BIOMASSWhat is biomass?
The Oxford dictionary definition:- organic matter used as fuel, especially in the production of electricity. Biomass is the name given to all plants and animals. Energy from biomass refers to ways of using plants and animals as energy sources. How do we get energy from Biomass? Biomass can be converted to energy in two ways:
Many crops that are grown for food can also be used to make biofuels. Corn, sugar cane and sugar beet are used to make ethanol because of their high sucrose content. Tiny organisms feed off the sucrose and convert it to a form of alcohol called ethanol. Ethanol is a flammable liquid that can be used to run cars or be added to petrol. Other crops are processed for their oils, to be used as a fuel. This includes a wide variety of seed crops like linseed, rapeseed, soy bean and jojoba. These oils are used as biodiesel in engines. Another way of getting energy from plants is by capturing the gases produced as the plant matter decomposes. As plants decay, microbes that live on the decomposing material give off methane gas. If this gas can be collected it can be used as a fuel. Rubbish dumps, containing such things as household waste or kitchen scraps, produce methane gas. Some local councils collect this gas and burn it to generate electricity that is fed back into the grid. Capturing methane gas is very important because it is a potent greenhouse gas. When methane gas is burned for energy, the CO2created has less greenhouse impact plus we get to use the power created. Methane is 21 times worse than CO2 for its greenhouse gases content, so converting methane into CO2 is a good thing. |