Biomass As A Renewable Energy Resource

However, despite its many advantages biomass still has many disadvantages. Firstly it is not as efficient as fossil fuels, for example the ethanol produced for cars via biomass is not even close to the efficiency of petrol and does damage to engines over time. It also has the potential to harm the environment through increase of methane gases which are produced as a bi-product if animal and human waste is used. Biomass also requires a large distance away from residential areas in order to burn it and a large amount of fuel in comparison to other energy sources which can have dramatic effects if large portions of forests are cut down to provide lumber.1

Schulze, E.D., Körher, C., Law, B.E., Haberl, H., S. (2012). Large-scale bioenergy from additional harvest of forest biomass is neither sustainable nor greenhouse gas neutral. GCB Bioenergy, 4(6), 611-616.

Biomass energy is a renewable energy source from living or recently living plant and animal materials which can be used as fuel. There are many ways in which we could produce this energy such as heat and steam. Also, instead of leaving waste in landfills, we’re reusing that waste and converting it into usable power. Pros: 1. Renewable. 2. Dependency on Fossil Fuels is Reduced 3. Protects air quality 4. Improves forest health. Cons: 1. Not 100% clean. 2. Requires a lot of water. 3. Not as efficient as fossil fuels.

In the article, the Burning Question, the issue of biomass energy via wood pellets was brought to question. This subject has deeply divided scientists, primarily from the chemistry and environmental science disciplines, economists, and politicians. Currently the use of wood pellets for energy, under the European Union, is classified as a carbon-neutral fuel. The argument for this designation lies in the regeneration of trees to take up the carbon released from burning past trees. However, many scientists call foul, basing their argument on the substantial lag period between burning trees and the regeneration of them. This period has led many to worry that such actions will worsen the current global warming crisis. Biomass energy plants produce,

Firstly, and put very simply, fossil fuels are non-renewable! Once the finite deposits of brown and black coal are exhausted around the planet there will be no more energy generated by this process. Current estimates predict that all known coal deposits will be exhausted within the next 120 years.

Energy, especially from fossil fuels, is a key ingredient for all sectors of a modern economy and plays a fundamental role in improving the quality of life in less developed economies. In 2007, India is ranked fifth in the world in terms of energy demand; accounting for 3.6% of total energy consumed, and is expected to grow at 4.8% in the future. India imports 70% of the oil it uses, and the country has been hit

For over forty years now, scientists and researchers have been tirelessly searching for an alternative to fossil fuels. Biofuels have become an interesting contender in the search for the replacement of the non-renewable energy source. Biofuels have been used throughout history for over thousands of years. There is a large debate over biofuels and its true impact on the environment. Those involved in the discussion debating whether biofuels have any real overwhelming benefits compared to fossil fuels could argue for its usage. According to recent research performed by the University of Michigan, biofuels may not be the best alternative for fossil fuels. Regardless of its impact on the environment, biofuels are becoming more popular particularly when the price of oil rises.

Today, humans rely on variety of energy resources to heat homes, propel transportation vehicles, and produce goods for shelter, food health care, and entertainment. Some of those sources are renewable like biomass and solar energy, and others are non-renewable like fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas). as we know most of our electricity comes from fossil fuels which are non-renewable however, burning fossil fuels produce

Our world is finite. That means that there is only a limited amount of air, water, rock, plants and animal material. Earth is like a spaceship with only so many resources. There are no supply ships to drop in and give us a refill of resources. It make us (as global citizens) the caretakers or stewards aboard the spaceship. So, as global citizens we have to take care of our planet and make sure that it has enough resources for its own well being, the other biodiversity living on Earth and even humankind. We must preserve and wisely use what we have. Using renewable resources and energy is one way to do just that. Biofuels are a type of renewable resources. In this report I will be talking about, what are biofuels, what can they do, how biofuels are made, are they available around the world? Should biofuels be used to replace fossil fuels? Why or why not, how do biofuels impact the food supply in 3 rd World Countries, who uses biofuels? Also the cost, pros and cons and environmental benefits or concerns.

