Jackson Jerdee

St. Dominic School

Grade 5
4/25/16
Biomass
If you use renewable energy the world will be better longer. Why, you ask? There will be
less pollution. I believe that we should use biomass for energy, because biomass is a renewable
low carbon fuel, so its clean and safe.
To make biomass energy, first a person burns things like lumber, forest debris, and crops,
biomass is made from big landfills that are full of these resources. The stuff from the landfill is
brought to a power plant. At the plant, it is burned, steam is created and stored then is let out and
goes through a turbine. The spinning of the turbine creates energy. Finally, the energy goes
through the power lines and goes to our homes.
There are many benefits of biomass. One pro is that it is low in carbon. Carbon given off
from cars, planes, and power plants that burn fossil fuels pollutes the earth. Even though most
power plants have to follow rules to make sure they are not polluting the air, its still hurting our
environment. Biomass is fairly clean and doesnt have harmful emissions. It also reduces the
amount of trash we have in our landfills, because we can burn the biomass instead of taking up
space.
Biomass is a great source of energy, but there are also a few bad things. One disadvantage
to biomass is that it takes up tons of land to create a biomass plant. Another con to biomass is
that it is does produce some pollution when its burned. Although there is some pollution from
this source of energy, the positive is that it is renewable. Biomass is renewable because the
energy that comes from burning biomass is from the sun.

In conclusion, I think biomass energy is better because it is fairly clean and a renewable
source of energy. In my opinion, there are more pros than cons to this source of energy.
Sources:
AE kids biomass energy.
http://www.alliantenergykids.com/EnergyandTheEnvironment/RenewableEnergy/02239, March
1, 2016.
Archive, Paul. MotherNatureBiomass
http://www.poweredbymothernature.com/author/pnewcomb, March 2 , 2016
nd

Lindsey Stanton
St. Dominic School
Grade 5
4/25/16
Biomass
Do you know where your energy comes from when you turn on lights or plug in your
phone? Well if you dont there's good chance it comes from biomass. According to Biomass
Power Association, 50% of renewable energy comes from biomass. It is the largest source of
renewable energy produced in the United States.
I think that the U.S should use biomass as an alternative energy source because it is
carbon neutral, widely available, and the dependency on fossil fuels are reduced. Therefore it
will not affect climate change because no additional carbon is released into the air.
How Biomass Works:
Biomass can be made from wood, burnable garbage, crops, alcohol fuels, and landfill
gasses. This is how biomass energy is made: the workers for the plant go and get the wood,
garbage, and other resources; they bring it to a plant to burn; the plant burns it and then it
produces steam. Next the steam goes to a turbine, the turbine spins it and then it is sent to a
generator. The generator stores the energy until it is sent into the power lines. Finally it is sent
through the power lines then into your home.
The Benefits of Biomass
First its carbon-neutral, since burning plants are just releasing the carbon dioxide they
had absorbed . Secondly its widely available all over the world. It is organic waste made of
grass, trees etc. that are available in abundance to burn into biomass fuel. It reduces the amount
of garbage that goes into landfills. Lastly, its dependency on fossil fuels are reduced, because it

replaces coal, gas, and oil. We dont have to dig for oil or build oil wells. If we cut back on fossil
fuels now the global warming will eventually slow down.
Some people think that the U.S shouldnt use biomass as an alternative energy source
because it is not totally clean when its burned. It requires a lot of land to burn, it is expensive to
burn, and it is not very efficient. Biomass produces some pollution when its burned but is does
not produce a lot. It is hard to locate a plant in a convenient place to burn biomass. When you
compare money that goes into biomass and money that goes into fossil fuels the biomass is the
higher price but not by much.
In conclusion, I think the U.S should increase biomass as an alternative energy source to
help stop climate change and because scientific research shows it helps reduce the use of fossil
fuels and the amount of carbon in the air. So the world and everything on it will not be affected
by climate change.
Sources:
Biomass Basics https://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=biomass_homebasics, Feb. 29,
2016.
Biomass Energy Pros and Cons
http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/pros-and-cons-of-biomass-energy.php#abh_posts, Mar.
2, 2016.
What is Biomass energy and how does it work?
http://www.poweredbymothernature.com/what-is-biomass-energy, Mar.
2, 2016.

Patrick Mergens
St. Dominic School
Grade 5
4/25/16
Biomass
Biomass is a renewable energy source that can turn existing coal plants to be 100%
renewable, reduce landfills, and they are carbon neutral. Biomass is a great way to get energy, it
recreates coal plants to be 100% yes 100% renewable.
Coal plants are not the most effective way of making energy, but biomass could change
things. Biomass is the same concept as coal but instead of spending millions of dollars on coal
and plants, people could get farmers to grow grasses to burn at the plants that used to be coal
plants that are now biomass plants. The reason we could do that is because similar coal energy,
biomass gets burned and the steam it makes from boiling water goes to a turbine that spins a
generator, which makes energy. All that we really need to do is bring the biomass to the plant to
burn. That is one reason why biomass is good for an alternative energy source.
Landfills are growing and taking over the world but no one wants to be near them so they
are taking down forests and fields to put garbage in. Biomass can reduce them because we can
burn some of those materials. We can burn items such as cardboard, plastic, and paper. People
everywhere are trying to reduce landfills, so why not turn that into energy? Did you know that
about one third of garbage cans are full of burnable stuff that could make energy? Biomass could
be the answer to reducing landfills and another reason to use biomass energy.
Carbon dioxide is bad for the environment and biomass is here to help. For biomass we
can burn trees and plants, which reduce carbon, so its carbon neutral. The plants that are burned
have reduced the carbon level they make so it's not bad. The stuff that is burned is sometimes

dead, meaning if a storm came through and knocked over a lot of trees, we let live trees grow
until the growth process slows down in six to eight years. Then they cut down trees and plants.
There is one thing you cant do with trees: you cant weather it but you can climbit (haha).
One disadvantage of biomass is it's not the most efficient way to get energy, and just like
coal it is only about 30% efficient. Another disadvantage is that it can take a while to pile stuff
up to burn. The reason why is you might have to wait for a big storm to knock over trees or wait
a few years for trees to grow. It uses water to make steam, which some say is a waste. One more
disadvantage is the ashes, unlike coal ashes which have mercury in them. There are a lot of
ashes, which get thrown out and take up space. Biomass is not the best way to go but it's a good
way to create energy.
Biomass is carbon neutral, can turn existing coal plants to biomass plants, and can reduce
landfills. Biomass, a great way to get energy, not perfect, but good indeed.
Sources:
Biomass Plant-How it Works January 22, 2015
http://corporate.vattenfall.com/about-energy/renewable-energy sources/biomass/how-it-works.
March 1, 2016
What is Biomass Energy and How Does it Work? September 25, 2011
http://www.poweredbymothernature.com/what-is-biomass-energy Febuary 29,
2016