What is Biomass?
Biomass is the biological component which is obtained from living organisms of nature. It is also referred as plant based material when Energy is produced from biomass. At the same time, biomass is also applicable for both animal and vegetable resultant components.
Biomass is a renewable energy source and it can re-grow quite quickly. Sun's energy is captured by plants' chlorophyll through the photosynthesis process. Here, carbohydrates are created by converting carbon dioxide from the air and water from the ground. They are complex combination of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
Basically, plant materials are either broken down by micro-organisms or burned. After burning, carbohydrates are transformed into carbon dioxide and water and release the energy harnessed from the sun. This process is known as the carbon cycle in the earth.In this technique, biomass works like natural battery in order to store solar energy.Appropriate utilization of biomass can enhance the longevity of this natural battery as well as provide low-carbon energy sources. Sustainable low-carbon biomass is great source of new renewable energy which is environmentally friendly indeed.
Types of Beneficial Biomass
Typically, beneficial biomass sources help to maintain and increase the stocks of carbon stored in plants or soil. It also moves emissions from fossil fuels, like coal, natural gas and oil. Most sustainable and effective biomass resources may be varied from region to region. It also depends on the types of final application you wish to use. For example, you can utilize biomass as bio power, bio products, heat and biofuel.
How to convert Biomass into Bio power
Types of Beneficial Biomass
There are following types of beneficial biomass in this planet:
- Wood and forest residues which are harvested in sustainable way.
- Crop residues like wheat straw.
- Energy crops which don’t compete with food crops for land.
- Clean industrial and municipal wastes.
How to convert Biomass into Bio power
Generating heat energy by burning biomass is one of the most familiar method since long time. This biomass fired heat can produce steam power which can be utilized to produce electricity. Burning biomass in conventional boilers provides environmental and air-quality benefits over burning fossil fuels.
Recent researches by researchers indicate that biomass can be converted more cleanly into liquid fuels. For example, producing combustible gases from gaseous process. It decreases different kinds of emissions from biomass combustion.
Recent researches by researchers indicate that biomass can be converted more cleanly into liquid fuels. For example, producing combustible gases from gaseous process. It decreases different kinds of emissions from biomass combustion.
Benefits of Biomass
Typically, biomass offers environmental, economic and energy security benefits.
- Biomass energy decreases air pollution and net carbon emissions.
- It contributes to protect the quality of soil, maintain wildlife habitat and avoid erosion.
- Biomass helps to minimize the dependency on importing fossil fuels which reduces our expenses.
- Rapid growth of biomass energy technology helps farmers and forest owners to obtain valuable new markets for their new energy crops, forest and crops residues.
- It contributes to minimize the global warming.
