Burning Biomass

Despite what many people may believe, burning biomass does not actually have a negative effect on the environment and climate change. However it is always important to burn biomass as efficiently as possible, generating little if any smoke. This will reduce particulate emissions and maintain air quality. However the actual principle of burning biomass does not contribute carbon emissions and accelerate global warming. The key reasons for this is biomass is made from carbon from the natural carbon cycle. When plants grow they absorb carbon dioxide, and when they decay or are burnt they release carbon dioxide. There is no net increase in the level of carbon dioxide produced, this means burning biomass is regarded as a carbon neutral fuel source.

The traditional view of a biomass furnace or biomass stove is a wood logs stove positioned in the main living space of the home. However this form of biomass furnace cannot really meet the heating needs of the modern home, therefore more modern and low maintenance biomass heating solutions are required. Upgrading biomass into pellets is a very low energy way to covert almost any biomass material suitable to be a fuel into a useable form of energy. Biomass can be also turned into liquid and gaseous fuels. However the energy required to do this is much greater, and it cannot also be carried out in a small local way like pellet production can.

A pellet can be made of almost any biomass fuel, turning materials which were very hard to burn efficiently into a highly convenient and low maintenance fuel. The pellets can be made from different biomass materials, but all have the same size and density. Producing biomass pellets makes burning biomass much more simple.

Wood is obviously the most common form of biomass fuel, however there are many other resources for example energy crops. Energy crops have been identified to grow at accelerated levels compared to other biomass and require minimum fertilizers and up keep. Example of energy crops include willow also referred to as short rotation coppice of SRC. Miscanthus, Reed Canary Grass and Switchgrass are also very popular forms of biomass. However, the many energy crop that will dominate the coming years is Hemp. Hemp has multiple uses from producing clothes, plastics, building materials and even food. However Hemp is also an excellent energy crops with a very short growing cycle and has burning properties very similar to wood. Other important biomass fuels are waste residues from food crop production.

Biomass fuel pellets can also be used to generate electricity as well as heat. One method to do this is to use the pellets in a biomass gasifier. A gasifier breaks the biomass pellets down into hydrogen and carbon monoxide. This flammable gas can then be used in an engine to power a generator, the heat generated can also be used to heat the property. The electricity can be used on site, or surplus electricity sent back into the national grid. Pellets are the ideal fuel for a gasifier, as they have a high energy density and low moisture content. This means the gasifier can reach the temperatures it needs to produce the cleanest gas possible. Burning biomass is much simpler when the biomass is in pellet form.