GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

FINAL REQUIREMENT:

PROPOSAL FOR THE BIOMASS POWER PLANT AS A CLEAN AND EFFECTIVE

ENERGY GENERATION USING AGRICULTURAL, PLANTS, TREES RESIDUES,
AND OTHER ORGANIC MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE, THUS IMPROVING
WASTE MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY OF THE
LOCAL COMMUNITY OF NUEVA ECIJA

In partial fulfillment of the requirements in the subject

ENERGY SYSTEM ANALYSIS

Submitted by:

JEREMIAH JIV P. ESTRELLA

Master of Engineering Major in Mechanical Engineering
 CHAPTER 1: DESIGN PROJECT BACKGROUND

Statement of Design Problem

The Philippines have many rural areas where agriculture and forestry is the main source of livelihood.
According to International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Agriculture is the primary and often
only source of income for poor rural people, most of whom depend on subsistence farming and fishing for
their livelihoods. And one of which is Nueva Ecija which is considered the main rice growing province of the
country and often referred to as the “Rice Granary of the Philippines” by the 1920s. As stated by the World
Bank, Nueva Ecija is the largest rice-producing province in the country, contributing about 10 percent of the
total rice production in the Philippines and is also the top producer of tropical vegetables in the country,
producing 207,608 tons in 2014, contributing about 19.6 percent of the total national tropical vegetable
production. [1] [2] [3]

With the production of rice and different agriculture products, the need for proper management of residues
becomes major concern. According to Santana-Méridas et al, these residues can cause pollution,
management and economic problems worldwide. This is the reason for the development of different
strategies to use agricultural and industrial residues as a source of high value-added products. Despite of
strategies to deal with agricultural residues, burning is still one of the major practices in the disposal of
agricultural residues especially of rice straw and rice husk produced at the end of harvest season. World
Bank stated that burning of rice, corn, and sugarcane residues is still widely practiced in the Philippines.
This practice is being done to minimize labor requirement for land preparation of the farms for the next
cropping season. However, agricultural residue burning practices poses serious threat not only to the
people but also to the surrounding environment. In one report of Philippine News Agency (PNA), the
Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is urging farmers to refrain from burning rice straws, saying
this could reduce soil nutrients and make farmlands unproductive. Evelyn Javier, supervising science
research specialist of PhilRice’s Agronomy, Soil and Physiology division, said rice straw-burning, which is
being practiced during the harvest season, causes air pollution by producing carbon dioxide, carbon
monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide Javier added that some beneficial insects are killed when
rice straws are burned as further emphasis in PNA report. [4] [3] [5]

As such, agricultural residue management is just as important as the crop production for ecological
sustainability. According to Zhang et al, agricultural residue management should serve a double function,
both confronting global warming and food security by increasing carbon sequestration in agriculture and
increasing grain yields. And using residues as biomass fuel will be able to assist in energy production while
properly addressing agricultural residue management issues. In the study of Mohammed et al, bioenergy

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and biofuel utilizing biomass such as bio refinery, plant materials and manure, and waste resources for
application as renewable fuels for transportation and for power generation can ensure a sustainable, low-
carbon alternative to fossil fuels. The use of agricultural residues and manure to produce bioenergy also
offers a significant opportunity for local and regional economies. [6] [7]

General Objectives

To reduce greenhouse gases emission thru the use of renewable biomass fuels from the residues of
agricultural crops, plants and trees residues, and local municipal waste in generating electricity for the local
community.

Specific Objectives

 To reduce waste burning practices and address proper waste management in the community

 To construct biomass power plant and generate sustainable renewable biomass energy at
economical price for the local community.

 To coordinate with local government unit and electric distribution cooperative for the
implementation of the project.

Scope & Limitations

For this proposal, the biomass power plant will operate to supply renewable energy to NEECO 1, one of
power distribution cooperative at Nueva Ecija, with jurisdiction to Gapan City, Cabiao, Jaen, San Isidro, and
San Antonio. Biomass resources will be also collected within these municipalities.

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Design Conceptual Framework

Biomass resources refer to non-fossilized, biodegradable organic material originating from naturally
occurring or cultured plants, animals and micro-organisms, including agricultural products, by-products and
residues such as, but not limited to, biofuels except corn, soya beans and rice but including sugarcane and
coconut, rice hulls, rice straws, coconut husks and shells, corn cobs, corn stoves, bagasse, biodegradable
organic fractions of industrial and municipal wastes that can be used in bioconversion process and other
processes, as well as gases and liquids recovered from the decomposition and/or extraction of non-
fossilized and biodegradable organic materials. With the help of the local government unit, a program will
be developed to raise awareness for managing these resources and thus reducing improper waste and
residue burning practices of the local residents. This will be beneficial not only for the local community but
also to the sustainability of the environment.

Instead, the biomass resources will be properly managed for generation of sustainable and renewable
bioenergy with the proposed establishment of the biomass power plant. The power plant will be able to give
opportunity to the local residents thru giving incentives for the collected biomass resources. Another benefit
of this project is the creation of new jobs for the local community which will help the economy. And with the
cooperation of electric distribution cooperative, NEECO 1, electricity will be supply to their area of operation
such as Gapan City, Cabiao, Jaen, San Isidro, and San Antonio.

