Plant Biomass : A Source Of Energy

When it comes to biomass energy, the main disadvantages are that it does not produce enough energy as compared to fossil fuels. It is harmful to the environment. Using animal and human waste to power engines may save on carbon dioxide emissions, but it increases methane gases, which are also harmful to the Earth’s— ozone layer. (Conserve-Energy-Future, 2013).

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.

This report extensively analyses the production and breakdown of Ethanols, to assess its properties and their relation to being a fuel. The use of Ethanol as reliable source of renewable energy and its current effects on society. The potential use of ethanol as an alternative to coal and fossil fuels, the advantages and disadvantages of Ethanol.

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,

This is a huge problem in our society at the moment as even though methane only makes up around 16% of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as shown by Figure 2 (EPA, 2017), according to a study done by Princeton University, it is around 30 times stronger than CO2 at trapping heat in the earth’s atmosphere (ScienceDaily, 2014). There are many natural sources of methane such as anaerobic bacterial decomposition of vegetable matter in places such as wetlands as well as being produced by volcanoes, vents in the sea floor and trapped in permafrost and being released when this ice melts. Even though there are an abundance of natural sources of methane on earth, the huge increases in methane over the last century have been caused by less natural sources such as the combustion of natural gas and coal, biomass burning, farming of livestock, and waste management (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2017). This topic was chosen because managing your own waste is one of the easiest and most effective ways of reducing how much methane is released into the atmosphere and as shown by Reucassel during the ‘War on Waste’ series, it is very simple to find other uses for these food scraps that don’t involve sending them to

Many people have been contemplating about which energy source would be the best to use, but a proper decision hasn't been made. Every energy source has their own benefits which contribute to a healthier environment, but with every benefit, there is a drawback. Not every single energy source is available everywhere. Solar panels would be inefficient in a constantly cloudy area, and a wind mill would be incompetent in stagnant air, as a hydroelectric dam would be incapable of anything in a desert. One peg couldn't sustain every peg hole at one time. Transporting the electrical energy would cost more money, which could become a disadvantage over time as the generators that transform the energy already are costly. Even though a great deal of time and effort have been put into thinking which energy source is better overall, the answer is still unknown since everything comes with it's own problems, so I have chosen the ones that I believe are more efficient with nature and costs.

Another concern in using the current methods of cooking with biomass is environmental concerns. According to Kris De Decker, “The environmental degradation caused by biomass stoves is equally problematic” (Decker). The collection and usage of biomass can cause deforestation, desertification, land degradation, soil erosion, and emissions of greenhouse gases. For example, when dung and residues are used for fuel rather than left in the fields or tilled back into fields, soil fertility is reduced and inclination to soil erosion is increased. According to National Geographic’s in the article Three Billon People Cook Over Open Fires, “the world’s billions of household’s fires are also thought to be accelerating the effects of climate change, speeding the disruption of monsoon cycles and the melting of glaciers” (Nijhuis).

The solution to this stability issue is through biomass production. Humans have relied on combustible biomass for heat and energy for as long as the existence of man. In recent years, both the U.S. and the world have shown greater interest in generating heat and energy from biomass. This includes direct firing (biomass as the sole fuel), co-firing (biomass burned with coal), cogeneration (heat from burned biomass captured to produce more energy), and gasification (gas captured from heated biomass and then burned). The U.S. is one of the global leaders in export of wood pellets for energy use. In addition, crop residue, grasses, and many kinds of waste materials are increasingly pelletized by the United States for energy. Biodiversity has declined significantly as the grasslands of the Prairie Pothole Region have been lost to other uses. This resurgence of bioenergy interest in the Prairie Pothole Region, and potential to produce energy crops on productive cropland, combine to offer opportunity to produce both biomass and contribute

Around the world, populations have continued to increase their use of fossil fuels which has made a great contribution to global climate change. “The continuing combustion of fossil fuels since the industrial revolution has contributed more than 75% of the carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas, to the atmosphere, with the remainder due to intentional cropland and rainforest burning” (Diaz, 2006). For over 150 years we have continued this harmful use of fossil fuels and slowly we are

Erosion and deforestation are the result from harvesting wood for cooking fuel. The most important goal of most improved cooking stoves (chulha) is to reduce the pressure placed on local forests by reducing the amounts of stoves

Industrial scale biomass production is now readily being grown after an increased popularity for biofuels. Biomass is now being grown from numerous types of plants sources, including sugarcane, grasses, switchgrass, hemp, corn, pine, bluegum, poplar, willow, and sorghum. There is little difference in the source that the energy is extracted from.

4 Millennium Development Goals (MDG) is eight goals to be accomplished by 2015 that relates to the world’s main development challengers (United Nations, 2000). Implementation of improved biomass stoves like Save80 Stove in Nepal is a crucial factor to obtain the MDGs. The use of energy sufficient and cleaner stoves helps on achieving MDG such as environmental sustainability; improve maternal health and eradication of extreme poverty and hunger from improving health conditions and reducing the cost associated with the energy for

MAYBE—Difficult and technical--Mill and Logging Residue Activity: Youth will do calculations associated with forest biomass and wood wastes and the transportation of those items. Access http://www.biosat.net/index.html and click on the Guided Assessment tab. Select Forest for biomass type and work with youth to answer mill residue questions on the related handout.

Fossil Fuels have been a point of concern among environmentalist due to its harmful effects on the environment. The potential for alternative energy has been thoroughly studied concerning the use of forest biomass. Replacing fuels with biomass could reduce our foreign dependence on petroleum and minimize CO2 emissions. When considering the benefits "forest biomass can provide a domestic energy resource, create local jobs and provide financial incentives to forest owners" Studies have shown that biomass supply "ranging from 4.2-15.1 million metric tons/yr used in the most efficient current technology, forest biomass energy would constitute 1.4-5.5% of the entire region's current energy consumption". The region's size, population and energy consumption would determine the greater or lesser benefit, which would be received by the use of biomass. The use of biomass would also create jobs around the world, due to the fact that it