Biomass Energy

What Is Biomass Energy?

Anything currently living, or that has lived in the past, can be considered biomass.  Included in this renewable energy source are all living organisms such as fungi, animals, algae, plants and bacteria.  Biomass can also include things that were once living like wood, degraded bodies, whole organisms and some organic fuels.  While the term biomass can have several different meanings we will be talking about the commercial category where it can be used as a source of energy.

Biomass energy is a renewable energy source because it can be grown and harvested.  The material used can range from everyday dead lumber and yard clippings to commercial algae farms.  In many parts of the world biomass is the number one energy source.  The burning of forest products, animal dung and other organic matter is a daily practice worldwide.  The industrialized world uses biomass primarily for heating but research is continuing into widespread electricity generation.

Using biomass for electricity is growing in popularity and more research dollars are going into this field.  The fuel for this type of energy, in many cases, would otherwise go wasted.  Examples of this are the methane gases produced by cow manure and the weed pellets left over from the forest industry.  The list of possible fuels is long and getting longer the more the possibilities are researched.

Machines are currently being developed to burn municipal garbage and other wastes like tires, plastics and sewer byproducts.  The means of turning this waste into electricity is becoming a reality and the time is coming when biomass energy will do a lot more than just heat our homes.

Current uses of biomass energy include the burning of methane gas produced from compost piles at many power plants.  Methane gas is also fed into the pipelines going into urban areas for natural gas supplies.  Microalgae, found in our lakes, is being fermented into ethanol or composted to produce methane gas.  Ethanol, derived from corn, is being used to power vehicles around the world.  Wheat, rice and rye are used to produce bio-fuels.  These bio-fuels are then used for either electricity generation or transportation.  Sunflowers, peanuts and soybeans are used in the production of bio-diesel fuel.

Bio-gases can be made from animal and human waste.  It sounds gross and is really stinky but it sure is abundant.  Harvesting landfills for the paper, cardboard and other flammables to be burned for power production is an active practice.

The two most promising areas biomass energy experts are leaning towards are the use of waste materials created by humans and the waste from agriculture.  The last possibility, not being overlooked, is growing fuel crops.

In the past, energy crops have been overlooked, with most of the attention being given to food crops.  An interesting note about energy crops is that they can produce at least six times more energy than the energy used to produce them.  This is a key reason this type of agriculture is getting a closer examination by energy experts.  Research is currently being funded for finding the best biomass plants that blend in with the natural ecosystem.  Switch grass is a good example, it reduces erosion, provides habitat for wildlife and the deep roots add nutrients to the soil.

Biomass can be looked at as a carbon neutral energy source because it releases as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when it is rotting in it's natural state as when it is being burned for energy.  Look for wider spread use of this renewable, alternative energy source in the near future.