BIOMASS

What is Biomass?
Simply defined, biomass is all plant material, or vegetation, either raw or processed, wild or cultivated. Examples of this energy source include:
• fast growing trees and grasses
• agricultural residues like used vegetable oils, or corn
• wood waste like paper trash, yard clippings, sawdust, or wood chips
• methane that is captured from landfills, livestock, and municipal waste water treatment.
Essentially, biomass is stored solar energy which man can convert to electricity, fuel and heat. Through photosynthesis, the energy from the sun is stored in the chemical relations of the plant material. Typically, biomass energy comes from three sources: agricultural crop residues, municipal and industrial waste, and energy plantations. A lot of processes such as cogeneration, gasification, and fermentation, can produce energy available for human consumption.

Alcohol Fermentation
With alcohol fermentation, starches are converted to sugar and then to fuel alcohol. This alcohol is then distilled and separated. With this process, materials such as wheat, barley and potatoes can be converted to alcohol. Currently, ethanol is the product from fermentation which is used in internal combustion engines as alternative fuel.

Landfill Gas
Decomposing organic waste generates gas. Approximately 50 percent of this is methane, a major factor of natural gas. People have developed ways to harness this methane and use it for energy. Some farms use cow manure to power the entire dairy farm.

Gasification

The newest method for generating electricity is gasification. This method captures 65-70% of the energy present in solid fuels by converting it first to combustible gases. These gases are then burnt as we currently burn natural gas, and create energy. The technologies for this synthetic fuel are still new and therefore not quite ready for commercial production.

Benefits of Biomass
There are countless benefits of using biomass. They include:

Economic Benefits
• Economic development and stability: biomass could replace some of the money spent on oil.

Environmental Benefits
• Preservation of agricultural land that otherwise would be sold for residential development or industrial use.
• Sustainable agricultural techniques for these crops can restore and ensure soil stability and health and minimize chemical residues and habitat destruction.
• Methane is 20 times more powerful than CO2. Capturing methane from producers such as cows or rice fields and using it as fuel will significantly reduce this greenhouse gas.
• Increased carbon sequestering from the crops grown for biomass.
• Use of waste from agricultural and timber industries.
• No net increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide.

The Future of Biomass
New technologies are being developed and small scale projects are economically efficient and environmentally sustainable. In general, electricity generation from biomass is increasing in popularity.