Biomass

Biomass is any organic material which can be used as a fuel. This for example includes wood resources and wastes, agricultural residues including wheat straw and barley straw. Other agricultural wastes for example corn cobs from food production, are an ideal for source of residual biomass energy. Almost all biomass resources can be used in some way or other.

Biomass is Carbon Neutral

Biomass unlike fossil fuels is a carbon neutral form of energy. Fossil fuels are trapped forms of carbon from a previous carbon cycle. By burning fossil fuels, this trapped carbon is re-released into the atmosphere, which places additional carbon dioxide into the cycle which causes a green house effect and increases temperatures. As biomass is energy which is part of the current carbon cycle, no additional carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere. As biomass is combusted carbon dioxide absorbed during the growth of the biomass is released into the atmosphere. New biomass then absorbs the carbon dioxide, and the cycle continues. However consideration does have to be given to the energy used to process the biomass into a useable form of energy, for example pellets. To be truly carbon neutral the source of the energy used to process the biomass also has to be carbon neutral.

Biomass Renewable

Biomass is a renewable form of energy. Renewable simply means the rate of consumption and resource replacement are equal. Fossil fuels for example are a form of none renewable energy, as our rate of consumption far out weighs the rate of resource replacement. With an increasing global population, and efforts to improve the standard of living for many developing countries, our energy requirements will easily double over the next ten to twenty years. Building our energy future on fossil fuels, is a non-sustainable activity and can only support our energy demands in the short term. Biomass and other renewable energy technologies such as wind, solar and wave are needed to power our future. 

Biomass power production from unprocessed biomass resources in biomass plants, is a very limited way to take advantage of biomass fuel. Through biomass processing it is possible to produce liquid and gas fuels, and also solid fuels such as pellets. Even if the intended end use is for oil or gas production, converting biomass has many benefits, particularly for efficient and safe transportation. Transporting loose biomass to processing factories is not very efficient as it has a very low bulk density, and there is a high risk of dust explosion. By upgrading biomass into pellets, risks of dust explosion are removed, and over ten times more biomass can be placed on lorries or boats in one journey. Biomass pellets can also be used in direct combustion in pellet stoves and boilers.

Biomass Disadvantages Of Low Density

Biomass harvested directly from the field or from other waste streams in general has the same disadvantages of a low density and a high moisture content. This makes it not only very difficult to use as a fuel, but also very expensive to transport. Therefore compression of biomass into pellets is the answer.