WHAT IS BIOMASS?

Biomass is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms. In the context of
biomass for energy this often used to mean plant based material, but biomass can equally apply to
both animal and vegetable derived material.

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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BIOMASS AND FOSSIL FUELS

Biomass takes carbon out of the atmosphere while it is growing, and returns are as it is burned. If it
is managed on a sustainable basis, biomass is harvested a part of a constantly replenished crop. This
is either during woodland or arboricultural management or cropping or as part of a continuous
programmer of replanting with the new growth taking up co2 from the atmosphere at the same
time as it is released by combustion of previous harvest.

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BIOMASS SOURCES

Biomass Feedstocks

Biomass feedstocks include dedicated energy crops, agricultural crop residues, forestry residues,
algae, wood processing residues, municipal waste, and wet waste (crop wastes, forest residues,
purpose-grown grasses, woody energy crops, algae, industrial wastes, sorted municipal solid waste
[MSW], urban wood waste, and food waste).

Dedicated Energy Crops

Dedicated energy crops are non-food crops that can be grown on marginal land (land not suitable for
traditional crops like corn and soybeans) specifically to provide biomass. These break down into two
general categories: herbaceous and woody. Herbaceous energy crops are perennial (plants that live
for more than 2 years) grasses that are harvested annually after taking 2 to 3 years to reach full
productivity. These include switchgrass, miscanthus, bamboo, sweet sorghum, tall fescue, kochia,
wheatgrass, and others. Short-rotation woody crops are fast-growing hardwood trees that are
harvested within 5 to 8 years of planting. These include hybrid poplar, hybrid willow, silver maple,
eastern cottonwood, green ash, black walnut, sweetgum, and sycamore. Many of these species can
help improve water and soil quality, improve wildlife habitat relative to annual crops, diversify
sources of income, and improve overall farm productivity.

Forestry Residues

Forest biomass feedstocks fall into one of two categories: forest residues left after logging timber
(including limbs, tops, and culled trees and tree components that would be otherwise
unmerchantable) or whole-tree biomass harvested explicitly for biomass. Dead, diseased, poorly
formed, and other unmerchantable trees are often left in the woods following timber harvest. This
woody debris can be collected for use in bioenergy, while leaving enough behind to provide habitat
and maintain proper nutrient and hydrologic features. There are also opportunities to make use of
excess biomass on millions of acres of forests. Harvesting excessive woody biomass can reduce the
risk of fire and pests, as well as aid in forest restoration, productivity, vitality, and resilience. This
biomass could be harvested for bioenergy without negatively impacting the health and stability of
forest ecological structure and function.

Wet Waste

Wet waste feedstocks include commercial, institutional, and residential food wastes (particularly
those currently disposed of in landfills); organic-rich biosolids (i.e., treated sewage sludge from
municipal wastewater); manure slurries from concentrated livestock operations; organic wastes
from industrial operations; and biogas (the gaseous product of the decomposition of organic matter
in the absence of oxygen) derived from any of the above feedstock streams. Transforming these
“waste streams” into energy can help create additional revenue for rural economies and solve
waste-disposal problems

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ENERGY CONTENT OF BIOMASS

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Energy-content-of-various-biomass_tbl3_337605545

The heating value of any fuel is defined as the amount of energy that is released after combustion of
the fuel. Higher heating values result in better quality of the fuel during the combustion process, and
as a consequence, the thermal efficiency is also improved. Biodiesel has a lower heat of combustion
as compared to conventional petroleum-based diesel. The lower heat value can be calculated with
the help of data obtained from the high heat value. A lower heating value of combustion results in a
lower amount of net heat released, lower break thermal efficiency

The energy content of biomass

The calorific value of a fuel is usually expressed as Higher Heating Value (HHV) and/or Lower Heating
Value (LHV). The difference is caused by the heat of evaporation of the water formed from the
hydrogen in the material and the moisture. Note that the difference between the two heating values
depends on the chemical composition of the fuel. The HHV correspond to the maximum potential
energy released during complete oxidation of a unit of fuel. It includes the thermal energy
recaptured by condensing and cooling all products of combustion. The LHV was created in the late
1800s when it became obvious that condensation of water vapour or sulfur oxide in smoke stacks
lead to corrosion and destruction of exhaust systems. As it was technically impossible to condense
flue gases of sulfur-rich coal, the heat below 150°C was considered of no practical use and therefore
excluded from energy considerations. The most important property of biomass feedstocks with
regard to combustion – and to the other thermo-chemical processes – is the moisture content,
which influences the energy content of the fuel. The figure below shows the evolution of the lower
heating value (LHV, in MJ/kg) of wood as a function of the moisture content.

