Biomass Energy

Biomass refers to living and recently dead biological material that can be used as fuel or for industrial production. Most commonly, biomass refers to plant matter grown for use as biofuel, but it also includes plant or animal matter used for production of fibres, chemicals or heat. Biomass may also include biodegradable wastes that can be burnt as fuel. It excludes organic material which has been transformed by geological processes into substances such as coal or petroleum.

Biomass is grown from several plants, including miscanthus, switchgrass, hemp, corn, poplar, willow, sugarcane and oil palm (palm oil). The particular plant used is usually not very important to the end products, but it does affect the processing of the raw material. Production of biomass is a growing industry as interest in sustainable fuel sources is growing.

Although fossil fuels have their origin in ancient biomass, they are not considered biomass by the generally accepted definition because they contain carbon that has been "out" of the carbon cycle for a very long time. Their combustion therefore disturbs the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere.

Plastics from biomass, like some recently developed to dissolve in seawater, are made the same way as petroleum-based plastics, are actually cheaper to manufacture and meet or exceed most performance standards. But they lack the same water resistance or longevity as conventional plastics.

Biomass in Ecology

In ecology, biomass refers to the accumulation of life that is possibly living matter. That is, it is the total living biologica (usually measured per square metre or square kilometre). This means that only 30% of the weight of any creature is counted, the rest being water.

The most successful animal, in terms of biomass, is the Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, with a biomass of probably over 500 million tons, roughly five times the total biomass of humans. The entire earth contains about 75 billion tons of biomass, or 0.00000000126% of the total mass of the Earth. Humans comprise about 100 million tons (0.13%) of the Earth's biomass, domesticated animals about 700 million (1.0%), and crops about 2 billion tons or 2.7% of the Earth's biomass.

Biomass may also be a measure of the dried organic mass of an ecosystem. As the trophic level increases, the biomass of each trophic level decreases. That is, producers (grass, trees, scrubs, etc.) have a much higher biomass than animals that consume them (deer, zebras, insects, etc.). The level with the least biomass is the highest predators in the food chain (foxes, eagles, etc.) Biomass is also influenced by net primary productivity (NPP).

Biomass Gasification

Gasification is a process that converts carbonaceous materials, such as coal, petroleum, or biomass, into carbon monoxide and hydrogen by reacting the raw material at high temperatures with a controlled amount of oxygen. The resulting gas mixture is called synthesis gas or syngas and is itself a fuel. Gasification is a very efficient method for extracting energy from many different types of organic materials, and also has applications as a clean waste disposal technique.

The advantage of gasification is that using the syngas is more efficient than direct combustion of the original fuel; more of the energy contained in the fuel is extracted. Syngas may be burned directly in internal combustion engines, used to produce methanol and hydrogen, or converted via the Fischer-Tropsch process into synthetic fuel. Gasification can also begin with materials that are not otherwise useful fuels, such as biomass or organic waste. In addition, the high-temperature combustion refines out corrosive ash elements such as chloride and potassium, allowing clean gas production from otherwise problematic fuels.

Gasification of fossil fuels is currently widely used on industrial scales to generate electricity. However, almost any type of organic material can be used as the raw material for gasification, such as wood, biomass, or even plastic waste. Thus, gasification may be an important technology for renewable energy. In particular biomass gasification can be carbon neutral.

Gasification relies on chemical processes at elevated temperatures >700°C, which distinguishes it from biological processes such as anaerobic digestion that produce biogas.

Biomass Heating Systems

Biomass heating systems refers to the various methods used to generate heat from biomass. The systems fall under the categories of direct combustion, gasification, combined heat and power (CHP), anaerobic and aerobic digestion. Historically, before the use of fossil fuels in significant quantities, biomass in the form of wood fuel provided most of humanity's heating, as well as providing our first renewable energy resource. The oil price increases since 2003 and consequent price increases for natural gas and coal have increased the value of biomass for heat generation. Forest renderings, agricultural waste, and crops grown specifically for energy production become competitive as the prices of energy dense fossil fuels rise. Efforts to develop this potential may have the effect of regenerating mismanaged croplands and be a cog in the wheel of a decentralized, multi-dimensional renewable energy industry. Efforts to promote and advance these methods became common throughout the European Union through the 2000s. In other areas of the world, inefficient and polluting means to generate heat from biomass coupled with poor forest practices have significantly added to environmental degradation.

Biomass Research and Development Board

The Biomass Research and Development Board is an agency of the United States government created by the Biomass Research and Development Act of 2000, as amended. The Board’s mission is to coordinate federal research and development activities relating to biobased fuels, power, and products. The Biomass Research and Development Board is currently focused on addressing challenges and offering solutions to the President’s 20-in-10 plan and the biofuels aspects of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), specifically Section 202.

The Board is developing a National Biofuels Action Plan for release in the summer 2008.