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 CHAPTER 2: RELATED THEORETICAL DESIGN INPUTS

Agricultural waste is widely distributed and available in the country and its management should be properly
addressed. One common practice in residue management is decomposition. According to PNA report,
farmers used rice straws as organic fertilizer and primary material for mushroom production to minimize
post-harvest waste. Decomposition is one way to make farming more sustainable. As stated by Schmidt et
al, decomposers provide an essential ecosystem service that contributes to sustainable production in rice
ecosystems by driving the release of nutrients from organic crop residues. [5] [8]

Another important concern for a sustainable community is its capability to generate affordable, dependable
and renewable energy sources and in an agricultural community, bioenergy shows significant possibilities.
According to ASEAN Briefing, the Philippines has large and abundant supplies of biomass resources,
including agricultural crop residues, forest residues, animal waste, agro-industrial waste, municipal solid
waste and aquatic biomass. The most common agricultural wastes are rice hull, bagasse, coconut shell
husk and coconut coir. This use of commercially produced agricultural residues converted into biofuels is
increasing in the Philippines, as fossil fuel prices continue to rise. Rice husks are perhaps the most
important underdeveloped biomass resource that can be fully utilized in a renewable and sustainable
manner for generation of electrical power. [9]

Currently, there are 3 biomass power plants in Nueva Ecija namely: 24MW Rice Husk-Fired Biomass
Power Plant San Jose City “i” Power Corp. (SJC-iPower) in San Jose City; 12MW Rice Husk-Fired
Biomass Power Plant Green Innovations for Tomorrow Corporation in Talavera; and 12MW Biomass Power
Plant Project Grass Gold Renewable Energy Corporation in Llanera. These biomass power plant gives
supply electricity to SAJELCO and and NEECO 2-Area 1, and NEECO 2-Area 2 respectively. These
biomass power plants also give opportunity to the local residents. According to Reurasia, Farmers can sell
their rice husk to SJC-iPower for 1 peso per kilogram instead of just burning the husk at their own rice field
during post-harvest. Area coverage within NEECO 1 such as Gapan City, Cabiao, Jaen, San Isidro, and
San Antonio currently has no biomass power plant to generate electricity using agricultural residues. [10]
[11]

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 CHAPTER 3: DESIGN OUTPUT

This project focuses on a philanthropic and safely generation of sustainable renewable bio energy thru local
community biomass resources. The success of such will benefit the community. Cheaper electricity will be
generated due to tax incentives and local availability of fuel collected within the community. Incentives will
be given to those who will put effort and time in collecting biomass resources. And new establishment also
means new opportunities in production and consumption of goods and services such as but not limited to
transportation, food, and industrial sector. Another benefit of this project is the reduction of carbon footprint
in the environment mitigating improper waste burning practices. This project will help to address the global
warming crisis that happening today. Aside from the aforementioned benefits, this project will contribute for
the ever growing energy demand of the country.

One of the challenges that the project needs to work out will be the implementation of the new program
regarding the waste and residue management. Greater effort will be needed by the whole community for
the project to succeed. Former habits and practices of local residents in biomass resources management
demands further improvement to secure cleaner environment. Another challenge is the construction of the
biomass power plant which requires huge amount of expenditure. Suitable location for the power plant also
requires contemplation with regards to the local environment in Nueva Ecija. Continuous supply of biomass
resources is also required by the project to prevent illegal deforestation.

A transition to clean energy is about making an investment in our future - Gloria Reuben. The biomass
power plant project will be an instrument towards sustainability and development of Nueva Ecija. And with
proper implementation and coordination of stakeholders, this project will grant new opportunities that will
improve the local residents’ quality of life.

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REFERENCES:

[1] IFAD, “Investing in rural people in the Philippines,” 2016.

[2] F. A. Santiago, “A Historical Evaluation of The Emergence of Nueva Ecija as the Rice Granary of
the Philippines,” DLSU Res. Congr., vol. 3, pp. 1–9, 2015.
[3] World Bank, “An Overview of Agricultural Pollution in the Philippines,” An Overv. Agric. Pollut.
Philipp., 2016, doi: 10.1596/29248.
[4] O. Santana-Méridas, A. González-Coloma, and R. Sánchez-Vioque, “Agricultural residues as a
source of bioactive natural products,” Phytochem Rev 11, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 10–14, 2012, doi:
10.3390/md18040215.
[5] M. Galang, “PhilRice asks farmers not to burn rice straw,” pp. 1–3, 2019.
[6] Q. Zhang, Z. Yang, and W. Wu, “Role of crop residue management in sustainable agricultural
development in the North China plain,” J. Sustain. Agric., vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 137–148, 2008, doi:
10.1080/10440040802121502.
[7] N. I. Mohammed, N. Kabbashi, and A. Alade, “Significance of Agricultural Residues in Sustainable
Biofuel Development,” Agric. Waste Residues, 2018, doi: 10.5772/intechopen.78374.
[8] A. Schmidt et al., “Effects of residue management on decomposition in irrigated rice fields are not
related to changes in the decomposer community,” PLoS One, vol. 10, no. 7, pp. 1–14, 2015, doi:
10.1371/journal.pone.0134402.
[9] ASEAN Briefing, “Biomass industry in the Philippines,” pp. 1–7, 2017.
[10] R. De Guzman, “Status Updates of the Philippine Bioenergy,” Manila, 2019.
[11] Reurasia, “NUEVA ECIJA TURNING INTO THE CAPITAL OF ‘ GREEN ’ ENERGY IN
PHILIPPINES,” pp. 1–8, 2016.