17.07.2023 - Q+A

24.07.2023 - Exam
Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang |2
 Sources of Energy and Form of Appearance
Fusion Light

Non-Renewable
Atoms Heat
Fission

Energies
Coal
Oil
past solar radiation
Gas
Other fossil biogen fuels

Solar Global Radiation

Radiation
nuclear

Heat of the atmosphere

Heat of the seas
Heat within the earth‘s surface

Renewable Energies
present solar radiation Evaporation and precipitation
Wind
Waves
Sea current
Biomass

Geothermal
Heat
Heat
nuclear
not

Gravitation Tides

Kaltschmitt, Streicher, Wiese; Erneuerbare Energien: Systemtechnik, Wirtschaftlichkeit, Umweltaspekte. Berlin Heidelberg New York. Springer-Verlag, 2013

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang |3
Content of the lecture

1. Current status of the use of Biomass

2. Creation of Biomass and classification as a fuel
3. Energetic use of biofuels

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang |4
Content of the lecture

1. Current status of the use of Biomass

2. Creation of Biomass and classification as a fuel
3. Energetic use of biofuels

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang |5
Distribution of the total final energy generation from
renewable energies in Germany in 2022

https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/klima-energie/erneuerbare-energien/erneuerbare-energien-in-zahlen#ueberblick

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang |6
Energy consumption for heating and cooling in Germany in
2022

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang |7
Heat production from renewable sources in Germany from
1990 - 2016

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang |8
Heat production from renewable sources worldwide from
1990 - 2016

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang |9
Content of the lecture

1. Current status of the use of Biomass

2. Creation of Biomass and classification as a fuel
3. Energetic use of biofuels

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang | 10
Definition of Biomass

Quaschning, Volker; Regenerative Energiesysteme – 8. Auflage; Hanser Verlag

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang | 11
Definition of Biomass

All substances of organic origin:

• Phyto- and zoomasse (plants and animals)
• Residues of animals (e.g. animal excrements)
• Dead, but not yet fossil, phyto- and zoomasse (e.g. straw)
• All substances that have been produced through material use
(e.g. organic household waste, vegetable oil, paper and cellulose)

Primary products (Photosynthesis) Secondary products

• Plant mass • Organic higher substances
• By-products and waste from agriculture • Animals
and forestry
• Liquid and solid manure
• Sewage sludge

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Biomass formation through photosynthesis

About 4% of the newly created

biomass each year are used by
humans

 2% for food and animal feed

production

 1% for wooden products

 1% for energy production

(mostly firewood)

Watter, Holger: Regenerative Energiesysteme : Grundlagen, Systemtechnik und Analysen ausgeführter Beispiele
nachhaltiger Energiesysteme. Berlin Heidelberg New York: Springer-Verlag, 2015.

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang | 13
 CO2-Cycle for biomass

To make biomass usable, one has to process it by

• Drying

• Pressing

• Convertion to alcohol

• Convertion to biogas

• Pressing it into pellets

• Processing it into fuels in chemical plants

Decomposition Biomass Heating

 Goal of the processing: Production of easily

usable biomass fuels

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang | 14
Reasons for the energetic use of biomass

• No bad influence of the CO2 –emissions on

the climate (as long as used in a sustainable
way!)

• Shortage of fossil resources within the next

40 - 200 years

• Possible reduction of dependence on current

raw material producing countries

• Creation of new sources of income for local

agriculture and forestry
https://www.lwk-niedersachsen.de/index.cfm/portal/91/nav/2221/article/31158.html

 EU Directive on the increased use of biomass

for energy purposes

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang | 15
Classification of biomass
Residual Materials Energy Crops

https://www.holz-kraft.com/en/news/actual/785-biomass- https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Maize-an-energy-crop-for-
gasification-wood.html biogas-and-E10_fig5_285826245

Biomass

Solid Liquid Gaseous

Bioenergy Bioenergy Bioenergy
Sources Sources Sources

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Solid Bioenergy Sources

Solid Bioenergy Sources consist of:

• Wood
• Wood products
• Bark
• Sawdust
• Wood pellets
• Wood briquettes
• …
• Solid bio-waste
• Straw
• Energy crops

Quaschning, Volker; Regenerative Energiesysteme – 8. Auflage; Hanser Verlag

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang | 17
Solid Bioenergy Sources

