Simple use of biomass fuel (Combustion of wood for heat).

Renewable energy
Biofuels Biomass Geothermal Hydro power Solar power Tidal power Wave power Wind power

Biomass refers to living and recently dead biological material that can be used as fuel or for industrial production. Renewable energy is Energy generated from Natural resources mdashsuch as Sunlight, Wind, Rain, tides and geothermal Geothermal power (from the Greek roots geo, meaning earth and therme, meaning heat is energy generated by heat stored in the earth or the collection Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by Hydropower, ie the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling water Solar energy is the Light and radiant heat from the Sun that powers Earth 's Climate and Weather and sustains Life Tidal power, sometimes called tidal energy, is a form of Hydropower that converts the energy of Tides into electricity or other useful forms of power Wave power refers to the Energy of Ocean surface waves and the capture of that energy to do useful work — including Electricity generation, Wind Power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form such as electricity using Wind turbines At the end of 2007 worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was 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. A chemical substance is a Material with a definite chemical composition. Biomass may also include biodegradable wastes that can be burnt as fuel. Biodegradable waste is a Type of waste, typically originating from Plant or Animal sources which may be broken down by other living organisms It excludes organic material which has been transformed by geological processes into substances such as coal or petroleum. Organic matter (or organic material) is Matter that has come from a once-living Organism; is capable of Metamorphism can be defined as the solid state recrystallisation of pre-existing rocks due to changes in heat and/or pressure and/or introduction of fluids i Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit

Biomass is grown from several plants, including miscanthus, switchgrass, hemp, corn, poplar, willow, sugarcane ^[1] and oil palm (palm oil). Miscanthus is a Genus of about 15 species of Perennial grasses native to subtropical and tropical regions of Africa and southern Panicum virgatum, commonly known as switchgrass, is a warm season Grass and is one of the dominant Species of the central North American This article is about the cultivation and uses of industrial hemp not its psychoactive cousin Cannabis (drug. Maize (ˈmeɪz ( Zea mays L. ssp mays) known as corn in some countries is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica Populus is a genus of between 25–35 species of Flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. Willows, sallows and osiers form the Genus Salix, around 400 species of Deciduous Trees and Shrubs found primarily Sugarcane ( Saccharum) is a genus of 6 to 37 species (depending on taxonomic interpretation of tall perennial grasses (family Poaceae tribe Andropogoneae The oil palms ( Elaeis) comprise two species of the Arecaceae, or palm family Palm oil is an edible plant oil derived from the Fruit of the Arecaceae Elaeis Oil palm. 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. For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious"

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. Fossil fuels or mineral fuels are fossil source Fuels that is Hydrocarbons found within the top layer of the Earth’s crust. 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. ^[2]

Processing and uses

Biomass which is not simply burned as fuel may be processed in other ways such as corn.

Low tech processes include:^[3]

• composting (to make soil conditioners and fertilizers)
• anaerobic digestion (decaying biomass to produce methane gas and sludge as a fertilizer)
• fermentation and distillation (both produce ethyl alcohol)

More high-tech processes are:

• Pyrolysis (heating organic wastes in the absence of air to produce gas and char. Composting is the Aerobic decomposition of Biodegradable Organic matter, producing Compost. Anaerobic digestion is a series of processes in which Microorganisms break down Biodegradable material in the absence of Oxygen. Distillation is a method of separating Mixtures based on differences in their volatilities in a boiling liquid mixture Pyrolysis is the Chemical decomposition of organic materials by heating in the absence of Oxygen or any other reagents except possibly Steam Both are combustible. )
• Hydrogasification (produces methane and ethane)
• Hydrogenation (converts biomass to oil using carbon monoxide and steam under high pressures and temperatures)
• Destructive distillation (produces methyl alcohol from high cellulose organic wastes). Methane is a Chemical compound with the molecular formula. It is the simplest Alkane, and the principal component of Natural gas. ETHANE is a mnemonic indicating a protocol used by Emergency services to report situations which they may be faced with especially as it relates to major incidents where Hydrogenation is the Chemical reaction that results in addition of Hydrogen (H2 Carbon monoxide, with the chemical formula CO is a colorless odorless tasteless yet highly toxic Gas. Destructive distillation is the process of Pyrolysis conducted in a distillation apparatus ( Retort) to allow the volatile products to be collected Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, carbinol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a Chemical compound
• Acid hydrolysis (treatment of wood wastes to produce sugars, which can be distilled)

Burning biomass, or the fuel products produced from it, may be used for heat or electricity production. Hydrolysis is a Chemical reaction during which one or more water molecules are split into hydrogen and hydroxide ions which may go on to participate in further reactions

Other uses of biomass, besides fuel and compost include:

• Building materials
• Biodegradable plastics and paper (using cellulose fibres)

Environmental impact

Biomass is part of the carbon cycle. The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the Biosphere, Pedosphere, Geosphere, Hydrosphere, and Carbon from the atmosphere is converted into biological matter by photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a Metabolic pathway that converts Light Energy into Chemical energy. On death or combustion the carbon goes back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO₂). Carbon dioxide ( Chemical formula:) is a Chemical compound composed of two Oxygen Atoms covalently bonded to a single This happens over a relatively short timescale and plant matter used as a fuel can be constantly replaced by planting for new growth. Therefore a reasonably stable level of atmospheric carbon results from its use as a fuel. It is commonly accepted that the amount of carbon stored in dry wood is approximately 50% by weight. ^[4]

