BiomassThe power of using plant and animal waste to

generate energy

By Evan Schafer, Jacob Carrick, and Maggie Weaver Room 7

Introduction to Biomass

Biomass is the use of plant and animal waste to generate electrical energy.

Biomass has supplied far more renewable electricity, until recently, called biopower, which has more power than wind and solar power combined.

Biomass is low in carbon, so it is significant source of renewable energy.

Biomass has two types of reusable fuels called Ethanol and Biodiesel.

How Biomass Energy is Made

1. Plant and animal waste, wood, crops, and trees are collected together into a truck.

2. The materials are then taken to a biomass power plant.

3. The materials are then crushed and fed into a furnace where they are burned.

4. The heated materials are used to boil water.

5. Then the energy from the steam is used power turbines and generators.

Where are Biomass Materials found?

Biomass materials can be found in several different areas. Some areas include…

In the soil

In animal and plant waste

Forests

Lumberyards

Sewer systems

Equipment Needed to Collect and Make

Biomass Gasifiers

Boilers

Silos and fuel tanks

Traveling screws

Shovels

Heat exchangers

Crops, wood, or waste

Six Advantages of Using Biomass

Possibly could decrease the amount of air pollution

Can reduce the use of fossil fuels

Costs a small amount locally

Can convert waste into fuel

Is a renewable energy

Is more powerful than several other energy sources

Six Disadvantages of Using Biomass

Large areas will have to use significant amounts of biomass, causing a huge reduction in supply

Some materials aren’t available year round

Could cause a scarcity in trees

Geography limits the ways of using biomass

It takes more energy to plant and harvest the crops

Biomass collection is hard-working and difficult

Biomass Fun Facts

About a half of the renewable energy produced in the United States comes from biomass sources, such as wood and paper.

In Wisconsin and Iowa, biomass energy is being used from landfills and dairy farms.

Also in Iowa, a crop called switchgrass is being used in power plants to make electricity.

More Biomass Fun Facts

Biomass supplies 14% of the world’s energy consumption.

Biomass means natural materials.

When heating and cooking were discovered by burning wood, biomass began.

Wood was the biggest biomass energy provider in the 1800’s.

History of Biomass

Biomass has been around since man first used fire but it started to be used as an energy source around the world in the 1800’s.

In the late 1800’s, gasifiers were starting to be used with engines for power generation.

In the early 1900’s, fuel oil, wood, and coal were huge producers for biomass energy.

History of Biomass Continued…

By the mid 1900’s, electricity and natural gas were starting to become the main producers for biomass.

In the 1980’s, America began to build and use biomass power plants.

Today, over 100 countries in the world use biomass for 10.5% of total energy consumption, according to the International Energy Agency.

Where are Biomass Power Plants?

Most biomass power plants in the United States are found in California.

Also, another large biomass power plant industry is in Maine.

Around the world, many other plants are found in the Eastern Hemisphere, such as Asia and Europe.

Besides the U.S., Germany is probably one of the largest biomass industries in the world.

What’s Keeping Biomass From

Widespread Use? Workers must be hired to collect biomass

materials and the cost of paying the workers makes getting biomass materials harder.

Equipment such as trucks to collect the materials, gasifiers, and boilers cost a lot of money. This makes getting the equipment to create biomass more difficult.

They are still discovering different ways to use biomass and the best way of using this energy could still be discovered.

Bibliography

"Biomass - Pros and Cons." Biomass. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://whatabiomass.weebly.com/pros-and-cons.html>.

EIA Energy Kids -. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=biomass_home-basics>."Biomass Equipment Options for Steam and Power." Biomass Power and Thermal. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://biomassmagazine.com/articles/2470/biomass-equipment-options-for-steam-and-power>.

"Biomass Energy Basics." NREL: Learning -. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_biomass.html>.