Bio-Mass and Bio-Gas as Energy

When we are talking about energy from Biomass we are referring to Organic waste products of sorts shapes and sizes to either  incinerate in a power plant or turn into Biogas.

Fueling a Power plant

The fist method is not really different from burning coal or natural gas. We boil water so it turns into steam. To achieve some extra energy density in the initial stage we don’t let the steam escape, but keep on the heat. When the pressure rises, the boiling point of water rises with it (Same principal as your pressure cooker at home). In the final stage the energy difference of steam  and the environment is high enough to power a turbine and produce electrical power.

Alternative Possibilities

Another method is to use the heat generated by the incineration process directly in a turbine or other heat exchanger (have a look at our articles about stirling engines).  And thus revert it to electricity. Or we can use so-called heat pumps to cool or heat our homes.

In the chemical process of burning coal, gas or biomaterials is not very different from burning Fossil fuels.  We end up with heat, carbon dioxide and  byproducts dependent on the energy source at hand. There is a theory that states that the CO2 produced in this process is naturally cycled back to Oxygen through the photosynthesis process. And yes that is true, the problem is that Fossil Fuels are the biological waste products that turned into oil and coal over a period of  millions of years. The very fact that we are able to deplete such a source in a few decades is a serious indication that perhaps Bio Energy in not the solution to all our problems.

We cannot deplete this energy source as long as there are tree, bushes or crop around.  But this energy is far from free. We need to take care of the trees, crops etc  to be able to harvest them. The food crises we are starting to face is the first sign of difficulty.

Food Crisis caused by our demand for Green Energy

Rice, Corn, Sugar Cane and Wheat or Oil rich plants and nuts were cheap commodities until recently. Now we all want to be environmentally sound the demand for Ethanol, Methanol and Oils to refine to bio-diesel is rising dramatically. So Ethanol or the others are more valuable then the crop the are made from. And since producing Ethanol from crops is as simple as 123, governments and companies argue that they are a thief of their own wallet if the export food.

 A second disadvantage is that these fuels almost always have a high water content and therefore has a low energy  density. We need to transport a lot of the material which in turn means a heavy burden on our transportation systems.

We have to choose between a bag of Chips and a Beer or a Gallon of  bio fuel

To be short, it’s an alternative but in its essence no more than a temporary solution. Taking our energy requirements into account we will need to choose between watching TV or eating bread.  

Biogas has more potential, and although it’s not a completely clean energy source, we could say it is free.  The essence is that you produce a gas when you let organic matter decay or organically breakdown in a closed system and in the absence of oxygen.  An anaerobe cycle as we call it will typically produce nitrogen, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide, with trace amounts of methane.

These gasses Methane, Hydrogen and Carbon Monoxide can be oxidized with oxygen. Or in layman terms used as fuel

Since it’s the natural and not very complicated by product of the natural waste we produce this form of energy needs considerable consideration. You can even drive huge pipes down into garbage dumps and collect the gasses coming out. They can easily be transformed into useable energy.

And if you can call manure free then it’s a free energy source as well.

At our site you can find more information about this topic and what you can do yourself.

To Conclude all Energy is in fact transformed Solar Energy

One little thing to contemplate on  All the energy we are using be it nuclear, fossil, bio or wind. Has a mutual mother the sun. The sun is the ultimate energy source here on earth.  My idea is always stick to the source as best you can, and you won’t get hungry. Do what you want with this remark. But if you have a real forward looking mind and consider green investments it can be used as a reference point. The research to the work plants do to convert sunlight into sugars is something I would call promising.