Fossil energy sources- such as oil, coal, and natural gases are become the major source for the energy which are formed from died prehistoric plants and animals buried in the layers of land over a million of years. But there are lot of impacts on the environment by the use of fossil fuels through combustion resulting in the emission of greenhouse gases. Over the past 20 years three-fourths of human-caused emissions came from the burning of fossil fuels.

Biodiesel has many environmentally impacts. One of the main benefits is that it can be described as carbon neutral. Therefore this helps me understand that the fuel produces has no net output of carbon in the form of carbon dioxide. The reason for this effect to occur is that when the oil crops grows it gains the same amount of CO2 as is released when the fuel is combusted. However this is not exact as CO2 is released during the production of the fertilizer require to fertilize the fields in which the oil crops grow in. fertilizer production is not the only source of which is attached to the production of biodiesel, other sources include the process which is called esterification process. No matter what all these processes requires an energy input either in the form of electricity or from a

The Biomass energy is an organic matter that is used by photosynthesis. This is used to generate energy and the most common energy is coming from the wood of the trees, corn, municipal solid waste, and sugarcane. The biomass is used to create ethanol, biodiesel, bio oil and biogas. This in turns create electricity with steam turbines and gasifies to produce heat. The advantage of using the biomass over the fossil fuel is that biomass is a renewable carbon source, zero net carbon dioxide emissions, lower methane, sulfate, and hydrocarbon emissions, and the most important is no dependence on foreign oil. Another is the geothermal energy, in which it uses the heat from the earth to warm things up. The common source is cost effective, reliable, and environmentally friendly. The main sources of uses are to heat homes, greenhouse, industrial process heating mineral recovery, fisheries and also mitigate global warnings. Geothermal energy is more valuable than the fossil fuels because it is an inexhaustible energy source, lot less emissions in the atmosphere, more efficient than solar energy, work under any kinds of weather conditions. The fossil fuels are irreplaceable, create massive environmental pollution and are also causes the major factor of the global warming and the ozone layer depletion. Also the Biomass and the Geothermal are very inexpensive compare to the fossil fuels by almost 50 percent.

Concerns about the consequences of excessive global warming have made energy transition a matter of increasing interest. Carbon emissions from changing land cover and emissions of CH4 and N2O from agricultural activities are significant contributors to the excessive global warming, but emissions of CO2 from the combustion of fossil fuels remain the largest source (Vaclav 2016).

The current use of energy in the United States, especially California, is foreshadowing catastrophe in our environment. Due to high demand of fossil fuels, the air is filled with more pollution every day. In addition to, it can increase the chances of having global warming. Since fossil fuels are generated from raw materials which are easy and cheap users are becoming extremely dependent on them. The main problem with fossil energy is that the supply of fossil fuels is not continuous. However, alternative energy is continual and harmless to the environment. Biomass does not pollute the atmosphere as much as natural gas. One of the most convenient alternative energies that are currently used for minor purposes is

Biomass is the organic matter in plants which can be burned to create energy. Forms of biomass include wood, charcoal, farm crops, and different forms of waste. Some biomass can be burned directly, while others are converted to methane gas or ethanol which can be burned or used to power different things such as vehicles. Chiras states that Biomass is considered renewable, but it only is to a certain point, it cannot be used faster than it is produced to avoid depleting the resource (2016). Biomass can also be used in a variety of ways to produce energy such as burning it directly, converting it to ethanol, or converting it to natural gas. There are many pros and cons of using biomass over fossil fuels to produce energy. Biomass is great for undeveloped countries where they can’t afford other alternative energy sources because they can reduce pollution by not using fossil fuels. One of the most significant pros of biomass as it relates directly to humans everyday life is that ethanol created from biomass costs roughly 60 cents per gallon, and dropping, which means fuel for vehicles can be produced much cheaper than fuel made completely from fossil fuels (Chiras, 2016). Not only is this form of fuel cheaper, it is also cleaner and does not release as many pollutants into the atmosphere. Although biomass is relatively clean in comparison to fossil fuels, it can release many pollutants into the air such as dioxins and creosote (Chiras, 2016). Biomass can also lead to an