BIOMASS 101

Filed in archive Alternative Energy on April 14, 2006

What's biomass? Biomass is plant matter such corn, trees, grasses, crops or other biological material such as animal waste and/or landfill contents. When processed, it can be used as a solid fuel similar to coal, or it may be used as a liquid or a gas fuel source. Depending on the type of biomass and its related chemical properties after refining, at a bio-refinery no less, the product may be used for electrical power, heat, chemicals, or fuels such as ethanol.

Biomass currently supplies about 3 percent of total U.S. energy consumption in the form of electricity, heat, and fuels. Biomass initiatives benefit everyone because the more we can rely on alternative sources of energy the less dependent we are on standard sources of energy/fuel such as oil; however, the market for biomass energy products especially benefit rural economies. I.e. a farmer now has a commercial market for farm by-products compared to just a few years ago, before biomass grabbed a foothold, farm byproducts were expensed as waste.

Presently here are some BIOMASS commercial uses:
Natural Gas Fired Power Plants - I.e. from Landfill Gas
Ethanol
Bio-Diesel
Co-Fired Biomass/Coal Plants

NREL
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) as a branch of the U.S. Department of Energy supplies detailed information on this subject and takes the lead in promoting biomass initiatives.