Biomass is one of the renewable sources of energy that have become very popular as people turn to green energy sources. Biomass is derived from plant matter that is grown to produce heat or electricity. A biomass plant is a living or non-living natural matter that it used to produce electricity. Carbon is used to produce energy and this gas is primarily absorbed by plants from the atmosphere. A biomass plant uses up carbon when it is growing and then returns it back into the atmosphere when it dies. There are various biomass plant materials that can be used. These include Virgin wood, energy crops, agricultural residues, food waste and industrial co-products.
Virgin wood
Virgin wood includes wood and things like sawdust and bark that have not come into contact with any finishes and chemical treatments. This wood can be derived from different sources and this determines its chemical and physical characteristics. Virgin wood is a suitable choice for various energy applications. This material can be used to produce heat and power. It is one of the most commonly used biomass plant materials and it can be sourced from forests.
Energy crops
Energy crops are plants that are solely grown for fuel production. There are different types of energy crops including short rotation energy crops, grasses and non-woody energy crops, agricultural energy crops and aquatics. When energy crops are grown, the main focus is on maximizing the harvest to get a large amount of biomass from each hectare.
Energy crops are usually grown in areas that have limited forest cover in order to cater for biomass energy demands. The use of energy crops as a source of electricity and power has been criticized by some because it is argued that it interferes with food production. Energy crop production has also been blamed for high food costs in the world but they are the best sources of biomass after virgin wood.
Agricultural residues
Agricultural residues are also biomass plant materials and there are various sources including animal manure and slurries, arable crop residues like husks and straw, animal bedding and organic materials like silage and grass. These biomass plant materials are divided into dry residues and wet residues. Before the agricultural residues can be used to produce electricity, they have to be dried.
Food waste
Food waste is another type of biomass plant materials and this source of energy comes from individual houses, restaurants and hotels. The waste is collected during the processing, distribution and handling of food. A significant percentage of the food goes to waste and this is what is used to produce biomass energy.
Industrial co-products
Most industrial operations and processes result in waste and co-products that can be used to produce biomass fuel. These types of biomass plant materials can be categorized into non-woody materials and woody materials. The same technology that is applied to get biomass energy from virgin wood is used for industrial waste and co-products. The sources of this biomass plant material include untreated wood, laminates and wood composites and treated wood residues and wastes.
