BIOMASS POTENTIAL IN PAKISTAN:

The Power crisis in Pakistan:

At present Pakistan is experiencing severe energy crisis which is resulting in adverse long term

economic and social problems. The Electricity and Gas shortages have directly impacted the

common man, Industry and commercial activities.

High cost of Energy mix is the main underlying reason behind the power crisis. The main fuel for

the local power industry is natural gas however due to the continued depletion of this source

and demands elsewhere the power generation companies are now dependant on Furnace oil.

Crude oil prices which have remained around US$ per 112 barrel for a long time make power

generation very expensive.

The energy mix of Pakistan for the year 2010-11 is given in figure 1:

*Others (Nuclear, LPG and Imported Elect

FIGURE 1

The Consumption pattern of Power in Pakistan is in Table 2:

CONSUMER SHARE (%)

Domestic 45.7

Commercial 7.5

Industrial 28.1

Agricultural 11.8

Public Lighting 0.5

Bulk Supply 6.4

Total 100 Table: 2

Gas (47.57%)

Oil (32.05%)

Hydro Electric (11.77%)

Coal (6.74%)

Others* (1.88%)

FIGURE 2: POWER CONSUMERS IN PAKISTAN

Extent of Power generated in Pakistan during the last 4 years is given in Table 3:

YEAR GWH

2007-08 72,770

2008-09 69,659

2009-10 73,561

2010-11 73,806 Table 3i

FIGURE 3ii POWER GENERATED IN PAKISTAN.

Domestic (45.7 %)

Commercial (7.5 %)

Industrial (28.1 %)

Agricultural (11.8%)

Public Lighting (0.5%)

Bulk Supply (6.3%)

67,000

68,000

69,000

70,000

71,000

72,000

73,000

74,000

75,000

2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12

GWH

GWH

The problem being faced by the utilities in Pakistan is not shortage of generation capacity

(which stands at 23,578 MW) but the available capacity remains around 14,000 MW, the un-

utilised capacity is mainly due to non-availability of Furnace oil to generate power at expensive

rates.

The way out of this crisis is:

Power production at low cost (meaning seeking for fuel sources at much

lower than current purchase price)

Fuel security (reduced dependence on fuel sources which are susceptible

to international price fluctuations and require foreign exchange for

purchase)

It boils down to one target i.e. to look for fuel sources which are cheap and abundantly

available within the country. This description and requirement is fulfilled by resources which

have been largely ignored in the past and are also available in sufficient quantities to remove

the Power crisis prevailing in the country. These sources can be classified as the Biomass.

The Technology Platform: The Technology and equipment mainly used for generating power

from biomass is shown in figure 4:

The equipment required for generating Power from biomass is Steam boilers to produce

steam by burning biomass as fuel; the steam is fed to a condensing type steam turbine

which is drives a Power generator. The main equipment i.e. steam boiler and the

ancillary equipment like cooling towers, pumps and piping can be manufactured within

Pakistan whereas the Steam turbine generator (constituting 40% of the power plant)

will have to be imported from overseas. Similar systems are being used by the sugar

industries in Pakistan using the sugar cane Bagasse (another waste agricultural biomass)

as fuel.

Some of the newly installed sugar factories using this arrangement are exporting their

excess power to the grid during the sugar cane grinding season.

BIOMASS SOURCES IN PAKISTAN:

Being an agrarian country Pakistan has numerous sources of biomass available from agricultural

crops, secondly due to high population density in the urban centres solid waste is also being

generated in quantities suitable for power generation.

Main sources of Biomass in Pakistan are:

AGRICULTURAL RESIDUES.

ANIMAL WASTE.

MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE. AGRICULTURAL RESIDUES: Agricultural residues include those crop leftovers which have a fuel value and their potential is not being fully utilized. The main agricultural residues available locally are:

1. Wheat Straw: At present this is the main source of cattle fodder so cannot be

considered as a source of fuel to generate power.

2. Rice Husk and Rice Straw: Presently being used as a source of fuel in the brick kilns

and also as cattle feed is therefore not considered.

3. Cane trash: The waste of Sugarcane crop which is left in the field and subsequently

burned by the farmers. Sugar Cane trash is a biomass source which is available in

substantial quantities and can be classified as a potent source to produce Power.

4. Cotton Sticks and other plant residues of Cotton crop: These are also a left over in

field, part of this quantity is used for cooking purposes, some quantity is lifted by the

Brick kiln users, 30% is excess and can be used as a biomass source.

In this paper emphasis will be given to the last mentioned sources i.e. Sugar Cane trash and

Cotton Stalks.

Sugar Cane Trash:

Sugar cane trash is generated through the growing of sugar cane which is a major crop in

Pakistan; it is mainly used for the manufacture of refined sugar for local consumption. Sugar is

manufactured in sufficient quantities to fulfill the indigenous requirements of the country.

