Is biomass a good energy source?
Compared to other renewable energy sources, the benefits of biomass are still debatable. However, biomass offers numerous advantages over fossil fuels, including lower carbon emissions. Biomass does release carbon dioxide, but since it contains energy from the sun, it’s more carbon-neutral.
Biomass energy provides a renewable energy resource from plants, which are also renewable. As long as plants exist, biomass will be a renewable energy source. Next, biomass reduces greenhouse gasses that cause global warming and climate change; fossil fuel carbon increases the greenhouse effect. During growth, all the CO2 absorbed by plants is released back into the atmosphere during biomass energy production.
Fossil fuels make the planet unclean, while biomass cleans the environment making it a much better energy source. However, population growth means more waste to dispose of and can harm water, ecosystems, and human health. Additionally, biomass is easily accessible from multiple sources such as agriculture, forests, fisheries, and waste. Therefore, biomass is considered one of the best energy sources when combining economic and environmental factors.
Biomass-fueled electricity and heat greenhouse gas emissions balance to create a neutral effect. Some biomass systems save more than 40% of fossil alternatives’ to greenhouse gas emissions. The environmental benefit is broad, and its value depends on the application, such as technology. As biomass is unavoidable and its greenhouse emissions, its carbon footprint remains inevitable and can reduce the use of fossil fuels.
How does biomass convert into energy?
Biomass is converted to energy through several methods, including direct heat combustion, thermochemical conversion, liquid fuels, and biofuels. Direct combustion is the most common method of bioenergy conversion. All biomass can be burned directly to heat buildings, water, industrial processes, and steam turbines. Researchers are developing new ways to convert and use more biomass for energy but below are the current methods available.
Hydrotreating processes bio-oil with hydrogen under high temperatures and pressures with a catalyst produce renewable diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel. Transesterification converts vegetable oils, animal fats, and greases into biodiesel-making fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). Biological conversion includes fermentation to produce ethanol and anaerobic digestion to produce natural gas. Biogas is produced in anaerobic digesters at sewage treatment plants and dairy and livestock farms. Renewable natural gas can replace fossil fuel natural gas if properly treated.
Gasification involves heating organic materials to 1,400–1700oF (800–900oC) with injections of free oxygen and steam to produce synthesis gas or syngas. Syngas can fuel diesel engines, heat homes, and power gas turbines. The hydrogen can be burned or used in fuel cells after being separated from the gas. Fischer–Tropsch can convert syngas into liquid fuels.
Pyrolysis and gasification convert biomass thermo-chemically. Both processes involve heating biomass feedstock in closed, pressurized vessels called gasifiers. However, they differ in conversion temperatures and oxygen levels. Pyrolysis involves heating organic materials to 800–900oF (400–500 oC) without oxygen. Charcoal, bio-oil, renewable diesel, methane, and hydrogen are produced through biomass pyrolysis.
Can manure be used as biomass?
High-carbon solid biomass like dried manure can be burned after moisture removal to heat water for processing and drive gas turbines to create electricity. The technical features of gasification using animal manures as biomass fuel are presented to maintain environmental standards.
Manure is a resource that helps plant growth and supplies organic matter to improve soil structure by containing undigested and partially digested dietary nutrients. Carbohydrates from forage and cereal grains, for example, are energy-producing nutrients in animal feed. Proteins and fats are two other nutrients largely made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and nitrogen.
The energy in feed can be divided into net energy and energy lost. Energy is lost in manure, gases produced by fermentation in the digestive tract of animals, and through heat during the digestion process. Several techniques can convert the energy in manure into bio-energy that can be used.
Manure can turn into biomass via thermo-chemical, biological, and on-site processes for conversion. However, there is minimal benefit in producing biomass heat if there is no demand for it on-site or in the neighborhood of a biomass boiler. Furthermore, even if demand exists, if the cost of heat is cheap, the economics are unlikely to add up. To solve this challenge, manure might be transferred and transformed to heat at a site with high heat demand. Transportation costs, on the other hand, can swiftly deplete project budgets.
Unlike biomass boilers, gasifiers produce syngas, which can generate sustainable heat, power, or liquid fuels in various applications. Liquid fuels can be transported for offsite use, while electricity can be injected into the local system for sale to a utility. While gasification may be able to meet on-site energy needs, converting syngas to electricity or liquid fuels necessitates the use of additional, sometimes costly machinery.
