Converting Waste Agricultural Biomass into a Resource - UNEP

The customized harvester collects the waste, bursts the straw's cylindrical
tubes and chops it into 3/8-inch pieces. The material is blown into trailers that
hold from nine to 14 tons and it is transported to one of company’s three
satellite storage facilities. These storage sites have a harvesting radius of
approximately 17 miles each and are located to the north, east and south of
the biorefinery project location. 61
Economic instruments for overcoming barriers 62
Several hundred million dollars in grant money the U.S. DOE has awarded to
ethanol producers to develop commercial cellulosic technologies. The state of
California also has specific grant money available for the utilization of rice
straw.
Advantages to Developing Countries 63
Ideal for an organization that produces and must dispose of plant waste, or
that has a cheap local supply of plant waste from others who must dispose of
it.
• High ethanol yield per ton of feed stock [94 gallons].
• Low cost of feedstock [waste straw].
• Feed stock most plentiful in world [800,000,000 tons annually].
• Low production costs of ethanol.
• Two income streams: ethanol and silica sodium oxide.
• No feed stock taken from food stream, all are Ag wastes and residues.
Examples of Real Life Applications
Level of Use:
Commercial Use
Name of Project: Colusa Rice Straw / Hulls Technology
Location: Colusa Biomass Energy Corporation
California, USA
Suppliers 64
Colusa Biomass Energy Corp.
1023 Main Street
Colusa CA, 95932
Telephone: 530.458.8101
Fax: 530.458.8106
60 http://www.ethanolproducer.com/article.jsp?article_id=3175&q=&page=2
61 http://www.ethanolproducer.com/article.jsp?article_id=3175
62 ibid.
63 http://www.colusabiomass.com/news/Colusa-County-Sun-Herald_Chinese-delegation-visits-Colusa.pdf
64 http://www.colusabiomass.com/contact.htm
144