Bioeconomy Institute

Glossary of Biorenewables Terms

Biobased Industrial Product: The term 'biobased industrial product' means fuels, chemicals, building materials, or electric power or heat produced from biomass. The term may include any energy, commercial or industrial product (other than food or feed) that utilizes biological products or renewable domestic agricultural (plant, animal, and marine) or forestry materials.

Biodegradable: Capable of decomposing rapidly under natural conditions.

Biodiesel: Produced through a process in which organically derived oils are combined with alcohol (ethanol or methanol) in the presence of a catalyst to form ethyl or methyl ester. Biodiesel can be made from soybean or Canola oils, animal fats, waste vegetable oils, or microalgae oils.

Biodiversity: The relative abundance and variety of plant and animal species and ecosystems within particular habitats.

Bioeconomy: An economy where the basic building blocks for industry and the raw materials for energy are derived from plant/crop-based (i.e. renewable) sources.

Bioenergy: Useful, renewable energy produced from organic matter. The conversion of the complex carbohydrates in organic matter to energy. Organic matter may either be used directly as a fuel or processed into liquids and gases.

Biofuels: Fuels made from cellulosic biomass resources. Biofuels include ethanol, biodiesel, and methanol.

Biogas: A combustible gas derived from decomposing biological waste. Biogas normally consists of 50 to 60 percent methane.

Biomass: Organic matter available on a renewable basis. Biomass includes forest and mill residues, agricultural crops and wastes, wood and wood wastes, animal wastes, livestock operation residues, aquatic plants, fast-growing trees and plants, and municipal and industrial wastes.

Biomass fuel: Liquid, solid, or gaseous fuel produced by conversion of biomass.

Biorefinery: A biorefinery is an integrated facility that uses biomass as a feedstock for conversion into a range of differentiated products such as transport fuels, bulk and fine chemicals and using waste biomass for heat or power. The approach is similar to that of petroleum refineries involving a wider range of processes and techniques.

Energy crops: Crops grown specifically for their fuel value. These include food crops such as corn and sugarcane, and nonfood crops such as poplar trees and switchgrass. Currently, two energy crops are under development: short-rotation woody crops, which are fast-growing hardwood trees harvested in 5 to 8 years, and herbaceous energy crops, such as perennial grasses, which are harvested annually after taking 2 to 3 years to reach full productivity.

Ethanol: Made by converting the carbohydrate portion of biomass into sugar, which is then converted into ethanol in a fermentation process similar to brewing beer. Ethanol is the most widely used biofuel today.

Feedstock: Any material that is converted to another form or product.

Life Cycle: The life cycle refers to the consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material acquisition or generation of natural resources to the final disposal.

Life Cycle Analysis: Life cycle analysis is focused on the environmental impact of a product during the entirety of its life cycle, from resource extraction to post-consumer waste disposal. It is a comprehensive approach to examining the environmental impacts of a product or package. 

Renewables: Renewables are the energy sources that are constantly renewed by natural processes. These include non-carbon technologies such as solar energy, hydropower and wind as well as technologies based on biomass. Life cycle analyses are required to asses the extent to which such biomass based technologies may limit net carbon emissions.

Renewable Energy: The term renewable energy refers to the several energy sources that have little in common from a technology standpoint, but share one characteristic: they all produce electricity or thermal energy without depleting resources. Renewable energy sources include water, biomass, wind, solar, earth and waste stream energy.

Renewable Resource: Renewable resources are the natural resources that are capable of regeneration. Renewable resources can essentially never be exhausted, usually because they are continuously produced (e.g. tree biomass, fresh water, and fish). Renewable resources are those natural resources that are naturally replenished, but whose continued supply depends, in many cases, on proper management (e.g., tree biomass, fresh water, and fish).

Sustainable: An ecosystem condition in which biodiversity, renewability, and resource productivity are maintained over time.