Though biomass is a renewable fuel, and is sometimes called a "carbon neutral" fuel, its use can still contribute to global warming. A natural resource qualifies as a renewable resource if it is replenished by natural processes at a rate comparable or faster than its rate of consumption by humans or other users Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the This happens when the natural carbon equilibrium is disturbed; for example by deforestation or urbanization of green sites. When biomass is used as a fuel, as a replacement for fossil fuels, it still puts the same amount of CO₂ into the atmosphere. However, when biomass is used for energy production it is widely considered carbon neutral, or a net reducer of greenhouse gasses because of the offset of methane that would have otherwise entered the atmosphere. The carbon in biomass material, which makes up approximately fifty percent of its dry-matter content, is already part of the atmospheric carbon cycle. Biomass absorbs CO₂ from the atmosphere during its growing lifetime. After its life, the carbon in biomass recycles to the atmosphere as a mixture of CO₂ and methane (CH₄), depending on the ultimate fate of the biomass material. Methane is a Chemical compound with the molecular formula. It is the simplest Alkane, and the principal component of Natural gas. CH₄ converts to CO₂ in the atmosphere, completing the cycle. In contrast to biomass carbon, the carbon in fossil fuels is locked away in geological storage forever, unless extracted. The use of fossil fuels removes carbon from long-term storage, and adds it to the stock of carbon in the atmospheric cycle.

Energy produced from biomass residues displaces the production of an equivalent amount of energy from fossil fuels, leaving the fossil carbon in storage. It also shifts the composition of the recycled carbon emissions associated with the disposal of the biomass residues from a mixture of CO₂ and CH₄, to almost exclusively CO₂. In the absence of energy production applications, biomass residue carbon would be recycled to the atmosphere through some combination of rotting (biodegradation) and opening burning. Rotting produces a mixture of up to fifty percent CH₄, while open burning produces five to ten percent CH₄. Controlled combustion in a power plant converts virtually all of the carbon in the biomass to CO₂. Because CH₄ is a much stronger greenhouse gas than CO₂, shifting CH₄ emissions to CO₂ by converting biomass residues to energy significantly reduces the greenhouse warming potential of the recycled carbon associated with other fates or disposal of the biomass residues.

The existing commercial biomass power generating industry in the United States, which consists of approximately 1,700 MW (megawatts) of operating capacity actively supplying power to the grid, produces about 0. 5 percent of the U. S. electricity supply. This level of biomass power generation avoids approximately 11 million tons per year of CO₂ emissions from fossil fuel combustion. It also avoids approximately two million tons per year of CH₄ emissions from the biomass residues that, in the absence of energy production, would otherwise be disposed of by burial (in landfills, in disposal piles, or by the plowing under of agricultural residues), by spreading, and by open burning. The avoided CH₄ emissions associated with biomass energy production have a greenhouse warming potential that is more than 20 times greater than that of the avoided fossil-fuel CO₂ emissions. Biomass power production is at least five times more effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions than any other greenhouse-gas-neutral power-production technology, such as other renewables and nuclear. ^[5]

Currently, the New Hope Power Partnership, owned by Florida Crystals Corporation, is the largest biomass cogeneration energy facility in the U. S. The 140 MWH facility recycles sugar cane fiber and urban wood waste, generating enough electricity to power its large milling and refining operations as well as renewable electricity for more than 40,000 homes. The facility reduces dependence on approximately 800,000 barrels of oil per year and by recycling sugar cane and wood waste, preserves landfill space in urban communities in Florida.

^[6][7][8]

Despite harvesting, biomass crops may sequester (trap) carbon. So for example soil organic carbon has been observed to be greater in switchgrass stands than in cultivated cropland soil, especially at depths below 12 inches. ^[9] The grass sequesters the carbon in its increased root biomass. But the perennial grass may need to be allowed to grow for several years before increases are measurable. ^[10]

Biomass production for human use and consumption

This is a list of estimated biomass for human use and consumption. It does not include biomass which is not harvested or utilised. Biomass, in Ecology, is the mass of living biological organisms in a given area or Ecosystem at a given time

Source: Whittaker, R. H.; Likens, G. E. (1975). Robert Harding Whittaker (1920–1980 was an American Vegetation Ecologist, active in the 1950s to the 1970s Gene Elden Likens (born January 6, 1935) is an American ecologist and a leading pioneer in the study of Acid rain. "The Biosphere and Man", in Leith, H. & Whittaker, R. H. : Primary Productivity of the Biosphere. Springer-Verlag, 305-328. ISBN 0-3870-7083-4.  ; Ecological Studies Vol 14 (Berlin) Darci and Taylre are biomass specialists.

See also

• Anaerobic digestion
• Bioenergy
• Biofuel
• Biomass (ecology)
• Biomass gasification
• Biomass heating systems
• Biomass in the United States
• Biomass Research and Development Board
• Biomass to liquid
• Bioplastic
• Biorefinery
• Corn kernels
• Decompiculture
• Energy crop
• Microgeneration
• Microgeneration Certification Scheme
• Standing crop
• Thermal mass
• Wood fuel (a traditional biomass fuel)
• World Council for Renewable Energy

References

External links

• What is Biomass? - Växjö University
• Biomass as an Energy Source - Växjö University
• Everything Biomass
• Michigan Biomass Energy Program
• BioMASS Laboratory at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Forest Bioenergy
• Texas State Cons. of Energy Office Biomass Article
• Kentucky fc
• Biomass on Hydrogenews
• Renewable Products Development Laboratories (RPDL)
• European Biomass Industry Association (EUBIA)
• European Biomass Conference & Exhibition.