Biomass Energy - Here are the Basics
Biomass is organic material which can be converted to energy. It is usually
thought of as “waste” material such as wood chips, yard clippings, dead trees,
and even used tires and farmyard manure. Biomass can be converted to energy by
burning it or capturing gases from it.
Biomass can be converted to electricity by collecting material like scrap
wood and bringing it to a biomass processing plant. The material is burned in
large furnaces and the heat is used to provide steam to drive turbines and power
generators.
A lot of the material used for biomass energy would otherwise be sent to
landfills. In fact, there are still a lot of recyclable substances that do end
up in landfills, but the energy from these substances can still be captured in
the form of methane gas. Pipelines installed in landfill sites can collect the
methane and use it to feed power plants which produce electricity.
Methane can also be collected from farmyard manure. Farms which have a lot of
cows, chickens, and other animals can collect the methane gas produced from the
manure and use it for energy.
Biomass energy is ecologically friendly because it does not contribute to
global warming. As plants grow, they consume carbon dioxide, and this carbon
dioxide is released when the plants are burned. In turn, the CO2 released by the
burning process is again consumed by new plants grown for biomass energy. Other
forms of energy like fossil fuels contribute to global warming because they
release CO2 into the atmosphere without providing a corresponding mechanism to
absorb it.
Eventually, we hope to reach the stage where all biomass can be converted to
energy. This will have the dual effect of reducing the need for landfill sites
while providing an alternate energy source.
New ways are being explored for utilizing biomass energy. For example,
biomass can be used to produce ethanol which can be used as a gasoline
replacement in specially designed cars. It can also be combined with gasoline to
cut down on fuel consumption.
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