Woody biomass
Wood from residues
• Wood not suitable for further use
• Old wood: wood which has already been
used and is no longer needed (e.g. old
fences, wooden pallets…)

http://franzjosefadrian.com/sonstiges/rettet-brennholz-das-klima/der-wald-wird-gefegt/2/

Energy Wood
• Wood specially grown for energetic use
• Fast growing trees are used
• Can be harvested every 3 to 10 years,
depending on the trees and the climate

https://www.leipfinger-bader.de/presseinfo/energiewald-fuer-die-porosierung/

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang | 18
Solid Bioenergy Sources

Straw biomass
 Non-timber plants which are mostly produced as
by-products in agriculture

• is harvested with harvesters https://www.haus-sanierung-info.com/ein-haus-aus-stroh-wie-bitte/

• is further processed into bales, chopped material

or pellets

• is mainly used for heat production

https://www.ehorses.de
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Solid Bioenergy Sources

Properties of biogenic solid fuels

Biogenic solid fuels with strongly varying fuel

properties (e.g. piece wood)

Biogenic solid fuels with medium variation of

fuel properties (e.g. wood chips)

Biogenic solid fuels with hardly varying fuel

properties (e.g. pellets)

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Liquid Bioenergy Sources

Liquid Bioenergy Sources consist of:

• Vegetable oils
• Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) or
biodiesel
• Bioalcohols like bioethanol
• Biomass-to-liquid fuels (BtL-fuels)

https://www.gettyimages.de/detail/nachrichtenfoto/frankfurt-a-m-ish-2007-trade-fair-biomass-to-
liquid-nachrichtenfoto/549545995

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang | 21
Liquid Bioenergy Sources

Vegetable oils
• More than 1.000 oil plans can be used
• Most commonly produces are rapeseed
oil, soybean oil and palm oil
• Produced by pressing or extraction

https://www.gesundheit.de/ernaehrung/lebensmittel/saucen-
und-oele/rapsoel

Biodiesel
• Comes closer to the properties of
conventional diesel than vegetable oils
• Vegetable oils (e.b. rapeseed) and
methanol are mixed together in a plant
• Is already mixed with conventional diesel
in gas stations today (about 5-6%)
https://www.mobile.de/magazin/artikel/biokraftstoff-alles-zu-
pflanzenoel-biodiesel-bioethanol-und-biomethan-3710

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang | 22
Liquid Bioenergy Sources

Bioalcohols
• Most commoly used it Bioethanol
• Produces from sugar or starch and cellulose
• Sources: sugar beets, corn, potatoes…
• Is being mixed with conventional gas, the E-
number indicates the amount of bioalcohols
 E 10: 10% Bioethanol + 90% Petrol https://www.sprit-plus.de/bioethanolwirtschaft-kein-mehrverbrauch-
durch-super-e10-benzin-2532202.html

Biomass-to-liquid fuels (BtL-fuels)

• Raw materials inclus straw, organic waste,
residual wood etc.
• Synthetically designed (no oil, starch or cellulose
necessary)
• Production process is complicated and therefore
expensive
• BUT: Can substitute conventional fuels directly https://www.gettyimages.de/detail/nachrichtenfoto/frankfurt-a-m-
ish-2007-trade-fair-biomass-to-liquid-nachrichtenfoto/549545995
(no motor adaption necessary)

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Gaseous Bioenergy Sources

Gaseous Bioenergy Sources can be

produced using:
• Landfill of municipal waste
• Sewage sludge
• Organic waste
• Agricultural products
• Corn
• Grass
• Rye
• Beets
• Manure (of pigs, cattle or https://heizung.de/gasheizung/wissen/biogas-nachwachsender-rohstoff-aus-biologischen-abfaellen/

chicken)
• …

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang | 24
Gaseous Bioenergy Sources

