Parameter

Estimate or Assumption

Reference

BIOMASS YIELD

Annual Agricultural residues (annuals)

0.46 Mg/ha/year (1.25 t/ac/yr)

Estimates from agronomic

and forestry studies

Annual Wood chips

Yield does not matter since it is delivered on a contractual basis

Perennial energy crops (miscanthus)

2.94 Mg/ha/year (8 t/ac/year) for 10 years with ramp up and down in production

Perennial short rotation woody crops

14.69 Mg/ha (40 t/ac) once in 7 years

Butanol biorefinery capacity

159 Mega liters per year (42 million gallons per year)

Assumption

Biofuel conversion rate

291 liters per Mg (70 gallons per ton)

Biomass demand

544,311 Metric ton per year (600,000 tons per year)

Assumption

COST ESTIMATES

Costs of wood chips (delivered at the biorefinery’s location)

$66/Mg in the reference case; scenarios evaluate other prices such as $44 or 55/Mg

Material costs for each feedstock

$22-25/Mg (except wood chips)

[23]

Harvesting costs

$18/Mg

[24]

Additional loading and unloading costs

(for water based transport)

$5.50/Mg/handling incident

Very high in the reference case to eliminate any supply from farther harvest shed

Land transport costs

$0.19/Mg-km

[25]

Water based shipping costs

$0.02/Mg-km

[20]

Storage costs

$13.2/Mg/year

[26] [27]

Losses in storage

12% per year

[26] [27]

GHG EMISSIONS (Mg of GHG emissions per Mg of cellulosic biomass)

Agricultural residues

408

FEAT model 1.2.2 [21]

Energy crops

138

Wood chips

187

Short Rotation Woody Crops (poplar)

180

External cost of Greenhouse gas emissions

$16.5/Mg

Assumption

Distance of port from the biorefinery

52 (base case), 173, 346, 520 nautical miles

Assumption: equivalent of 60, 200, 400, 600 miles respectively