ENPH 210

SPRING 2004

BIOMASS ENERGY

RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES: AN OVERVIEW

BIOMASS ENERGY

FOSSIL FUELS

NUCLEAR

GEOTHERMAL

SOLAR

WIND

HOME

What is Biomass Energy?

-Also known as BIOENERGY

-Biomass energy is energy from organic matter such as wood, plants, residues from agriculture and forestry, organic components from municipal and industrial waster, wastes of all sorts, it could even be methane gas which is expelled from landfills.

-Energy is generated from the Carbon Cycle

-Green plants use photosynthesis to trap carbon dioxide using the energy from light. This generates biomass...

-meets 14% of worlds energy needs

-meets 3% of U.S. energy needs

-there are biomass furnace, boiler, systems and systems components

suppliers stationed throughout all of the U.S.

Wood is the number one biomass resource throughout the world...

- Hundreds of U.S. power plants use biomass resources to generate about 65 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. The wood and paper products industries generate and use about two-thirds of this power. Solid wastes from cities fuel most of the remaining biopower plants, providing enough electricity to meet the needs of nearly 7 million Americans.

Kymi Mill, Finland

www.industcards.com/ st-other-eur-biomass.htm

Biomass can be used in many differents ways
1)Biofuels-Converting biomass into liquid fuels for transportation

2) Biopower-Burning biomass directly, or converting it into a gaseous fuel or oil, to generate electricity.

3) Bioproducts-
Converting biomass into chemicals for making products that typically are made from petroleum.

(http://www.nrel.gov/clean_energy/bioenergy.html)

Positives of Biomass Energy:

-has the potential to greatly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions

because as long as the plants continue to be replenished or regrown

-they will take CO2 out of the air (often times "bioenergy feedstocks" are used.

these are fast growing trees and plants that continue to replenish

the atmosphere with oxygen)

-reduce dependence on foreign oil (usage of ethanol)

--plants would create jobs

Negatives of Biomass Energy:

- We don't know exactly how much farm land would be required to grow all of these biomass products, but it would be a lot more than we have now

-decrease and loss of biodiversity

MAJOR ISSUE: Land Resources

-With our ever increasing population, it will be very difficult to find new fertile land that isn't

being used for expansion of homes... bioenergy feedstocks are a good idea but hard to impliment

because of a lack of space....

INNOVATIONS:

Recent Development: "Researchers are investigating technologies for making ethanol from the cellulose (fiber) component in biomass, like municipal solid wastes and agricultural residues left in the field after harvest. This type of ethanol is called bioethanol. Bioethanol reduces exhaust emissions from carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. In addition, by displacing gasoline components such as sulfur, bioethanol helps reduce the emissions of toxic effluents from automobiles. "

http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumerinfo/refbriefs/nb2.html

SOURCES: http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumerinfo/refbriefs/nb2.html
www.mncorn.org/servlet/ mcga/Resource.iml
www.pnl.gov/breakthroughs/ win-spr02/business.html
http://www.umweltfondsvergleich.de/fp/archiv/fondsportraits/images/biopower.jpg
http://www.nrel.gov/clean_energy/bioenergy.html
http://calvin.biotech.wisc.edu/jeffries/

ENPH 210 SPRING 2004 BIOMASS ENERGY	RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES: AN OVERVIEW BIOMASS ENERGY
FOSSIL FUELS NUCLEAR GEOTHERMAL SOLAR WIND HOME	What is Biomass Energy? -Also known as BIOENERGY -Biomass energy is energy from organic matter such as wood, plants, residues from agriculture and forestry, organic components from municipal and industrial waster, wastes of all sorts, it could even be methane gas which is expelled from landfills. -Energy is generated from the Carbon Cycle -Green plants use photosynthesis to trap carbon dioxide using the energy from light. This generates biomass... -meets 14% of worlds energy needs -meets 3% of U.S. energy needs -there are biomass furnace, boiler, systems and systems components suppliers stationed throughout all of the U.S.
	Wood is the number one biomass resource throughout the world...	- Hundreds of U.S. power plants use biomass resources to generate about 65 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. The wood and paper products industries generate and use about two-thirds of this power. Solid wastes from cities fuel most of the remaining biopower plants, providing enough electricity to meet the needs of nearly 7 million Americans. Kymi Mill, Finland www.industcards.com/ st-other-eur-biomass.htm
	Biomass can be used in many differents ways 1)Biofuels-Converting biomass into liquid fuels for transportation 2) Biopower-Burning biomass directly, or converting it into a gaseous fuel or oil, to generate electricity. 3) Bioproducts- Converting biomass into chemicals for making products that typically are made from petroleum. (http://www.nrel.gov/clean_energy/bioenergy.html)
	Positives of Biomass Energy: -has the potential to greatly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions because as long as the plants continue to be replenished or regrown -they will take CO2 out of the air (often times "bioenergy feedstocks" are used. these are fast growing trees and plants that continue to replenish the atmosphere with oxygen) -reduce dependence on foreign oil (usage of ethanol) --plants would create jobs	Negatives of Biomass Energy: - We don't know exactly how much farm land would be required to grow all of these biomass products, but it would be a lot more than we have now -decrease and loss of biodiversity
	MAJOR ISSUE: Land Resources -With our ever increasing population, it will be very difficult to find new fertile land that isn't being used for expansion of homes... bioenergy feedstocks are a good idea but hard to impliment because of a lack of space....
	INNOVATIONS: Recent Development: "Researchers are investigating technologies for making ethanol from the cellulose (fiber) component in biomass, like municipal solid wastes and agricultural residues left in the field after harvest. This type of ethanol is called bioethanol. Bioethanol reduces exhaust emissions from carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. In addition, by displacing gasoline components such as sulfur, bioethanol helps reduce the emissions of toxic effluents from automobiles. " http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumerinfo/refbriefs/nb2.html SOURCES: http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumerinfo/refbriefs/nb2.html www.mncorn.org/servlet/ mcga/Resource.iml www.pnl.gov/breakthroughs/ win-spr02/business.html http://www.umweltfondsvergleich.de/fp/archiv/fondsportraits/images/biopower.jpg http://www.nrel.gov/clean_energy/bioenergy.html http://calvin.biotech.wisc.edu/jeffries/