Biomass+Power

= Green Burning - Biomass Power= By Megan Berry

Important Vocabulary Terms 3

 * //Biomass// - All plant and animal matter. It is burned, resulting in the heat power that is the basic starting point of biomass power.
 * //Dedicated Energy Crop -// Fast-growing plants which are easily harvested every year. This makes them ideal to be used for biomass power. Examples include elephant grass, bamboo, and switch grass. Fast-growing trees which are also good include willow and poplar.
 * //Closed Carbon Cycle// - A cycle in which carbon dioxide is produced and used, resulting in no increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
 * //Biofuel// - A liquid produced by fermenting plants such as corn, sugar cane, barely, sugar beets, and potatoes, resulting in //ethanol//. Fermenting the plants means breaking them down chemically with a substance like yeast.
 * //Ethanol -// A form of alcohol. See //biofuel//. Good fuel for biomass power.
 * //Bagasse -// The pulpy substance left over when the juice is removed from sugar cane. This waste product is good fuel for biomass power.
 * //Methane -// Gas formed when plants decay in places without air. It is a component of //biogas//, which is good fuel for biomass power.
 * //Turbine -// A device that converts the kinetic energy of a moving fluid (gas or liquid) into electrical energy.
 * //Organic Matter -// Any matter that comes from a once-living (and carbon-based) organism. //Biomass// is organic matter, and is burned for biomass power.
 * //Digester -// A large sealed tank in which organic matter is placed. The //biogas// rises to the top, while at the bottom there is slurry which can be used as fertilizer. 1
 * //Biogas// - A mix of //methane// and carbon dioxide, which is good fuel for biomass power. Biogas is good because it destroys //methane//, a greenhouse gas, it protects forests by decreasing the need for wood, reduces respiratory disorders caused by smoke, and provides good fertilizer in the process of production. 1



Steps Involved in Accomplishing Biomass Power 3
...... 1. Biomass (especially dedicated energy crops) is grown. ...... 2. Biomass is harvested, or waste product from crops is collected, or biofuel/biogas is used. ...... 3. Dry biomass reaches a temperature of at least 200°C (392°F), releasing gases that mix with the oxygen in the air and burn. ...... 4. a. i. The hot gas goes through a gas turbine, turning the blades of the turbine. ............. ii. The turbine powers a generator, producing electricity. ...... //or...// .......... b. i. The heat from the biomass boils water, creating steam. .............. ii. The steam goes through a steam turbine, turning the blades of the turbine. .............. iii. The turbine powers a generator, producing electricity.

Sometimes, in the case of option A, the hot gas will be used again afterward to produce more electricity through option B. Also, technically just burning biomass for heat energy is using biomass. For example, a wood-burning stove uses biomass power. 2

Conservation of Energy During Production Process 3
...... 3. **Chemical Potential Energy** of the biomass → **Heat Energy** of biomass ...... 4. a. i. **Heat Energy** of biomass → **Kinetic Energy** of turbine .............. ii. **Kinetic Energy** of turbine → **Electrical Energy** from generator ....... //or...// .......... b. i. **Heat Energy** of biomass → **Kinetic Energy** of steam .............. ii. **Kinetic Energy** of steam → **Kinetic Energy** of turbine .............. iii. **Kinetic Energy** of turbine → **Electrical Energy** from generator

Biogas Production
media type="youtube" key="but5ntRMQQc" height="385" width="480" This video explains the process in which biogas is collected from organic matter. Biogas is good fuel for biomass power. The video shows how the biogas bubbles up and can be taken away, leaving good fertilizer or compost.

Biomass Fuels
media type="youtube" key="Asnqy6kC0as" height="385" width="480" This video explains the closed carbon cycle of biomass power. The plants take in carbon dioxide, and then when burnt release the same amount of carbon dioxide, having no final effect on the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This video also explains the advantages of biomass power, pointing out that it is environmentally friendly, cost effective, and easily renewable. It also discusses efficient stoves for burning biomass, which are designed to get the most heat of burning the material, and biomass pellets, which are made out of biomass and are very good fuel because they are efficient, and result in very little ash.

[|"Federal Policies Needed for Sustainable Biomass Energy"]
The article linked above discusses how biomass is an advantageous replacement for non-renewable methods of energy production, specifically fossil fuels. It explains how biomass power is easy and pretty cheap. However, it points out that current federal policies are unsupportive of biomass power, and that new policies would be required to use biomass power as easily and efficiently as possible.

===Advantages===


 * Renewable - biomass gives off heat naturally when it decomposes. Burning biomass for power just speeds up this process, and uses the heat for electricity. 3
 * Most of the plants commonly used for biomass will renew themselves naturally, and often waste products are used that would be thrown away 3, such as bagasse (see definitions above), sawdust, the stalks and other unwanted parts of crops like wheat, manure, and some garbage. 2
 * It doesn't contribute to global warming. Though carbon dioxide is produced in the process of burning biomass, just as much is used by the plants as they grow. This is a closed carbon cycle (see definitions). 3

Disadvantages

 * Though biomass power is renewable, you have to be sure to replace the resources used. 3
 * Carbon dioxide is produced in the process. It is a greenhouse gas. However, the production of biomass power is a closed carbon cycle, so no extra carbon dioxide is actually produced. 3
 * Energy crops take up a lot of land, which can be a problem especially in places with a shortage of food, water, or land. 3
 * When plants are grown for biomass power, there is generally a lot of one plant grown in an area. This leads to pests, and then pesticides, which damage the soil and the environment. 3
 * Many energy crops are bulky, so they have to be grown near the place where biomass power is collected because it can be expensive and difficult to transport them. 3
 * When wood is burned for biomass power (wood provides most of the U.S.'s biomass power) it releases pollutants such as carbon monoxide. 2
 * Sometimes edible crops are used as fuel, or to produce biofuel. Some people feel that it is wrong to use food plants for this when in many parts of the world there is a shortage of food. 3

Efficiency of biomass power varies on what biomass is being used. Wood, for example, is very inefficient to burn, though special stoves and methods have been designed to try and make the process as efficient as possible. 1