MINITORR: SMALL-SCALE, PORTABLE, DECENTRALIZED, COMMUNITY-SCALE BIOMASS PRETREATMENT SYSTEMS TO REDUCE FEEDSTOCK PROCUREMENT COSTS AND ADVANCE RURAL CLIMATE JUSTICE

Rural communities are often shut out from the socioeconomic benefits of biomass conversion, as the crop and forest residues in rural communities are often loose, wet, bulky, and too expensive to collect and transport to a centralized facility for bioenergy or bioproduct conversion. The non- merchantable residues not only represent a $120 billion/year loss, but can also lead to up to 18% of global anthropogenic emissions, as well as significant air pollution, whether through open-air burning, or through fueling catastrophic wildfires.Takachar is developing small-scale, low-cost, portable biomass systems that can latch onto the back of tractors and pick-up trucks to deploy to rural communities, allowing localized and smart, input-output customizable conversion of residues into higher-value bioproducts and biofuels. In many cases, the resultant products have a local demand, thereby closing the local waste-to-value loop. In other cases, transporting the processed, densified residues can reduce the logistical cost by up to 50%, by multiplying the amount and value of residues that can be loaded onto the same truckload compared to raw biomass.We are working with the community surrounding the Jackson Demonstration State Forest in Mendocino County, California to conduct an initial pilot. In Phase I, we engaged various local stakeholders in a series of user-centric interviews and visits to better understand the specific needs and requirements, as well as the type(s) of bioproducts that will work best in this community. This allowed us to run preliminary tests of the community’s biomass samples, and generate small batches of the bioproducts in order to validate their chemical characteristics and to generate end user feedback. We identified biochar and renewable natural gas feedstock, specifically, as bioproducts of interest in this community. We tailored technoeconomic and lifecycle analysis of our proposed process, demonstrating that a 30% cost saving can be incurred for slash residue disposal. We conducted a small-scale public demonstration of the technology.The design package will be acted upon to produce a portable, customizable, and community- scale bioconversion pilot to be developed and tested in Phase II. Through the pilot, we will engage with forested landowners who are already interested in purchasing our systems to help them reduce the enormous logistical costs of vegetation management and woody residue removal. Simultaneously, we will work with local farmers and a renewable natural gas offtaker to test our customizable bioproducts. If scaled successfully, our decentralized biomass conversion systems can create additional livelihood in underserved rural communities, reduce the risks of catastrophic wildfires, and mitigate both air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.