Figure 5 Sugar Cane Plant

Figure 6i

Sugar cane and trash in the field before harvest

Figure 6ii Cane trash left in the field after harvesting it will be burned in-situ

As per data collected Sugar cane tops and trash constitutes around 30% of the plant. The cane

tops constitute 20%. Cane tops are used as Cattle fodder and are taken away by the cane

harvesting labor to feed to their dairy animals. The other waste Cane trash constitutes 10% of

the Sugar cane crop. Leaving aside wastages 9% cane trash has been considered as available

biomass for power.

The figures of Sugar cane crop in Pakistan and the trash generated are given in Table 7

YEAR

Sugar Production

Tonnes

Cane Trash available Tonnes

2006-07 54,741,600 4,926,744

2007-08 63,920,000 5,752,800

2008-09 50,045,000 4,504,050

2009-10 49,372,900 4,443,561

2010-11 55,308,500 4,977,765

Table: 7

Calorific Value of Sugar cane trash: As per research it has been determined that the Nett.

Calorific value of Cane trash is = 6.7 Gj/Ton. Taking this figure as the bench mark the Power

generating potential of Sugar cane trash available in Pakistan is given in Table 8:

Year

Cane Trash

(Tonnes)

Thermal Energy in Cane Trash @ 6.7

GJ/ton (GJ)

Power Potential

Sugar cane trash

(GWH)

2007-

08 5,752,800 38,543,760 10,950

2008-

09 4,504,050 30,177,135 8,573

2009-

10 4,443,561 29,771,859 8,458

2010-

11 4,977,765 33,351,026 9,475

Table 8

COTTON STICKS:

Cotton is the other main cash crop. It is the main source of raw material to the local textile industry; the lint cotton is also a significant export item. During 2010-11, the crop was cultivated on an area of 2.67 hectares. The crop figures of Cotton are given in Table 10:

Cotton field

Year

Cotton Production

(Bales)

Crop Production

(Tonnes)

2006-07 12,856,200 2,186,711

2007-8 11,655,100 1,982,416

2008-9 11,819,000 2,010,294

2009-10 12,913,400 2,196,440

2010-11 11,560,100 1,966,257

Table 10 Cotton crop data-Pakistan

Quantity and Calorific Value of Cotton Stalks: As per available information and related

publications the ratio of plant waste to Cotton is 3:1. From the waste a portion is used by the

farmers as cooking fuel, some is lifted by the brick kiln operators a substantial quantity is

available for use as fuel for power. The Nett Calorific Value of cotton sticks has been

determined as 7.3 Gj/Ton. Power potential from cotton sticks is given in Table 9:

Year

Cotton Stalks

Production (Tonnes)

Cotton Stalks Available for

Power Generation (Tonnes)

Thermal Energy in Cotton Sticks @

7.33 GJ/Ton (GJ)

Power Potential (GWH)

2007-8 5,947,248 1,486,812 10,898,332 3,096

2008-9 6,030,882 1,507,721 11,051,591 3,140

2009-10 6,589,320 1,647,330 12,074,929 3,430

2010-11 5,898,771 1,474,693 10,809,498 3,071

Table 11

ANIMAL MANURE:

Energy from Dairy animals: Dairy animals wise Pakistan stands fourth in the world in Milk

production, its indigenous production of milk stands at around 4 billion liters per year. The

cattle and dairy population is also substantial and could be considered for prospecting energy

from the manure from the dairy animals and cattle. The technology for extracting energy from

cattle and dairy animals is through generation of biogas from the manure, this technology is

well introduced in Pakistan and its use will not pose any barriers. The additional advantage for

Power from manure is the Organic Compost and slurry which can subsequently used in the

fields as a rich source of fertilizer. This will result in additional revenues at significant levels

improving the profitability of the dairy farmers and the power operators.

Animals data of Pakistan is given in table 12:

YEAR Cattle

Population

Buffalo

Population

Total Animal

Population

Manure Produced (Tonnes)

2006-07 30,674,000 28,146,000 58,820,000 322,039,500

2007-08 31,829,000 29,001,000 60,830,000 333,044,250

2008-09 33,029,000 29,883,000 62,912,000 344,443,200

2009-10 34,285,000 29,413,000 63,698,000 348,746,550

2010-11 35,568,000 31,726,000 67,294,000 368,434,650

Table 12

Biogas from Manure: The quantity of biogas in any feedstock is dependent on the organic

content of the Feedstock, the average organic content of Cattle and Buffalo manure is 12%.

Table 13 gives the power potential from Animals manure

Year

Manure Produced

Tonnes/year

Biogas @ 30 m/Ton

Manure

Thermal energy in Biogas

@ 22 MJ/m

Biogas Power Potential @ 2.14 Kwh/m

(GWH) (m) (GJ)

2006-07 322,039,500 9,661,185,000 212,546,070 20,675

2007-8 333,044,250 9,991,327,500 219,809,205 21,381

2008-9 344,443,200 10,333,296,000 227,332,512 22,113

2009-10 348,746,550 10,462,396,500 230,172,723 22,390

2010-11 368,434,650 11,053,039,500 243,166,869 23,654

Table 13

The Dairy Animal holding in Pakistan ranges from very low per farm to the largest located at

Karachi (housing around 400,000 animals). The herd size distribution is given in the table 14