Silage
• Materials used are gras, corn, grain…
• Normally used to preserve feed for animals
• The plants are cut, dried only briefly (a few
days), pressed and then packed as airtight
as possible
• A fermentation of lactic acid begins, which
preserves the silage https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grassilage

 this leads to a generation of gas

 CH4 = Methane = Biogas
• In biogas-plants mostly corn-silage is used

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silage

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Gaseous Bioenergy Sources

Biogas Plant
• In the Fermenter the raw materials are
mixed in the absence of oxygen, then
baceria are added
• These anaerobic bacteria produce methane
(and some other gasses)
• The methane is collected in a storage tank
• Biogas production also generates process https://heizung.de/gasheizung/wissen/biogas-nachwachsender-rohstoff-aus-
biologischen-abfaellen/
heat
• To keep transport distances to a minimum,
biogas plants should be set up close to the
substrate source

https://schlattmann.de/info/info.php?thema=biogasentstehung

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang | 26
 Gaseous Bioenergy Sources

https://planet-biogas.com/funtion-of-a-biogas-plant/

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Gaseous Bioenergy Sources

Synthetic Gas
• Complex production process in two steps
• Advantage: A wide range of raw materials from wood to waste can be used
• BUT: High energy requirement is necessary for the production

https://www.kasag.com/hydrothermale-hochdruckvergasung-katalytisch-methanisierung-ueberkritisch-entsorgung/

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang | 28
Content of the lecture

1. Current status of the use of Biomass

2. Creation of Biomass and classification as a fuel
3. Energetic use of biofuels

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang | 29
Heating Value („Heizwert“)

• Formerly known as "lower heating value" or “unterer Heizwert”

• Describes the amount of heat released during the complete oxidation of a fuel
 without taking into account the heat of condensation of the water vapour contained in
the exhaust gas

Conventional Burners
• Fuel is burned to drive a heating
system
• The exhaust air has high
temperatures
• Part of the energy contained in the
fuel (latent heat in the water vapor
in the exhaust air) is lost to the
environment

https://www.dein-heizungsbauer.de/ratgeber/energie-sparen/brennwert-berechnen/

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang | 30
Heating value as a function of water content

Watter, Holger: Regenerative Energiesysteme : Grundlagen, Systemtechnik und Analysen ausgeführter Beispiele nachhaltiger Energiesysteme. Berlin Heidelberg New York:
Springer-Verlag, 2015.

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang | 31
Fuel Value („Brennwert“)

• Formerly known as “upper heating value" or “oberer Heizwert”

• Describes the amount of heat released during the complete oxidation of a fuel
 including the heat of condensation of the water vapour contained in the exhaust gas

Condensing Boiler Technology

• Fuel is burned to drive a heating
system
• The exhaust air is cooled down by
the system, it condensates and
gives off the latent heat stored in
the evaporation process
• Lower system temperature of the
heating system necessary
• A higher amount energy can be
transferred into the heating system

https://www.dein-heizungsbauer.de/ratgeber/energie-sparen/brennwert-berechnen/

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Heating Value vs. Fuel Value

• The Heating Value is set as a reference value at 100%

• The Fuel Value is higher than the heating value, because it contains the latent heat within the
water vapor of the exhaust gas

Conversion factors

https://www.dein-heizungsbauer.de/ratgeber/energie-sparen/brennwert-berechnen/

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Heating Systems for solid Biomass

Modern biomass heating systems include

• open and closed fireplaces offener und geschlossener Kamin
• wood-burning stoves Kaminofen
• tiled stoves Kachelofen
• pellet heating systems Pelletheizung
• log heating systems Stückholzheizung
• wood chip heating systems Hackschnitzelheizung
• ...

 Differentiation between automatic and manually fed systems

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Tiled Stove („Kachelofen“)

• Hand built and connected to the house

 Heating system is located in the room it is
supposed to heat
• Draughts (“Luftzüge”) carry hot exhaust air to the
chimney, on the way the walls of the stove heat up
• When using a heat exchanger for the exhaust air, a
tiled stove can also be used for hot water
production or as sole heating system for an entire
building https://www.lowtech
magazine.com/2008/
• Very high comfort-factor (radiation heat feels 12/tile-stoves.html

comfortable)
• Uses wood logs or lump wood
• Available as a manually operated system
• Can either use the room air, or get an own air
connection

https://www.kachelofenwelt.de/ofentypen/kachelofen/

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Log Heating System (“Stückholzheizung”)

