Energy Sources Of Renewable Biomass

Pyrolysis is also the precursor process to gasification, in which synthetic natural gas (syngas) is made. The products of pyrolysis can also be used directly as combustion fuel on their own or used as chemical feedstock in other processes. This review will focus specifically on the study of pyrolysis reactions using wooden particles in the thermally thick transport regime.

Since the industrial age, fossil fuels have been used as a source of energy and power. The fossil fuels are used and converted into coal, oils, and gasses. The products of fossil fuels are mostly Carbon, which is harmful to the environment, leading to global warming and climate change, and O-zone destruction. These conditions cause global temperature increase, ocean acidification, rising sea-levels, health problems due to pollution, and the destruction of ecosystems (climate.nasa.gov). Considering these issues, alternative energy sources are something that can be used to help combat harmful fossil fuels and lessen humanity’s Carbon footprint (the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a person, group, etc.).

and pumping water. It gave farmers a constant power source no matter the time of year, without having

Alternative energy can be defined as Energy, as solar, wind, or nuclear energy, that can replace or supplement traditional fossil-fuel sources, such as coal, oil, and natural gas. When thinking about alternative energy sources we generally focus on the main types: nuclear, solar, wind, and hydroelectric. These are things that mainly do not cause pollution and are very environmentally friendly (Alternative Energy). Alternative energy is thought to be renewable and “free.” Biomass Energy, Wind Energy, Solar Energy, Geothermal Energy, and Hydroelectric Energy all have very low carbon emissions compared to the conventional energy sources (Alternative Energy). With using the alternative energy route instead of conventional energy sources, we can help to keep this earth going for a very long time.

The public perception of forest biomass utilization for energy production faces significant concerns in regard to the sustainability of local forests. Community participation and input is critical in addressing citizen’s concerns and priorities when developing a local energy plan. Greater opportunities for public engagement in the energy planning and policy making processes allow for more innovative and publicly supported uses of forest woody biomass. Since wood bioenergy is typically grown in proximity to where it is used, community members may be more aware of their energy source and thus, more cognizant of how they use it. With more communities working toward self-sufficiency through diverse economies, locally grown food, and thriving infrastructure, locally produced energy can provide yet another way for communities to be self-reliant (NACD, 2012). Competition for wood within a region is an important factor when considering a wood-using facility. This is particularly an issue for existing small-diameter wood-using industries such as pulp and paper companies. From an economic perspective, however, an increase in competition should drive the price of wood higher, which could encourage more forest landowners to plant trees for future feedstock needs. And while woody biomass is a new and potentially revolutionary forestry product, there are many additional uses and benefits of forests, including recreation, timber, paper production, and wildlife habitat. Communities must

During the course of history, this country has been seeking new forms of energy that will provide clean energy and also preserve Earth 's lifespan. The use of renewable and non-renewable resources has been a major controversy throughout history; renewable energy such as wind power has been the main focus of this issue. Many would believe wind energy is the best renewable power source because it is the cleanest and most efficient, whereas, others view wind energy as a time bomb that will soon destroy the planet. Alternative energy sources should replace non-renewable energy with wind energy.

Combustion — convert forestry, agricultural and municipal residues into heat and power under environmentally sound conditions

For many years the world has depended on one form of energy for transportation, and that is fossil fuels. This means as our demand for these fossil fuels increases our supply will decrease dramatically. As supply dwindles and costs rise, nations will be forced to utilize alternative energy sources. Coal, both non-renewable and environmentally destructive, is the most likely near-term candidate for replacing oil as a primary energy source. In order to achieve a secure and stable energy supply that does not cause environmental damage, renewable energy sources must be explored and promising technologies should be developed. Biodiesel derived from green algae biomass has the potential for high volume, cost effective production. It can be carbon neutral and produced intensively on relatively small areas of marginal land. The quality of the fuel product is comparable to petroleum diesel and can be incorporated with minimal change into the existing fuel infrastructure. Innovative techniques, including the use of industrial and domestic waste as fertilizer, could be applied to further increase biodiesel productivity. There is now research going into renewable resources to replace these harmful fossil fuels. One of the newest and most innovative of these resources is algal biofuel. (Olds, 2006). Also known as algae biofuel, and oilgae, “the majority of algae are photosynthetic so water, carbon-dioxide, light, and minerals are necessary for growth (Olds, 2006).”

“In United States around half of million deaths each year are attributed to air pollution. It is estimated that air pollution each day kills three people in the city of Hong Kong. Air pollution also contributes to soil and water pollution. More than 15,000 people in the world die each day because of water pollution” (pollutionfacts.com). With these statistics, it is no wonder people are coming up with alternative energy sources. From energy to gasoline, there are many different ways to reduce these statistics. Some alternatives to energy sources are solar and wind power, alternative vehicle fuels and hybrid cars.

