Finding Solutions for Netley-Libau Marsh

The Netley-Libau NutrientBioenergy Project
Finding innovative solutions for wetland
restoration, flooding, phosphorus, and bioenergy
Richard E. Grosshans
Research Associate
The Lake Winnipeg Watershed:
a complex place
Lake Winnipeg:
Most eutrophic large lake in the world
Healthy
Watershed
Natural Barriers
and buffers on the
landscape
• Wetlands
• Riparian buffers
• Grassed fields
Unhealthy
Watershed
No Natural
Barriers or buffers
on the landscape
© Ducks Unlimited Canada
An abundance of water and nutrients
4
Meanwhile...that noxious pollutant is
actually a scarce and strategic resource:
the Peak Phosphorus story
Manitoba Bioeconomy
…technological development that
leads to a significant replacement of
fossil fuels by biomass in the
production of:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Materials
Heat
Electricity
Transportation Fuels
Chemicals
Pharmaceuticals
Manitoba Bioeconomy
Flooding and nutrient management
issues provide an economic
opportunity through innovative
solutions:
•
Biomass for:
o Bioenergy
o Biofuels
o Bioproducts
• Phosphorus capture & recycling
• Wetland Restoration
Potential Bioeconomy Revenue
- Solutions to our problems can make us $$
$B
Biomass
• Lack of Feedstock sustainability and
Manitoba
Bioeconomy
• Biomass industry receiving growing
and the
economic viability is a significant risk to the
biofuel industry
attention for its potential as a significant
source of renewable energy within the
Manitoba Bioeconomy
• Need to expand portfolio of sustainable
biomass sources.
• Opportunity to explore alternative
feedstocks that combine benefits:
i.e. nutrient management, bioenergy, flood
storage:
•
•
•
•
Straw and crop residue
Willows
Forestry residue
Cattail
Lake Winnipeg
• Serious eutrophication issues in
Lake Winnipeg
• Manifestation of the poor
watershed management in the
Lake Winnipeg Basin over the
past century
Wetlands - Nature’s Kidneys
• Wetlands are a critical part of a healthy watershed
• Effectively store nutrient rich runoff water
preventing downstream flooding
•
Store and remove significant amounts of nutrients
and toxins from the water before reaching rivers
and lakes
•
•
Nutrients are buried in wetland sediments
•
Nutrient rich material re-enters ecosystem from
decaying vegetation – intercept with harvesting
Plants take up nutrients from litter and sediment –
incorporated into biomass
Reaping the multiple benefits
• Since 2006, IISD, University of Manitoba, Ducks Unlimited
Canada, and MB Hydro have collaborated on research in
Netley-Libau Marsh
• The Netley-Libau project - Lake Winnipeg nutrient
management can create new value chains: provide an incentive
for wetland restoration across the Lake Winnipeg Watershed
• Study has examined cattail biomass harvesting and combustion
for nutrient capture and bioenergy - an approach that
intercepts, sequesters, recovers stored nutrients by harvesting
cattail biomass
• Reaping the multiple benefits: Utilized cattail biomass for
bioenergy - provides benefits of displacing fossil fuels,
generating CO2 offsets, recovery of phosphorous in ash
Netley-Libau
Nutrient-Bioenergy
Project
P N CO2
• Nutrient rich Lake Winnipeg
water continually flushes into
Netley-Libau Marsh
• Cattails capture and absorb
nutrients (i.e. phosphorus)
from marsh sediment
P
P
P
P
P
P
• Absorb CO2 from the air
• Harvesting the nutrient rich
cattail biomass captures
stored nutrients and provides
an innovative sustainable
feedstock for Bioeconomy
Site Monitoring
• Plant growth
• Species diversity
• Stem density, % cover
• Collected samples: test for
seasonal biomass
accumulation and nutrient
uptake
•
•
•
•
Plants
Sediment
belowground cores
litter
• Water chemistry
• Harvesting effects
Cattail biomass harvesting
Spring harvest
Summer harvest
Summer harvest – 100 m2 plots
Winter/Spring harvest – 100 m2 plots
Harvesting Effects - Harvested sites vs. non-harvested
•
Ground thaws earlier - cattails emerge nearly 2 weeks earlier than
unharvested sites
NON-harvested
Harvested
Harvesting Effects - Harvested sites vs. non-harvested
•
Cattail density increases following harvest and clearing of deadfall
Harvested
NON-harvested
Phosphorus storage/removal/reccapture in cattail
Every Hectare of Cattail:
15 to 20 T of cattail (dry)
20 to 60 kg of P
---------------------------------------
1 to 2 kg of P
per round bale
Seasonal Nutrient Loss in Cattail
Phosphorous Loss in Cattail
Phosphorous
(% of dry biomass)
0.12
0.11
0.10
0.08
0.08
0.06
0.06
0.03
0.04
Translocation
to Roots
0.02
Loss from
freeze/thaw
0.00
Summer
Fall
Winter
Season
20 to 60 kg of P per Hectare of Cattail
1 to 2 kg of P per 400 kg round bale
Loss from
freeze/thaw
Spring
Cattail POWER – Biomass Bioenergy
•
Cattail (Typha spp.) is a large emergent plant found in wetlands
across North America - can produce considerable biomass within a
single growing season
•
Extremely competitive – primary aquatic plant for nutrient removal
in engineered wetlands and wastewater treatment wetlands
•
ZERO inputs for nutrients and planting
•
Valuable biomass feedstock for bioenergy production
•
Harvesting as a bioenergy fuel source has received little attention:
•