• The burning of the wood takes place in different

phases  boiler consists of several combustion
chambers
• Phase 1 - Pyrolysis: After the wood has been
ignited, it gasses out in the first chamber. During
this pyrolysis, the wood releases 70 % of the
energy it contains and loses around 85 %of its
mass.
• Phase 2 – Combustion: Driven by a fan, the
wood gases then flow into a second chamber,
where they burn together with oxygen from the
air. High temperatures are reached and the last
30 % of the energy contained in the wood are
released
• 1 % of the wood mass are left as ashes
• Wood is being burnt from bottom to top and a fan
sucks off carbonizing gasses
 long burn durations possible

https://www.zeiringer.net/cd/12/Zeiringer-Stueckholzheizung/

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Wood Chip Heating System (“Hackschnitzelheizung”)

• Wood Chips
• shredded wood with a length of 5 - 50 mm
• made from forest wood, sawdust or wood
from the processing and machining
• dry chips have a water content < 25 %
• heating value is about 3.6 kWh/kg
(ca. 1/3 of the heating value of heating oil)
• The quality of the wood chips depends on
the wood used and the chipping process
• Due to the advantage of the pourability in
comparison to logs and lump wood,
combustion in fully automatic heating
systems is possible

http://www.hitzler.biz/leistungen/heizung-nahwaerme-biomasse-
pellet-hackschmitzel-holz-gas-oel-waermepumpe/holz-pellet-
hackschnitzel-heizungen/hitzler-villenbach-windhager-
hackschnitzel-heizung-aufbau-001/
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Wood Pellet Heating System („Pelletheizung“)

• Wood Pellets
• Pressed wood with a length of 2-5 cm
• made from forest wood, sawdust or wood
from the processing and machining
• heating value is about 5 kWh/kg
(ca. 1/2 of the heating value of heating oil)
• Systems begin from a power of 2,5 kW
 suitable for smaller houses as well
• Due to the advantage of the pourability in
comparison to logs and lump wood, combustion http://www.burmester-haustechnik.de/pelletheizung.html
in fully automatic heating systems is possible
• Heat can be generated at a lower price than
with heating oil or natural gas (at current wood
prices)
• But: the system causes higher annual
maintenance and repair costs

https://www.oekotest.de/bauen-wohnen/Reaktionen-Flammenco-Qualitaets-
Holzpellets_110824_1.html
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Wood Pellet Heating System („Pelletheizung“)

https://www.unendlich-viel-energie.de/media-library/charts-and-data/wood-pellet-heating-system

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang | 39
 Storage of solid bioflues
Example: Calculating the size of a wood
pellet storage tank

Heat Demand Q Heat = 20.000 kWh/a

Efficiency of the boiler ηBoiler = 90 %
Bulk Density ρPellets = 650 kg/m³
Heating Value Hi = 5 kWh/kg
Utilization Factor f = 0,7

Q Heat
VStorage =
f ∗ ηBoiler ∗ ρPellets ∗ Hi

kWh
20.000
VStorage = a
kg kWh
0,7 ∗ 0,9 ∗ 650 3 ∗ 5
m kg

𝐦𝟑
𝐕𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 = 𝟗, 𝟖
http://www.hackschnitzelheizung-hackgutheizung.sonnenergie.de/ 𝐚
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Heating Systems for liquid Biomass

Biofuel
• Biofuel = conventional heating oil mixed with bio oil from renewable sources and additives to
ensure that the mixture remains stable during storage
• Currently, FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester) is mainly used for this purpose
 in Germany FAME is known as "biodiesel“
• The mixture must contain at least 3% of fuels on a regenerative basis, technically, mixtures of
up to 20 % are possible
• Common oil heating systems can use biofuel with up to 6% of bio oil content without
additional retrofitting
• New systems can use biofuel with up to 20% of bio oil content

 Biofuel oil is NOT 100% renewable heating oil!

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Heating Systems for gaseous Biomass

Biogas (for heating)

• Biogas from a Biogas-Plant contains too little
Methane to use it as a fuel right away
• By “washing” it, CO2 and Sulphur are removed and
the Methane content rises to over 98%
 it is then known as “Biomethane”
• Biomethane is basically like natural gas and can be
used to heat buildings or drive car engines…
• In most cases, biomethane is mixed with natural gas

https://biogas.fnr.de/nutzung/biomethan/

Institute of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Lang | 42
Copyright

© 2023
Renewable Energy Supply of Buildings

Technical University of Munich

TUM School of Engineering and Design
Chair for Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building

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