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CONVERSION TECHNOLOGIES

Combustion

Combustion was one of the first advanced uses of biomass conversion. Combustion is an exothermic
(heat-producing) reaction between oxygen and the hydrocarbon in biomass. The biomass is
converted into heat, water, and carbon dioxide. Biomass combustion remains a major source of
energy production throughout the world and has replaced coal as a renewable source of energy in
many power plants.

The advantages of combustion include the extreme simplicity of process operation: burning. Since
biomass combustion is discouraged or banned in certain regions due to the release of polluting
contaminations, gasification and other processes may be favored due to lower concentrations of
CO2, SO2, NOx and solid waste in the end products, in addition to ease of fuel transport and flexibility
in applications (gas, liquid, chemical production).

Gasification

Gasification is defined as a high-temperature conversion of carbonaceous materials into a

combustible gas mixture under reducing conditions. Through gasification, a heterogeneous solid
material can be converted into gaseous fuels intermediate (producer gas and syngas) that can be
used for heating, industrial processes, electricity generation, and liquid fuel production.
• Producer gas – a low heating value gas mixture of CO2, H2, CO, CH4, N produced from
gasification feedstocks in air.
• Synthesis gas – a gas mixture of predominantly CO and H2 produced from gasification
feedstocks in oxygen and steam followed by gas separation to remove CO2. This H2 rich
mixture was developed for the synthesis of fuels and chemicals.

Gasification of biomass has four key steps:

1. Heating & Drying – to reduce the moisture content from 10-50% to bone dry. The analysis of
the energy to heat and dry the feedstock must be balanced against the chemical makeup of
the products produced that are affected by the moisture. Higher moisture will result in
higher CO2 and H20 in the final mixture, while lower moisture results in higher CO, H2, and
CH4.
2. Pyrolysis – is the rapid thermal decomposition of biomass in the absence of oxygen. Starting
at 300 - 500oC, the process is accompanied by the release of volatiles, including producer
water, which is a chemical compound produced from the reaction of the elements within
the biomass, not the moisture, and permanent gases (CO, CO2, H2), which are gases that do
not condense when cooling. Pyrolysis converts about 70-90% of biomass to vapors and
gases, which is double the proportion converted in coal.
3. Gas Solid Reactions – after pyrolysis, chemical reactions continue to occur between char and
the surrounding gas, typically when carbon and O2, CO2, H2O, and H2 react to form CO, 2CO,
H2+CO, and CH4.
4. Gas Phase Reactions – the volatiles released in pyrolysis continue to react in gas phase
reactions where CO reacts with H2O to form H2 + CO and CH4 + H2O.
The catalyst required for gasification typically consists of air, oxygen, steam, or a mixture of those
three. The key benefits of using biomass as an energy source include the fact that the components,
when released, do not constitute a net contribution back into the atmosphere as well as the
reduction on the dependence of non-renewable or imported fuel sources.

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Gasification.

High temperatures and a controlled environment leads to virtually all the raw material being
converted to gas. This takes place in two stages. In the first stage, the biomass is partially combusted
to form producer gas and charcoal. In the second stage, the C02 and H2O produced in the first stage
is chemically reduced by the charcoal, forming CO and H2. The composition of the gas is 18 to 20%
H2, an equal portion of CO, 2 to 3% CH4, 8 to 10% CO2, and the rest nitrogen. {Makunda, 1992}.
These stages are spatially separated in the gasifier, with gasifier design very much dependant on the
feedstock characteristics.
Gasification requires temperatures of about 800°C and is carried out in closed top or open top
gasifiers. These gasifiers can be operated at atmospheric pressure or higher. The energy density of
the gas is generally less than 5.6 MJ/m3, which is low in comparison to natural gas at 38
MJ/m3 {WEC, 1992}, providing only 60% the power rating of diesel when used in a modified diesel
engine {Makunda, 1992}.

