Biomass Pictures

Biomass can take many different forms, and include a wide range of potential crops and organic matter that can potentially be used for energy production. Below you can see pictures of biomass fuel pellets. These include pictures of wood, straw and grass pellets. These are just a few of the potential biomass materials which can be used to produce fuel pellets. These pellets can then be used in pellet stoves and boilers.

Biomass Fuel and Wood Biomass Pellets

Typical examples of biomass are wood, including all tree's and tree residues. Everyone is familiar with the standard wood fire, however this is a very basic form of biomass energy, and not very efficient. Other forms of biomass include purpose grown crops for food. Here, morally the food part of the crop should always be used for food, however there is a lot of residue left over which can be used as a biomass energy source. With wheat or barley for example, there is a lot of straw residue remaining. In the past this straw traditionally was burnt in the field as there was no use for it. However do the smoke and particulates generated through doing this, in most countries this is now banned. However, this means there is now a large volume of straw after each harvest that has to be dealt with. This straw can be collected and processed into efficient pellet fuel as you can see from the pictures below. Another example is corn, with corn crops the waste left over is the cob and the stalk. Again both of these materials can be processed into fuel pellets to be used in biomass pellet stoves and boilers.

Biomass Advantages and The Economy

One of the specific advantages to using the waste from food crop production is it generated a dual income from one crop. At a time when food prices are increasing and farmers are finding it more difficult to make a profit due to high oil costs, additional income from the crops would be more than welcome. In fact, a dual income for food and fuel crop could even lower the price of food and fuel. Pellet production to upgrade the biomass material in pellets, pictures seen below, can be carried out on a local small scale. What this means is that there can be a complete local cycle of crop, to pellet to consumer. This can generate a significant number of local jobs in farming, pellet production and distribution. It also keeps more money within the local community, to be spent improving local facilities. In terms of a green fuel perspective there are also many benefits. Though biomass itself is carbon neutral, fossil fuel energy will be involved, currently anyway in the production and distribution of the fuel pellets. Therefore with a complete local supply, production and distribution cycle, transportation which is the biggest CO2 contributor is not only reduced in raw material transport but also transport of the finished pellets to the consumer. In the future more bioenergy will be used to produce and transport the pellets.

Biomass Pellet Mill and Pellet Presses

The Wood Pellet Production Guide © PelHeat Ltd - Biomass Pictures