| Title: | University of Nebraska-Lincoln - Life-Cycle Bioenergy and Environmental Impact Simulator (BESS) | ||||
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| State: | Nebraska | ||||
| Program Description: | Nebraska – Life-Cycle Bioenergy and Enviromental Impact Simulator
Biofuel Energy Systems Simulator (BESS) Researchers at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln developed a user-friendly computer software to assess greenhouse gas mitigation and energy efficiency of corn-based ethanol plants. The program is called the Biofuel Energy Systems Simulator, (BESS). The initial version of the software is designed for corn-based ethanol production. It is available free at www.bess.unl.edu. The BESS model was developed by researchers at the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources with financial support provided by a grant from Department of Energy (DOE) through the Western Governors' Association. Goals of BESS The computer modeling software analyzes energy yield and efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions and resource requirements for individual biofuel production systems. This tool quantifies lifecycle carbon savings and enviromental impact of individual biofuel systems by tracing the source from “seed to fuel”. The goal of developing BESS was to quantify the environmental impact of corn-ethanol life cycle, including: (i) greenhouse gas emissions compared to gasoline, (ii) energy efficiency, (iii) water, land and nitrogen fertilzer requirements, and (iv) soil carbon sequestration. At the time the work was initiated in 2006, it was anticipated that in the future, each biofuel feedstock and associated fuel conversion system will need to certify their energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions to meet renewable energy or low-carbon fuel standards. This came to pass with passage of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) established GHG emissions reduction thresholds, based on life cycle analysis, for different types of biofuels. The BESS model has had an impact on the outcome of research efforts mandated by the 2007 EISA, to establish a baseline value for life cycle corn ethanol emissions. Pending congressional legislation to establish carbon-credit trading market will also will also make it important to be able to accurately quantify the greenhouse gas mitigation potential of the biofuel industry so that biofuel production can be included in the Carbon Trading Market. Free Download from the Website The BESS software and user manual are available for free download at www.bess.unl.edu . More than 500 copies of the model have been downloaded to date. Users include researchers, biofuel industry professionals, regulators in state and federal agencies, university instructors, and engineers. BESS estimates net energy efficiency and net greenhouse gas emissions for each component in biofuel production, including corn production, conversion to ethanol in the biorefinery, and use of coproducts. It provides three types of analyses: energy yield and efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, and global warming potential. Additionally, it looks at resource requirements, including land fertilizer and water. The initial version of BESS is based on corn-based dry-milling ethanol production. The science underpinning the BESS model has been published in the Journal of Production Ecology and available at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/121647166/PDFSTART . In the future, the team plans to develop versions for soybean biodiesel and biomass ethanol production from switchgrass and corn stover. Contact Information For more information, contact Dr. Kenneth Cassman or by phone at 402/472-3852. | ||||
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The Woody Biomass Utilization Database is a project of the Western Governors' Association
designed to increase awareness of the use of biomass resources for economic development and
environmental sustainability. Program objectives highlighted include biomass energy and
heating activities, education programs, and projects and technologies involving biomass
residue resulting from forest health treatments to reduce wildfire hazard risk.