Biomass

“Biomass is organic material made from plants and animals. Biomass contains stored energy from the sun. Plants absorb the sun's energy in a process called photosynthesis. The chemical energy in plants gets passed on to animals and people that eat them. Biomass is a renewable energy source because we can always grow more trees and crops, and waste will always exist. Some examples of biomass fuels are wood, crops, manure, and some garbage.”

-Environmental Information Administration (EIA)

When biomass is burned, the chemical energy stored in the substance is released as heat. People who heat their homes with wood, are burning biomass. Electricity can be produced through burning wood or even garbage. Biomass can be converted to other usable forms of energy like methane gas or transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel. Methane gas is a natural gas; it is released from a variety of things such as garbage, both human and agricultural waste and rice paddies.

Overall, biomass produces a total of 3% of all the energy used in the United States. Wood and wood waste provide about 2% of the total energy in the U.S. By increasing the amount of biomass used for energy, it can help reduce independence on fossil fuels.

Wood Chips

The most common type of biomass is wood; it has been used as a fuel sources for thousands of years. Today, 84% of the wood and wood waste fuel used in the United States is consumed by industry such as electric power producers and commercial businesses. Another large biomass source is garbage, which is also known as municipal solid waste (MSW), this excludes glass, plastic and metal. MSW is used in waste-to-energy power plants where garbage is incinerated producing steam that can be used to either heat buildings or generate electricity.

Biomass is especially important because it is the key ingredient in both ethanol and biodiesel production.

For more information on biomass visit the EIA webpage found HERE.

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Biomass “Biomass is organic material made from plants and animals. Biomass contains stored energy from the sun. Plants absorb the sun's energy in a process called photosynthesis. The chemical energy in plants gets passed on to animals and people that eat them. Biomass is a renewable energy source because we can always grow more trees and crops, and waste will always exist. Some examples of biomass fuels are wood, crops, manure, and some garbage.” -Environmental Information Administration (EIA) When biomass is burned, the chemical energy stored in the substance is released as heat. People who heat their homes with wood, are burning biomass. Electricity can be produced through burning wood or even garbage. Biomass can be converted to other usable forms of energy like methane gas or transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel. Methane gas is a natural gas; it is released from a variety of things such as garbage, both human and agricultural waste and rice paddies. Overall, biomass produces a total of 3% of all the energy used in the United States. Wood and wood waste provide about 2% of the total energy in the U.S. By increasing the amount of biomass used for energy, it can help reduce independence on fossil fuels. The most common type of biomass is wood; it has been used as a fuel sources for thousands of years. Today, 84% of the wood and wood waste fuel used in the United States is consumed by industry such as electric power producers and commercial businesses. Another large biomass source is garbage, which is also known as municipal solid waste (MSW), this excludes glass, plastic and metal. MSW is used in waste-to-energy power plants where garbage is incinerated producing steam that can be used to either heat buildings or generate electricity. Biomass is especially important because it is the key ingredient in both ethanol and biodiesel production. For more information on biomass visit the EIA webpage found HERE.