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thriving and vibrant city, Boston proved to be an appropriate venue for a conference about an industry possessing those very qualities. Drawing a crowd of about 300, the region-specific event allowed intimate discussions of current and future utilization of the Northeast’s biomass resources, as well as a significant array of associated political, technological and economical concepts. Cellulosic ethanol developer Mascoma Corp.’s Justin van Rooyen kicked off the conference with a compelling keynote address centered on the modeling and viability of cellulosic biorefineries in the U.S., along with the advantages of multiple, highly flexible product lines. “We [U.S.] know we’re ahead in the biorefining world, but what are the pieces that we need?” van Rooyen said. “We’re very fortunate to have tremendous academic institutions, and the U.S. DOE has done a phenomenal job funding the technologies coming out of these institutions, so we really do have the pieces in hand to do this.” Van Rooyen said he believes the cellulosic ethanol industry is at least five to 10 years away from full commercialization. “The U.S. has proven time and time again its ability to move fast,” he said. “We just have to have the willpower.” Biorefining models don’t just make sense in the U.S., he added, but also in developing countries worldwide, on local and broader scales. “Imagine communities self-supported by these biorefineries—feeding themselves, clothing themselves, fueling themselves. I strongly believe this is the way the [cellulosic] industry will be going in the future.” Following van Rooyen’s address, the initial plenary session panel centered on the highly publicized and controversial Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences’ “Massachusetts Biomass Sustainability and Carbon Policy Study.” Since its release in June, woody biomass has been under fire. Tom Walker, consultant for Manomet, was on hand to discuss the study.
Contemplating Carbon Walker was one of five speakers on the panel that explored the study’s methodology, findings and potential implica30 BIOMASS MAGAZINE 9|2010
tions. Massachusetts’ renewable portfolio standard (RPS), one of the leading in the nation, at 15 percent by 2020, has been a great success, Walker said. He emphasized more than once that the study’s results are not translational to other states, and all regions looking into biomass utilization for bioenergy should conduct their own studies. Through a competitive solicitation, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources chose Manomet to conduct the study, determining forest biomass’s impacts on greenhouse gases, forest and forest ecologies and sustainability. The study found a debt-then-dividend model where forest biomass releases more carbon dioxide than fossil fuels do initially, but that debt is paid off as the forests re-grow, with growth rates depending on a number of other factors such as forest management. The feedstock taken into account in the study was strictly forest-derived, including logging residues, but not mill residues, tree and landscaping clearing, construction debris or other wastes. That has been one of a few points of contention in the biomass industry, as most plants would use such wastes. “I will say that the DOER and Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs were very pleased with the sound technology, but we recognize its limits,” said panel moderator Dwayne Breger, director of renewable and alternative energy development for DOER, citing the feedstock concerns and reiterating that the study findings are specific to Massachusetts. “I think there’s been a lot of controversy in the press as far as how far-reaching our results are,” Walker said. During the six-month study, the researchers, which included representatives from other agencies such as the Pinchot Institute and the Forest Guild, developed an integrated energy system forestry model with a baseline scenario of forest operations in Massachusetts similar to that in the recent past. “A key element that we’ve done is to explicitly take this business-as-usual scenario,” he said. Forest biomass will be carbon neural
if the forests grow back and people don’t question that, Walker said. The question is when and what factors could affect it. “As you can see, carbon neutrality is not instantaneous,” Walker said. Dividends with replacement of coal-fired electric capacity begin at about 20 years, the study found. When biomass is replacing natural gas capacity, the carbon debt is still not paid off after 90 years. When using logging residues only, however, the debt is paid off much sooner. “For waste material, carbon recovery can be relatively rapid regardless of harvest or technology assumptions,” he said, adding that when live trees are harvested, carbon recovery profiles are longer.
Broad Policy Implications The DOER will use the study to refine its RPS regulations, and biomass energy has been suspended from inclusion, pending the results of the study. The EEA has requested new final rules be put in place by the end of this year. Broader policy implications of the study include the fact that the baselines will be different in different regions; different sources of biomass have different greenhouse gas profiles; biomass technology choices matter toward recovery times; and forest management can either accelerate or decelerate carbon recovery. But current emissions targets are more short-term focused and don’t account for biogenic sources with payback periods, according to panelist Bob Perschel, northeast regional director of the Forest Guild and study contributor. “This is going to be a huge problem with the public,” he said. Opposition has cropped up all around the country and some groups have taken the Manomet study results as confirmation of their viewpoints. Forest depletion is one of their concerns, but panelist Michael Goergen, executive vice president and CEO of the Society of American Foresters, said that the country has about the same amount of forests today that it did 100 years ago. “We’ve maintained the same amount of forest despite an increase in population from 87 million to more than