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energy supplier |
Biomass
energy (bioenergy) is derived from organic matter. Wood is
an example of a source of biomass energy. Other forms include:
plants, residues from agriculture and forestry, municipal
and industrial wastes, and methane and other gases from landfills.
The use of biomass energy aids in the reduction of greenhouse
gas emissions.
In order not to increase the amount of carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere it is important that the wood burned as a fuel
comes from sustainable sources. This means that as trees are
felled to be use as a fuel, more trees should be planted.
That way, the carbon released during the combustion of the
wood is reabsorded by the new trees growing and the process
is carbon neutral. Other examples of sustainable sources of
wood include forest residues (what is left over after timber
has been extracted), tree surgery waste and other wood residue.
Biomass can be used to make the same products that are
created by fossil fuels, sometimes using less energy to do
so. Biofuels are created by releasing the sugars in the starch
and cellulose in plants. Additionally, when biomass is heated,
carbon monoxide and hydrogen (biosynthesis gas) is produced
in great amounts to be later used in the production of plastics,
acids, and synthetic fabrics.
Biofuels can be used to power cars, airplanes, and trains.
The two principal biofuels are ethanol and biodiesel. Ethanol
is produced by fermenting and brewing biomass. Flexible-fuel
vehicles can run on about 85% ethanol. Biodiesel is the combination
of alcohol, vegetable oil, animal fat, and recycled cooking
grease. It can used to both reduce vehicle emissions and in
a pure form, act as a renewable alternative for diesel engines.
Biofuels also include methanol and reformulated gasoline components.
Biopower is the use of biomass to generate electricity.
Types of biopower systems include direct-fired, gasification,
anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis, and small, modular systems.
Direct-fired systems consists of burning bioenergy feedstocks
to produce steam, which is then captured by turbines that
spin a generator, eventually creating electricity. Gasification
is used to convert biomass into a gas.
The gas is used to power a gas turbine, which spins an electric
generator. Anaerobic digestion describes the process by which
bacteria in organic matter decompose without the use of oxygen;
the result is extractable methane that is used as a source
of energy. Pyrolysis involves the conversion of biomass into
a liquid state through a heating process. This liquid fuel
can then be used to generate electricity in the same way that
petroleum can. |
