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Bioenergy is renewable and solar in nature since biomass is composed of anything organic, including plants that have been harvested or decomposed, and livestock waste (manure and methane). Since plants use photosynthesis to absorb and process CO2, they are indirectly solar masses. Animals live on plant material, so plants and livestock waste are sources of biomass energy.

Specifically, some biomass sources include tree trunks, roots, branches, bark, wood chips, sawdust, and manure. Biomass energy may be as a result of direct use, such as using firewood for a fire to take the chill off a cold evening. It may also be converted into other fuels such as ethanol (processed from sugar cane) and methane from manure and sewage. Spontaneous biomass gases such as marsh or swamp gas and landfill gas just happen. They are typically tapped, piped, and used in power plants to generate electricity.

Agricultural wastes or manures undergo certain thermal or biological processes first. Thermal processing involves burning or combustion (mixing biomass with coal or oil to generate electricity), chemical decomposing (heating without oxygen used to decompose/recycle tires), or gasifying. Biological processes involve digestion or fermentation, where bacteria converts waste into gas that in turn is used to drive turbines that operate generators to produce electricity. Depending on the biomass materials used, the left over solids from this process become fertilizer.

Biofuels come from biomass. Biogases captured from marshes, landfills or sewage are burned to produce electricity or refined and used to fuel vehicles. Bioethanol is made from grains, rapeseed, canola, hemp, maize, sugar cane and virgin oils, among other biocrops. It is mixed with gasoline and used in vehicles. This is common in the U.S. By 2010, 5% of all motor vehicle fuel used in the U.K. must come from renewable sources. Ethanol-blended fuel cars outnumber gasoline-fueled cars in Brazil. And Sweden’s incentive is to exempt excise duty and offer free parking to drivers using ethanol. Biobutanol, produced through fermentation, is closer to gasoline than is ethanol and is directly used in some internal combustion engines. Finally, biodiesel, is a clean, locally-grown renewable sources made popular by (Bio)Willie Nelson. It is not unusual for individuals to convert their existing diesel engines to run on vegetable and fryer oils.


Jason Grace
on behalf of the
BascoTec Internet Limited
Technologie Park 13
33100 Paderborn
Germany

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