How is charcoal made from biomass?
Charred wood or the dark residue left behind when burning wood improperly burned can produce incomplete biomass combustion. Charcoal is generated by a process known as pyrolysis from biomass by heating biomass to 300-400
degrees Celsius in an atmosphere with no air supply. While more complex systems have arisen in some parts of the world, it’s still the common procedure for less-developed countries.
The biomass transformed into charcoal is heaped into a mound and entirely covered by several methods such as plant biomass before turning into mud. Next, a fire is started through a small aperture, then covered. Charcoal removed from the inside of these covered mounds burns for several days before use.
The lack of air to the biomass creates optimal circumstances for pyrolysis. The biomass is not totally burned but transformed into charcoal and some organic gasses, and a bio-oil. This biomass-based charcoal, also known as bio-coal or bio-charcoal, has a high calorific value and can be utilized in heating applications. Another new application for charcoal is the production of activated carbon, which is utilized in the filtration sector.
What countries use biomass?
Biomass provides 14% of the world’s primary energy supply, or 1 billion tons of oil each year. Most biomass is used in poor countries, where half the world’s population lives. Here are the top countries using biomass as their main energy source and the amount.
- Ethiopia 93%
- DR Congo 92%
- Tanzania 85%
- Nigeria 82 %
- Haiti 81%
- Nepal 81%
- Togo 80%
- Kenya 75%
- India 50%
- China 33%
- Brazil 25%
- And many more.
Alternatively, Finland, Ireland, Sweden, and the USA get 18%, 16%, 9%, and 3%, respectively. Most underdeveloped countries maintain biomass as their main energy source. However, solid biomass dominates all countries’ energy use, but liquid biofuels, renewable waste, and biogas are also important.
Countries that use the most solid biomass for energy have a high forest area per capita and important wood processing businesses. A few countries with limited domestic forest biomass potential import solid biomass for energy. Germany is a biogas leader, and Denmark has made considerable biogas strides recently.
Liquid biofuels are growing, especially for transportation. For example, Brazil and Sweden already utilize more liquid biofuels than fossil oil for transport and heat production. However, in most other nations, liquid biofuel consumption is equivalent to 2-5% of fossil oil use, indicating that considerable measures are needed to phase out fossil oil.
What is a biofuel?
Since humans grasped fire’s power, they have used it to cook, stay warm, and generate energy. However, the traditional burning of biomass and garbage to produce heat and other forms of energy persists in many parts of the third world due to a lack of reliable contemporary energy supplies. Lower-income regions are using more contemporary forms of energy, yet biomass and garbage still account for 14% of global energy output.
Biofuels are liquid fuels made from trees, agricultural wastes, crops, or grass. Biofuel can be made from replenishable carbon sources like plants and they emit less carbon monoxide and sulfur. Switchgrass and soybeans are also planted for biofuel generation.
In addition, Biofuels can cut greenhouse gas emissions and boost energy security. Biofuels could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.7 billion tons per year by 2050, or 80% of transportation-related emissions. These fuels can replace petroleum, propane, coal, and natural gas.
How is ethanol created from biomass?
Fuel ethanol is anhydrous, denatured alcohol usually manufactured by fermenting the sugar in corn, sorghum, barley, sugar cane, and sugar beets. In America, practically all fuel ethanol is made from corn kernel starch, a conventional biofuel. Trees and grasses require less fuel, fertilizer, and water than grain and can thrive on unsuitable ground. Therefore, cellulosic ethanol is considered an advanced biofuel.
Unlike other renewable energy sources, biomass may be immediately transformed into liquid fuels or biofuels. Both ethanol and biodiesel are first-generation biofuels. The Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) works with industry to produce next-generation biofuels from wastes, cellulosic biomass, and algae. In addition, BETO produces hydrocarbon biofuels that can replace petroleum in most existing uses.
Ethanol is a renewable fuel derived from biomass that blends with gasoline to boost octane and reduce smog-causing pollutants. Most ethanol is created from plant starches and sugars, especially corn starch in the US, but scientists are developing strategies to utilize cellulose and hemicellulose, the bulk of plant matter. Fermentation converts biomass to ethanol.
