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Biomass Energy |
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by Dharmendra Kapri | 14-08-2016 08:46
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Biomass is the general name for materials that come from plants and animals, such as wood (from trees), and it has been a source of energy for thousands of years. The first fire was estimated to have been lit around half a million years ago! Burning wood is the most common form of biomass energy in the world in fact one third of the world?s population relies on biomass energy.
Other than wood, biomass fuels include crops of plants grown especially, such as ?Elephant Grass? (Miscanthus), which grows very tall, very quickly. Even waste from agriculture such as straw (the stalks of a wheat crop) can be burned to create energy to heat water e.g. in Denmark.
In Western Australia 12 million Mallee Shrubs (a type of eucalyptus) are being planted to provide biomass fuel. The leaves will be used to make eucalyptus oil and the stalks for biomass. Nothing will be wasted. The roots of the plant will also help prevent soil erosion and improve the quality of the soil by reducing the salt levels.
In the USA paper factories burn the waste sawdust to provide heat and power to neighbouring districts. This is known as ?combined heat and power? generation. It is better than normal power stations because waste from the paper industry is put to good use and no new fossil fuels are required.
Biogas Energy- A very similar idea to using biomass is to burn the gas that comes off rotting plant and animal remains, rather than burning the matter itself. It is used just like Natural Gas in conventional power stations: to heat water to create steam, which is then used to turn turbines and generate electricity.
The gases – usually methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) - are gathered by slowly heating the biomass in an airtight container called a biodigester. Gases are given off, which are then collected and used to produce energy. This process is called ?gasification?. The waste left is often used as fertiliser for farmland.
Methane is also often collected from pipes in landfill sites. Another source of biogas being considered is sea kelp. This seaweed can grow up to 60cm per day so would provide a very good supply of fuel for gasification if it was grown commercially. So why are biomass and biogas being considered as alternative types of energy to fossil fuels? * These fuels can be sustainable, as long as the crops used are replanted at the same rate as they are harvested.
* When used in biogas plants methane, which is 22 times more damaging to the environment than CO2, does not escape into the atmosphere.
* The waste from industry is put to good use and not left in landfill to decompose. * Any CO2 given off during energy production is taken up by the replacement crops so a balance of CO2 is maintained. This is called ?carbon neutral?.
* Biomass energy can be used worldwide. But, of course, this idea isn?t perfect: * Growing the crops takes up valuable farmland that could be used to grow food.
* Biomass and biogas power stations only produce a limited amount of energy.
* Harvesting and collecting the fuel uses lots of energy! The machines need fuel.
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Former E-gen Ambassador
Dharmendra Kapri
Previous : Zero tolerance policy for the ...
7 Comments
Thanks for sharing Dharmendra, but please make sure to clarify the source you brought the article from! Reference is really important as you should rightfully give credit to the original writer. And I believe instruction was given so that undesirable disputes could be avoided. Thanks for following the instruction from now on :D
Posted 17-08-2016 15:10
Dharmendra, I have heard a lot aobut 'biofuel', but 'biogas' is one of the new concepts. Biomass energy is a very sustainable and green energy. However, we should be aware that there are also a lot of problems to be fully implemented, like you have mentioned in your article. Thanks for sharing!
Posted 16-08-2016 21:11
Biogas is now developing in most developing countries. It is my hope that we adopt it very quick and live sustainably
Posted 15-08-2016 03:25
Biofuel is actually a very good idea aimed towards sustainability. We have this at home where excrement from livestock is directed to a biodigester and used to produce light and heat energy. From my own personal experience, I can say it is very reliable.
Posted 14-08-2016 22:16
Biogas or Biomass energy is one of the most sustainable ways of producing clean energy as it eliminates/recycles the organic waste. It is indeed the oldest source of renewable energy, used since our ancestors learned the secret of fire. Thanks for the report.
Posted 14-08-2016 21:24
I've read about Bio Mass energy. In United States, companies related to 'Bio Mass' energy have been struggling. I also read that Indonesia and Malaysia are interested in Bio Mass energy as well. I hope we will have at least one country which has a success story of adopting bio mass energy into their existing system.
Posted 14-08-2016 17:54
Thats a very good idea,but its only applicable on the country sides only.The end products of mathane gas after burning are also not fit to the environment.
Posted 14-08-2016 15:10