Biomass
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Bioenergy > Feedstocks > Biomass
Used in its more general sense, biomass refers to the total mass of living matter in a given area. Within the context of bioenergy, biomass generally refers to organic material from plants and animals, including agricultural and municipal waste products, but excluding food products.
- Biomass such as cow dung or wood (that is, "traditional biomass") have been used traditionally throughout the world. However, increasing use of biomass resources, especially wood, can lead to forest degradation, deforestation, and consequently desertification. For this reason, solar cookers are being promoted as an alternative to the use of firewood, such as in Africa.
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Types of biomass crops
- Perennial biomass crops
- mixed prairie grasses
- Wood ("wood biomass")
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Technologies
Biomass can be transformed into different forms of bioenergy in a variety of ways, from the low tech to the high.
- On the simple end, biomass crops can be converted into cleaner burning biomass pellets and then burned in stoves or co-firing power plants.
- On the advanced end biomass can be converted to syngas through a gasification process and then converted to liquid fuels. See the technology section for more information.
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Emerging technologies
- See the page on emerging biomass industries.
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Organizations
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Events
- 6-7 December 2007, Eureka, California, USA: Woody Biomass Utilization Workshop: Techniques and Economic Considerations for the North Coast
- 9-11 May 2008, Beijing, China: 2008 China Biomass (Straw) Comprehensive Utilization Seminar & Technique and Equipment Exhibition. (Themes: biomass, straw)
- 2-6 June 2008, Valenica, Spain: 16th European Biomass Conference & Exhibition.
- 25 June 2008, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA: Fischer-Tropsch Workshop. Themes: (Fischer-Tropsch, biomass, biofuels)
- 19-20 August 2008, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: International Conference on Oil Palm Biomass 2008. (Themes: oil palm, biomass)
- 27-29 August 2008, Portland, Oregon, USA: 2008 International Bioenergy and Bioproducts Conference. (Theme: biomass)
- 1-20 September 2008, Yingkou, China. 2008 International Training Workshop on Technology and Utilization of Biomass Gasification. (Themes: biomass, gasification)
- 16-17 September 2008, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada: CWF/CANBIO Conference: “Bio-energy: Developing Trends and New Opportunities for a Changing Forest Industry”. Sponsored by Canadian Woodlands Forum (CWF) and the Canadian Bio-Energy Association (CANBIO). (Themes: biomass, forests)
- 18-19 September 2008, Houston, Texas: Platts Biomass Power Forum. (Themes: biomass, finance)
- 23-24 September 2008, Beijing, China: BiomassWorld 2008. (Themes: biomass)
- 22-24 September 2008, Kyiv, Ukraine: Fourth International Conference on Biomass for energy. (Themes: biomass, bioenergy)
- 13-14 October 2008, Gothenburg, Sweden: 3rd BTLtec (Biomass to Liquid) (Themes: biomass, liquid fuels, gasification)
- 14-16 October 2008, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA: Energy from Biomass and Waste. (Themes: biomass, waste)
- 16-18 October 2008, Valladolid, Spain: Expobioenergía’08. (Themes: bioenergy, biomass)
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News
- Is Biomass Harvesting Sustainable?, late August 2008 (September 2008 issue) by Biomass Magazine: "Sustainability is a buzzword in the biomass industry. But sustainable can mean many things....A collaboration of researchers studied a biomass operation...in Minnesota to look at all the different components of a sustainable biomass harvesting operation."
- "Researchers from Minnesota and Wisconsin zeroed in on one particular system — small trees and undergrowth in the Superior National Forest — to gauge the environmental and economic costs of removing biomass from the forest."
- The study by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) found that "there are many ways to interrupt a smooth supply of biomass to a market."
- Lead author Don Arnosti was quoted as saying, "What I have concluded is that biomass, at least woody biomass will likely forever be a coproduct....It cannot be seen as the single reason you are doing land management.[1]
- Download the IATP study, Harvesting Fuel: Cutting Costs and Reducing Forest Fire Hazards Through Biomass Harvest.
- Farm Bill Establishes New Biomass Crop Assistance Program, 23 May 2008 press release by 25 x '25: "A program to encourage farmers to establish and grow biomass crops in areas around biomass facilities has been included in the recently adopted [U.S.] 2008 Farm Bill. The Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) would help producers willing to switch part or all of their acreage to dedicated energy crops."
- "Agricultural producers in BCAP project areas may contract with USDA to receive biomass crop establishment payments" plus other payments to support crop harvesting, storage, and transport...."Producers are also prohibited from planting noxious or invasive plants as part of the program."
- The bill "also sets up through the U.S. Forest Service a competitive research and development program to encourage use of forest biomass for energy....The bill encourages USDA to work closely with the Pine Genome Initiative (PGI), which proponents say would promote healthy forests and the development of new biofuels technology."[2]
| Biomass | edit | |
| Biomass energy | Woody biomass | Emerging biomass industries Biomass sources: Traditional - Trees/Wood | Potential - Seaweed | ||
| Bioenergy feedstocks | edit | |
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Biodiesel feedstocks: Ethanol feedstocks: | ||
Categories: Biomass | Feedstocks | Wood