Herd Size Cattle Buffalo

1-6 5.204 5.001

84.10% 83.40% 7-15 0.826 0.843

13.30% 14.10% 16-50 0.14 0.14

2.30% 2.30% > 50 0.018 0.012

0.30% 0.20% Total 6.188 5.996

100% 100%

Table 14

As per table 11 the maximum % of Cattle and buffalo holding is from 1 6 animals, the

production of biogas from this size will be very limited however due to this size the dairy sector

is facing other problems like low productivity, substandard feed and animals health issues, in

order to obtain maximum benefits from the dairy sector the collectivization of dairy farms will

have to be practiced which will enable the farmers to sell their manure to the biogas based

power producers at mutually convenient prices. The second benefit of such arrangement would

be that the effluent solids and liquid coming out of the biogas power plants can be converted

into Organic fertilizer source in quantities which can be used in the fields on large scale.

Municipal Solid Waste:

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is another feedstock which is available in substantial quantities,

the quantities generated in major city centers of Pakistan is 7,121,626 Tonnes/yr:

The calorific values of Municipal solid waste have been determined by laboratories and the

average figures as per different classifications are given in Table 15:

S.NO AREA

CLASSIFICATION MOISTURE

% CALORIFIC

VALUE MJ/KG

1 High Income Residential area 60 7.27

2 Medium Income Residential area 63 6.98

3 Low Income Residential Area 67 6.25

4 Commercial Area 64 6.67

5 Industrial Area 61 7.19 Table 15

Taking an average calorific value of msw = 6.89 MJ/kg the Thermal energy and power potential

available in the MSW generated in the major urban centers of Pakistan is 13,940 GWH/YR.

To obtain an annual value for 4 years it has been assumed that the generation rate of MSW will

be directly proportional to the population growth rate which is 2 % per annum. In the final

analysis narrated in Table 16 the increase in MSW based power potential has also been

incremented at this rate.

Year

POWER AVAILABLE FROM MSW

GWH/YR.

2007-8 13,940

2008-9 16,728

2009-10 20,074

2010-11 24,088

Table 16

Conclusion: Having determined the theoretical values of the power potential in the agricultural

and urban waste available in Pakistan a summary can be prepared for the total Power which

can be realized. This figure is given in Table 17:

YEAR

Power from Sugar cane trash

(GWH)

Power From MSW @ 2% increase/yr

(GWH)

Total Biomass Power

available (GWH)

Power from

Cotton Sticks (GWH)

Power from Dairy Biogas

(GWH)

2007-08 10,950 3,096 21,381 13,940 49,367

2008-09 8,573 3,140 22,113 14,219 48,044

2009-10 8,458 3,430 22,390 14,503 48,781

2010-11 9,475 3,071 23,654 14,793 50,993

Table 17

It is also important to compare the potential or theoretical figures with the total power

presently being generated in Pakistan this comparison is given in Table 18:

Year

Power generated in Pakistan

GWH

Biomass Potential of

Pakistan GWH

Biomass potential as % of Total Power

consumed

2007-

08 72,770 49,367 68 %

2008-

09 69,659 48,044 69 %

2009-

10 73,561 48,781 66 %

2010-

11 73,806 50,993 69 %

Table 18

Studying the above comparison and assuming that even if the Biomass potential of Pakistan is

realized it can easily replace major part of the total power generated in the country and

become a substitute for the Imported and expensive furnace oil and natural gas required in

other sectors. This replacement will be much cheaper than power generated from furnace oil.

Additionally advantages adopting the biomass route will be multi-dimensional like:

Power supply at affordable rates to the consumers.

A sustained supply without the menace of regular and long power outages.

An indigenous resource for localized power generation which is not dependent on the

price fluctuations linked with imported fossil fuels.

An additional source of income for the growers of Sugar Cane, cotton crop and the dairy

farmers thereby creating additional profits for the stakeholders. A source of business

opportunities for traders buying biomass raw material from the farmers processing it

and selling to power operators.

A source of employment in the rural areas and prevent migration of populace to urban

centers seeking job opportunities away from home.

Power from biomass can be generated through technology platforms and equipment

which is mainly indigenous and the technical manpower to operate it is also abundantly

available in the country.

The Msw based power plants have to be installed in the cities (where the garbage is

generated) thus removing the problems associated with garbage collection and disposal

and making available a source of income for the funds starved civic agencies of the

cities.

Barriers in implementation:

Setting up centralised biomass based power plants will be a barrier, this hurdle can be

overcome by installing a chain of smaller power plants ranging from 15MW to 50MW

located in those areas where the biomass is available in economical quantities, and this

will also save in the transportation costs and will result in reduced line losses.

The Micro-grid concept should be adopted for time savings and immediate

implementation.

In absence of a centralized approach the second option would be to go for micro power

plants of 15 Kw to 1000 Kw range based on Gasifier and biogas plants using the

agricultural biomass and animal manure as the feed stock, this route will also be viable

and could be adopted on the basis of individual participation of the small and medium

land holding farmers. The assistance of NGOs and small and medium scale

entrepreneurs would be helpful in adopting this route.