Energy Resources: Biomass

Biomass - energy from organic materials

Introduction How it works More details Advantages Disadvantages Is it renewable?

Introduction

Wood was once our main fuel. We burned it to heat our homes and cook our food.
Wood still provides a small percentage of the energy we use, but its importance as an energy source is dwindling.

Sugar cane is grown in some areas, and can be fermented to make alcohol, which can be burned to generate power in the same way as coal.
Alternatively, the cane can be crushed and the pulp (called "bagasse") can be burned, to make steam to drive turbines.

Other solid wastes, can be burned to provide heat, or used to make steam for a power station.
"Bioconversion" uses plant and animal wastes to produce fuels such as methanol, natural gas, and oil.
We can use rubbish, animal manure, woodchips, seaweed, corn stalks and other wastes.

How it works

The fuel is burned, which heats water into steam, which turns turbines, which in turn drive generators, just like in a fossil-fuel power station.

More details :- Sugar cane

Sugar cane is harvested and taken to a mill, where it is crushed to extract the juice. The juice is used to make sugar, whilst the left-over pulp, called "bagasse" can be burned in a power station.

The station usually provides power for the sugar mill, as well as selling electricity to the surrounding area.

Advantages

It makes sense to use waste materials where we can.
The fuel tends to be cheap.
Less demand on the Earth's resources.

Disadvantages

Collecting the waste in sufficient quantities can be difficult.
We burn the fuel, so it makes greenhouse gases.
Some waste materials are not available all year round.

Is it renewable?

Biomass is renewable, as we're going to carry on making waste products.
We can always plant & grow more sugar cane and more trees, so those are renewable too.