O&M Power has applied itself to the operation and EPC contracting of new energy power plant and biomass energy power plant for a long time. The business scope covers straw power, waste energy, rice husk power, photovoltaic power, biogas power, HRSG, wind power, geothermal, etc.. O&M Power has more than 30 experts and professionals on new energy and biomass energy power plant field. O&M Power is capable of optimizing power plant design based on client`s practical condition and shortening capital pay-back duration so as to maximize turnover.

Biomass energy is a kind of energy contained in biomass that green plants convert solar energy to chemical energy by chlorophyll. Generally, it includes wood and forest industrial waste, agricultural waste, aquatic plants, oil plants, municipal solid waste, industrial organic waste and animal waste. The advantages of biomass energy are: large quantity, renewable, pollution-free and low cost.

1.Utilization Technology of Biomass Energy

a. Thermal chemical conversion method. Aim to gain charcoal, tar, combustible gas and other high grade energy products. It is specified as high temperature carbonization, thermal dissociation, biomass liquefaction etc..

b. Biochemical conversion method. Biomass generates biogas, alcohol and other energy products under the effect of microorganism.

c. Use bio-oil produced by oil plants.

d. Press and shape up the biomass so as to achieve intensive utilization and improve thermal efficiency.

2.Condition of Biomass utilization technology

First stage technology: popular energy-saving stove and small biogas etc..

Second stage technology: at demonstration and promotion stage, such as anaerobe processing excrement and technology of crop straw gasification for intensive gas supplying.

Third stage technology: Pressing to shape up biomass energy of pilot stage and its matching technology at intermediate stage.

Fourth stage technology: Extraction of alcohol with cellulose raw material, thermochemical liquefaction technology and production of hydrogen gas by catalyzing fuel gas under study.

3.Development Prediction

According to the study and development status of biomass energy at home and abroad, combined with the current technology and practical situation in our country, biomass energy utilization technology will develop in following areas: 

a. High efficient direct combustion technology and equipment.

b. Intensively comprehensive development and exploitation.

c. Development of new technology.

d. Development and exploitation of municipal solid waste.

e. Development of energy plant.

4. Patent Retrieval and Analysis

Comprehensive retrieval has been conducted to rural energy patent from 1985 to 2006 with SIPO patent database (Disc), the result is: patents related to biomass energy are 195, patents with biogas as the subject are 774, and patents on crop straw utilization are 128.

5. Type, Inventor, and Regional Distribution Condition

From patent disc database, there are 196 patents relating to biomass energy in which patents for invention accounts 41, utility model accounts 15; inventors from south takes up 68% of the 196 patents while the north takes up 32% ( northeast area accounts 32% and 60% application from Liaoning dominates); service invention accounts 112 and non-service invention accounts 84.

6. Specific Technical Area Analysis

Main directions of biomass energy development and utilization technical patents include method and equipment to carbonize, gasify and liquify biomass energy. Concrete techniques are as follows: 

a. Biomass energy transforms into thermal energy by gasification.

b. Biomass with special performance is extracted from biomass energy.

c. Biomass energy transforms into electric energy.

Further study of the above mentioned 196 patents requires attention to the following two tendencies: Firstly, 190 patents applied after the year 2000 indicates subject development trend; Secondly, service invention occupies 59%; Thirdly, invalid patents occupies 28% while effective patents reaches up to 72% most of which belongs to the recent three year.

To study in detail the specific technical field of biomass energy development and utilization, we design two subjects as the theme for deep analysis: production and application of biogas as well as utilization of crop straw.

7. Types, Inventor and Regional Distribution Condition

In 302 patent technologies of biogas production and utilization, utility model accounts for 80%, and the patent for invention is only 20%.

In 302 patent technologies of biogas production and utilization, non-service invention accounts for 71%, and service invention is 29%.

In 302 patent technologies of biogas production and utilization, the total applications from Southern region (south of the yellow river) provinces account for 66%, and that from the Northern regions account for 34% in 128 biogas production and utilization patents; among the 34% aforesaid patents, total applications from Northeast region and inner Mongolia is 32 (34.78% of Northern region), in which Liaoning province accounts for 50% (all is non- service inventions), Jilin province accounts for 21.9% (all is non-service inventions), Heilongjiang province accounts for 18.7% (88% of which is non-service inventions) and inner Mongolia accounts for 9.4% (all is non-service inventions).

8. Regional Advantages Analysis of Biogas Research and Development

The top ten provinces (municipalities) of biogas production and utilization of patent quantity in China among the 302 patents are: Jiangsu, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangxi, Beijing, Hebei, Hubei, Liaoning, Hunan and Henan; Jilin province ranks the 15th.

It is noteworthy that in Beijing's patent technology of biogas production and utilization, the service invention accounts for 42.9%, which is the highest proportion among all provinces, and all these are valid patents since 2003.

85.7% of Jilin's patent technology of biogas production and utilization are valid patents after 2002; 38% of Liaoning's patent technology of biogas production and utilization are invalid already (for charge termination or regarded as application withdrawal); Heilongjiang's patent technology of biogas production and utilization are all valid.

9. Analysis on Specific Technology Field

The patent technology fields of biogas development in northeast region are mainly about:

a. Building materials of biogas digester: steel-plastic, rubber, and fiberglass etc.

b. Material types of biogas production: liquid or solid organic waste.

c. Feedstock method of biogas digester: continuous feeding and discharge.

d. Scale of biogas production: single and centralized production.

e. The biogas application technology: such as preventing leaks and volatilization, purification treatment and heating.

f. The accessories design and production of biogas production equipment.

10. Straw Utilization Patent

Analysis on specific technology field:

The major direction of straw utilization and research includes the followings:

a. Straw fuel: method and equipment (or device) of plant-based coal or straw carbonization.

b. Gasification fuel: the method and technology  of gas fuel production with straw as raw material.

c. Liquefied fuel: method, technology and equipment of liquefied fuel production with straw as raw material, such as: alcohol, gasoline etc. The method and product patent technology of alcohol production with maize and jowar straw as the raw material is non-service invention in 2005.

d. Hydrogen production and hydrogen power generation: the method, technology and equipment of hydrogen production and Hydrogen power generation with straw as raw material.

e. Feed: method, technology and equipment.