Biofuel is Fuel produced from renewable resources, especially plant biomass, vegetable oils, and treated municipal and industrial wastes. Every time we drive in a vehicle we are using nonrenewable resources that are bad for the environment. Using gasoline or diesel release chemicals called green house gasses into the environment. Because of theses harmful chemicals people have started to use biofuels. There are two types of biofuels, ethanol and biodiesel. Biofuel is Fuel produced from renewable resources, especially plant biomass, vegetable oils, and treated municipal and industrial wastes.

Sugar based biomass: Biomass that is derived from crops such as sugarcane or sugar beet. Starch based biomass: Biomass that is sourced from crops such as corn or wheat. Lignocellulosic biomass: Also known as plant residue and is derived from woody waste such as sugarcane bagasse, corn Stover and wheat straw i.e. non-edible parts of the plant. It is composed of mainly cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. (4)

The world today is a place of rapid progress and scientific advancement, which has been going strong for the last few decades. This period will gradually begin to slow down and eventually stop altogether because the world will, quite literally, run out of fuel. Right now, the majority of all the energy used in the day-to-day lives and operations of the entire world population are nonrenewable. This energy is created from the fossil fuels: coal, petroleum and natural gas. Fossil fuels are still cheap and high in supply, but the rate at which we are consuming them, which is only expected to increase, vastly exceeds the rate at which they regenerate. This creates the aforementioned problem of mankind running out of the required natural resources to fuel its own energy demands. The only solution to this problem that is possible, is to begin placing more influence renewable sources of energy and doing so as soon as possible. Renewable energy sources include solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal power. Each of these are insignificant alone, but as a group they become a viable alternative to nonrenewable energy sources. Together, they have the potential to replace the fossil fuels as our primary provider of energy. Although there are many that argue against the use of renewable energy it is vital that the United States government makes the implementation and widespread use of renewable energy sources mandatory.

Biofuels, derived from living organisms rather than petroleum-laden rock, are the focus of current energy research. The need for biofuels and alternative sources of energy will be necessary as the earth’s resources begin to diminish. In cohesion with this concern, the current uses of fossil fuels are a concern as the environment pays an incredible toll for our overuse of this resource. Many have attempted to replace petroleum fuel with the first generation biofuels would require diverting farmland and crops for biofuel production, causing economic and ethical problems and competing with world food supply (Zhang et. al., 2011). The production of these biofuels have a negative effect on the environment, as a backdrop of rising crude oil prices, depletion of resources, and political instability in producing countries, only biomass has the potential to replace the supply of an energy hungry civilization (Antoni et. al., 2007). This is proof that it is crucial to begin to create biofuels that have a lesser negative impact that can sustain the energy demands that we have today. Currently, as seen in the table, microbes have been proven to produce ethanol, biodiesel and hydrogen, which are all sources that can be used for producing renewable fuels. Due to their limited demands on the environment they prove to be an excellent candidate for a successful biofuel.

In the past decades, there has been an important argument regarding energy and its sources. Energy resources are classified into two groups: renewable and non-renewable. Although renewable sources have not yet been exploited to their maximum, their use has been increasing since the 1960’s. The main renewable energy sources are Wind, Geothermal, and Solar energy. Contrary to renewable sources, non-renewable sources lead in the production of electricity and other forms of energy. For non-renewable sources, Fossil fuel and Coal are the main producers of energy in many parts of the world, followed by the Nuclear energy that has increased in its used and production in the past decades. Solar and nuclear energy are possible suitors in the task

To produce low-ash, high Btu briquettes form coal fine and timber wastes research works were done in the University of Kentucky. More than 70 million tons of coal fines are dumped at the abandoned site near the Appalachian coal fields. Combining the coal fine with the wastes from nearby timber industries briquettes were made and tested for various parameters. It was concluded that the briquettes were of premium quality and that offers near term practical solutions to generate green energy utilizing existing equipments [1]. There are works going on in designing energy management methods in biomass applications, as at least 15% of energy is wasted in drying the biomass before using in boilers or any other heating system. The typical moisture content of biomass varies from 50% to 63% by weight in most of the situations including the seasons and types of biomass. A low initial moisture level could utilize most of the energy released during combustion and it will make larger boiler unnecessary. Utilizing exhaust gases to preheat the input biomass to a lower level of moisture can conserve the energy significantly [3]. Though briquetting of biomass as a green fuel is a necessary solution, the primary importance of any biomass should be for feeding animals. In Mexico the excesses residues of corn, sugarcane, sorghum and wheat are briquetted and sent to livestock growing regions to handle dry seasons. There were other advantages like homogeneous