Feedstocks are essential to any bioenergy system. BioEnergy Systems LLC (BES) has experience with the full spectrum of biomass feedstocks:

  • agricultural field residues (e.g., rice straw, corn stover)
  • agricultural processing residues (e.g., rice hulls, gin trash)
  • forest-based woody biomass (e.g., chips, harvest slash)
  • woody processing residues (e.g., sawdust)
  • municipal biomass (e.g., biosolids, greenwaste)
  • dedicated energy crops (e.g., perennial grasses)
  • traditional crops for first-generation biofuels production (e.g., corn or sugarcane to ethanol, soybeans to biodiesel)
  • animal biomass (e.g., manure, poultry litter)
  • biodiesel feedstocks (virgin oils, waste vegetable oils, animal fats)

 

BES assists with all aspects of feedstock identification, characterization, and management, including:

  • feedstock supply analyses...for a specific location (or project), BES can help identify the target feedstocks, the quantities generated, and distances of the material from the target site
  • resource assessments...BES principals have undertaken numerous comprehensive assessments of biomass resources (e.g., multi-state assessments, state-wide assessments, site-specific assessments)
  • densified fuels...BES has experience with pelletizing and briquetting of various feedstocks as intermediate fuel products
  • supply contracts...BES can help develop contracts for long-term supplies of specific feedstocks

 

 

The figure below provides an overview of the various types of biomass feedstocks. Development of a portfolio of target feedstocks to be utilized for a specific project will be influenced by numerous considerations such as:

  • feedstock requirements reflecting system design, including feedstock quantity and quality
  • the quality of the various potential feedstocks (including seasonal or weather-related variations)
  • long-term confidence in the availability of the target feedstocks within the target region
  • the cost of the various feedstocks, including acquisition costs, transport costs, and pre-processing requirements (e.g., drying, sizing) for each feedstock sub-type

 

 

The feedstocks circled in red are of primary interest in the southeastern United States (and other locations in the U.S. and worldwide) for production of cellulosic bioenergy products (e.g., cellulosic ethanol, electricity).