impacts on wetland environment relatively unknown

lack of economic feasibility
Harvesting cattail biomass offers greatest feasibility if combined for
multiple purposes and EGS – bioenergy, habitat management,
nutrient removal, flood control, erosion reduction…
Cattail - Comparison of Biomass yields
Biomass
Average Yield
(Tonnes/ha)
Days to
Maturity
Cattail (average)
15 to 18
90 days
Cattail (range)
12 to 35
90 days
Switchgrass
9.1 - 13.5
3 years
Miscanthus
6.3 - 48.3
3 - 5 years
Willow
7 - 10
3 years
Poplar
7 -10
6 - 12 years
Wheat straw
1.8 - 2.4
90-100
Corn stover
5.1
110-120
Flax residue
1.2
99-110
Biomass Densification – cubes and pellets
• Created densified fuel cubes and
pellets for use in bioenergy systems
• Easily stored and transported - is a
universal feedstock
• Currently significant market for fuel
pellets – European market
• Cubes for use in larger burners
• Comparison of cattail as a feedstock
to other biomass feedstocks
• Pellets: cattail vs. wood
• Cubes: cattail vs. straw, corn, flax, etc
Cattail Biomass – potential energy yield
Average Potential Energy Yield of Cattail in Comparison (GJ / Hectatre)
500
Potential Energy Yield (GJ/Ha)
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Cattail
Switchgrass
Miscanthus
Willow
Poplar
Wheat straw Corn stover Flax residue
Cattail Cube Burn Trial Fall
2009
Blue Flame Stoker
Biomass Burner
Nutrient
Capture and
Removal
Cattail Biomass
Harvest
Cattail Harvesting for Nutrient Removal
and Bioenergy Production
Bioenergy
Emissions out
Biomass Transport
(Baled)
Heat Energy
Biomass
Densification
P Recovery
(cubes, pellets)
Ash OUT
Cattail Biomass IN
88%
Cattail P IN
Phosphorous
Biomass Burner
Recovery
Energy cost comparisons: cattail vs. other biomass
$0.080
Fossils and Hydro
$0.070
$0.066
Pellets
$0.060
$0.054
Cubes
$0.051
$0.048
$0.050
$0.041
$0.044
$0.043
$0.040
Biomass
$0.032
$0.030
$0.020
$0.022
$0.023
Straw
bales
Cattail
cubes
$0.015
$0.010
$0.000
Cattail
bales
Wheat
straw cubes
Cattail
pellets
Wood
pellets
Oats -grain Coal lignite Natural gas Natural gas MB Hydro
highE
lowE
*Estimates are based off production costs guidelines provided from MAFRI (Source: MAFRI 2010 –
wheat straw biomass production costs).
Cattail carbon offsets & GHG emission credit potential
displacing coal (Alberta bituminous)
Biomass
cattail
coal
Yield
(T/ha)
Energy
Content
(MJ/T)
Energy Content
(MJ/T) at 80%
efficiency
Emissions
(T CO2/T
biomass)
CO2
offset
per T
15
17500
14000
0.5
1.05
-
25800
-
2.44
-
Cattail
Yield
Harvest
Area
Cattail
Biomass
15 T
380 ha
5700 T
Carbon
Credits
($10/T)
$ 60,000
CO2 Offset
Coal
Displaced
3100 T
6000 T
Biomass Harvesting Equipment
European Wetland Harvesters
Manitoba Opportunities
• Tracked and balloon tire marsh
harvesters = Low ground pressure to
minimize impact
• Large and small-scale commercial
harvesting for biofuel industry in the
Manitoba Bioeconomy
Manitoba Opportunities
Small-scale application
• Small and compact for small
wetlands and ditches
• Application for municipal ditch
maintenance to reduce annual $$$
Higher value products –
biocarbon, biofuels, biocomposites, bioplastics,
Cattail Biomass
Pellets for fuel
Bioenergy - Heat
CO2
N
Captured
P N C…
P
Exported
P N C…
ASH Recovery
• Harvesting cattails captures the stored nutrients
• Further benefit gained as a bioenergy feedstock to displace fossil fuels (coal) used for
heating or electricity
• Carbon credits from production of “low carbon” bioenergy, while reaping benefits of
Phosphorus (P) capture from Lake Winnipeg – “Lake Friendly” biomass
• Recover P from biofuel ash - being explored for use as fertilizer
• Diversify rural economic activity by providing a value towards wetland restoration
• An example of innovative integrated systems that can be applied throughout the Lake
Winnipeg watershed
Thanks and Acknowledgements:
University
OF Manitoba