Bioeconomy Institute

Biomass

What is biomass?
(EERE Biomass Program - http://www.eere.energy.gov/biomass/bioma..._faqs.html)

Biomass is any sort of vegetation - trees, grasses, plant parts such as leaves, stems and twigs, and ocean plants. From it, we can extract a wealth of stored energy. During photosynthesis, plants combine carbon dioxide from the air and water from the ground to form carbohydrates, which form the building blocks of biomass. The solar energy that drives photosynthesis is stored in the chemical bonds of the structural components of biomass.

Biomass can produce electricity, heat, liquid fuels, gaseous fuels, and a variety of useful chemicals, including those currently manufactured from fossil fuels. Industry and agriculture need superior energy crops and cost-effective conversion technologies to expand the use of renewable biomass. Biomass is available from various industries - including agriculture, forest products, transportation, and construction - that dispose of large quantities of wood and plant products. Whether cultivated or growing wild, biomass represents a huge renewable energy source.

What is biomass power?
(EERE Biomass Program - http://www.eere.energy.gov/biomass/bioma..._faqs.html)

Biomass power is the use of biomass feedstocks instead of conventional fossil fuels (natural gas or coal) to generate electricity or industrial process heat and steam. Biomass is one of the oldest fuels known to humanity. Although basic, the primitive campfire illustrates the nature of using biomass for power. When the biomass is burned, it produces heat. In a power plant, this heat is used to turn water into steam. The steam is then used to turn turbines, which are connected to electric generators. Gasifiers heat the biomass to convert it into a gas that can be used in highly efficient power systems, such as combustion turbines or fuel cells.

What are biomass gasifiers?
(EERE Biomass Program - http://www.eere.energy.gov/biomass/bioma..._faqs.html)

Biomass gasifiers are reactors that heat biomass in a low-oxygen environment to produce a fuel gas that contains from one fifth to one half (depending on the process conditions) the heat content of natural gas. The gas produced from a gasifier can drive highly efficient devices such as turbines and fuel cells to generate electricity.

How much biomass is used for energy today?
(EERE Biomass Program - http://www.eere.energy.gov/biomass/bioma..._faqs.html)

Worldwide, biomass is the fourth largest energy resource after coal, oil, and natural gas. It is used for heating (such as wood stoves in homes and for process heat and steam in industries such as pulp and paper), cooking (especially in many parts of the developing world), transportation (fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel) and for electric power generation. It is estimated that there are about 278 Quadrillion Btu of installed biomass capacity worldwide, with about 2.7 Quadrillion Btu of biomass generated in the United States. Most of this capacity is in the pulp and paper industry using combined heat and power systems (IEA Key World Energy Statistics).

Where are biomass resources located?
(EERE Biomass Program - http://www.eere.energy.gov/biomass/bioma..._faqs.html)

Virtually every part of the world has a biomass resource that can be tapped to create power.