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Introduction
Most of the world rely heavily on non-renewable energy resources, like
coal, nuclear, oil, and natural gas for their energy. A little more than 150 years
ago people created the technology to extract energy from the ancient fossilized
remains of plants and animals fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are non-renewable. This
is usually due to the long time it takes for them to be replenished. They draw on
finite resources that will eventually dwindle, becoming too expensive or too
environmentally damaging to retrieve. Fossil fuels make up a large portion of
todays energy market but due to their limited amount and environmental impact,
there is an increased interest in using renewable forms of energy. Both forms of
energy renewable and non-renewable, each have benefits and challenges,
thus, the development of technologies to increase their efficiency and decrease
carbon footprint is what the industry needs.
When most people hear the term renewable energy, they usually think of
solar panels or wind turbines, but biomass accounts for most of our renewable
energy consumption. Most of this is through wood burning and biofuels such as
biodiesel and ethanol which is readily available amongst gas stations in the
country.
Biomass is a type of energy is contained within organic matter of all kinds:
plants, animals, or waste products from organic sources. Biomass energy is
organic matter that can be burned or decomposed to be used as a source of
energy.
II.
History of Biomass
It was in the 1970s when biomass was officially accepted and known around the
world. There was an active search for alternative energy source during this period
because of the uncontrollable increase in price for fossil fuels. The price for fossil
fuel escalated because of the increased demand for energy. Yet the supply is scarce
and getting it can be costly. Scientists and researchers poured their efforts to come
up with a less expensive way of producing energy. This was the same era when an
experiment could make a car run using the byproduct of degasification a process of
converting biomass products to usable energy. It was during this decade when the
U.S took the discussion on alternative energy resource more seriously. The
congress enacted Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act which will strengthen the
development of alternative energy sources.
In the 1980s, more progress was made for biomass. Infrastructures for
generators which use wood fire were built. More compact and durable models of
biomass hearers and biomass stoves were also produced. It was in 1982 and 1983
when small plantations were made and these are capable of producing electricity
from biomass materials like wood waste. Initially, the plants only use sawmill
residues. Eventually, even forest thinnings, by products from agriculture, trimmings
from yard and common household wood waste were being used and converted to
energy.
In the 2000s, programs were developed so that fuel produced by biomass can
be combined with non-renewable resources, like coal, to reduce the consumption of
fossil fuels.
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III.
Today, we can recover energy from biomass in highly efficient energy plants
generating heat, process steam, electricity, syngas, and/or bio-oil. Biomass is a
complicated and difficult fuel because there are so many sources, and its essential to
understand the properties and chemical composition of each one.
Thermal Conversion
Biomass can be burned by thermal conversion and used for energy. Thermal
conversion involves heating the biomass feedstock to burn, dehydrate, or stabilize it.
The most familiar biomass feedstocks for thermal conversion are raw materials such as
municipal solid waste and scraps from paper or lumber mills.
Torrefaction
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Before biomass can be burned, it must be dried. This chemical process is called
Torrefaction. During torrefaction, biomass is heated to about 200 to 320 C. The
biomass dries out so completely that it loses the ability to absorb moisture, or rot. It
loses about 20% of its original mass, but retains 90% of its energy. The lost energy and
mass can be used to fuel the torrefaction process. During torrefaction, biomass
becomes a dry, blackened material. It is then compressed into briquettes. Biomass
briquettes are very hydrophobic, meaning they repel water. This makes it possible to
store them in moist areas. The briquettes have high energy density and are easy to
burn during direct or co-firing.
Direct Firing and Co-Firing
Most briquettes are burned directly. The steam produced during the firing process
powers a turbine, which turns a generator and produces electricity. This electricity can
be used for manufacturing or to heat buildings. Biomass can also be co-fired, or burned
with a fossil fuel. Biomass is most often co-fired in coal plants. Co-firing eliminates the
need for new factories for processing biomass. Co-firing also eases the demand for
coal. This reduces the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released
by burning fossil fuels.
Pyrolysis
IV.
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Pyrolysis oil
Pyrolysis oil, sometimes called bio-oil or biocrude, is a
type of tar. It can be combusted to generate electricity
and is also used as a component in other fuels and
plastics.
Scientists
and
engineers
are
studying
Biofuel
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V.
VI.
Biomass is a clean, renewable energy source. Its initial energy comes from the sun,
and plants or algae biomass can regrow in a relatively short amount of time. Trees,
crops, and municipal solid waste are consistently available and can be managed
sustainably. If trees and crops are sustainably farmed, they can offset carbon emissions
when they absorb carbon dioxide through respiration. In some bioenergy processes, the
amount of carbon that is re-absorbed even exceeds the carbon emissions that are
released during fuel processing or usage. Unlike other renewable energy sources, such
as wind or solar, biomass energy is stored within the organism, and can be harvested
when it is needed.
However, if biomass feedstocks are not replenished as quickly as they are used,
they can become non-renewable. A forest, for instance, can take hundreds of years to
re-establish itself. This is still a much, much shorter time period than a fossil fuel such
as peat. It can take 900 years for just a meter of peat to replenish itself.
Biomass has a lower energy density than fossil fuels. As much as 50% of biomass
is water, which is lost in the energy conversion process. Scientists and engineers
estimate that it is not economically efficient to transport biomass more than 160
kilometers from where it is processed. However, converting biomass into pellets can
increase the fuels energy density and make it more advantageous to ship.
VII.
Biomass is still subject of many debates when it comes to talking about benefits of
biomass, especially when compared with other renewable energy sources. Despite
these debates, biomass is still proven to have many advantages over fossil fuels. In
general, biomass indeed helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that
give more impact to global warming and climate change. Also, biomass can help clean
our environment. Biomass indeed helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gas
emissions that give more impact to global warming and climate change. Many of
garbage ends up in rivers, water streams, oceans harming nearby ecosystems and
having negative impacts on human health. Instead of pollution, all the generated waste
can be used in the production of this energy and it helps cleaning our environment from
many different types of pollution.
It is important to understand the consequences of the production of biomass energy
if it is not controlled. The utilization of biomass energy promotes saving the earth but
neglecting the replenishment of biomass feedstocks can make biomass energy nonrenewable.
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VIII.
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References
http://nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/biomass-energy/
http://www.bioenergyconsult.com/tag/biomass-energy-in-philippines/
http://www.conserve-energy-
future.com/Advantages_Disadvantages_BiomassEnergy.php
http://www.conserve-energy-
future.com/Advantages_Disadvantages_BiomassEnergy.php
http://www.our-energy.com/benefits_of_biomass.html