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Anaerobic Digestion

Anaerobic digestion is a multi-benefit, flexible technology suitable for energy production from
agricultural residues and other biodegradable wastes [53]. It is a feasible option for producing
renewable energy for both industrial and domestic use [68]. In anaerobic digestion, high-moisture
content (85–90%) biomass is converted by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen to produce a
mixture of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane-rich gas (biogas), and traces of other gases such
as hydrogen sulphide [54]. The by-product or nutrient rich digestate from anaerobic digestion can
serve as fertilizer for agriculture. Biogas produced from anaerobic digestion has an energy content
that is about 20–40% of the lower heating value of the biomass feedstock [54].
In the modern pursuit for clean energy, anaerobic digestion has been investigated
for biogas production and for recycling of CO2 in flue gas [28,68]. Third and fourth generation
biomass feedstock, algae, have the capacity to produce methane (biogas) and recycle nutrients by
direct use of anaerobic digestion [28]. At present, anaerobic digestion is employed primarily on
agricultural residues, animal waste and other wastes in Nigeria for fertilizer and biogas production.

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digestion#:~:text=In%20anaerobic%20digestion%2C%20high%2Dmoisture,as%20hydrogen%20sulphi
de%20%5B54%5D.

For biomass with high moisture content, anaerobic digestion (AD) is a crucial biochemical
conversion strategy. The steps and mechanism behind the anaerobic digestion of biomass are
illustrated in Fig. 4. Biogas along with certain undesirable gases such as H2S is produced from the
organic materials present in the biomass. The anaerobic digestion process is advantageous in terms
of reducing biomass odor, emission of harmful gases, oxygen demand, and production of valuable
by-products such as fertilizer and manure. However, the installation cost and the time required for
operation and maintenance are regarded as concerns among the farmers (Raheem et al.,
2018; Hossain, 2019).

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What is biogas?

Biogas is an environmentally-friendly, renewable energy source produced by the breakdown of

organic matter such as food scraps and animal waste. Find out how biogas is produced and and how
it can be used to fuel vehicles, heat our homes and to generate electricity.

How is biogas produced?

Biogas a renewable fuel that's produced when organic matter, such as food or animal waste, is
broken down by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen. This process is called anaerobic digestion.
For this to take place, the waste material needs to be enclosed in an environment where there is no
oxygen.
Biogas can occur naturally or as part of an industrial process to intentionally create it as a fuel.

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What is biofuel?

Biofuel refers to a fuel made from materials derived from living organisms harvested within the last
10 years. It is considered renewable as it does not result in a net increase of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere when burned.

The fuel produced by biomass through conversion process is called biofuel. Hence, biofuel is
considered any hydrocarbon fuel that is produced from organic matter living or once living material
in a short period of time (days, weeks, or even months). Biofuels can be considered upon as a way of
energy security which stands as a substitute of fossil fuels that are limited in availability, as well as
environmental-friendly fuel, since biomass is considered a carbon-neutral or greenhouse gas neutral
(GHG neutral) fuel

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biofuel, any fuel that is derived from biomass—that is, plant or algae material or animal waste. Since
such feedstock material can be replenished readily, biofuel is considered to be a source
of renewable energy, unlike fossil fuels such as petroleum, coal, and natural gas. Biofuel is
commonly advocated as a cost-effective and environmentally benign alternative to petroleum and
other fossil fuels, particularly within the context of rising petroleum prices and increased concern
over the contributions made by fossil fuels to global warming. Many critics express concerns about
the scope of the expansion of certain biofuels because of the economic and environmental costs
associated with the refining process and the potential removal of vast areas of arable land from food
production.

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The term biofuels usually applies to liquid fuels and blending components produced from biomass
materials called feedstocks. Biofuels may also include methane produced from landfill gas and
biogas and hydrogen produced from renewable resources. Most biofuels are used as transportation
fuels, but they may also be used for heating and electricity generation. Fuels produced from biomass
may meet the requirements for government programs that promote or require biofuel use.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) publishes data on four major categories of biofuels
that qualify for the federal RFS Program:1
• Ethanol—an alcohol fuel blended with petroleum gasoline for vehicles; accounted for the
largest share of U.S. biofuel production (82%) and of consumption (75%) in 2022
• Biodiesel—a biofuel usually blended with petroleum diesel for consumption; accounted for
the second-largest share of U.S. biofuel production (9%) and of consumption (9%) in 2022
• Renewable diesel—a fuel chemically similar to petroleum diesel fuel used as a drop-in fuel
or a petroleum diesel blend; percentage share of total U.S. biofuel production was about 8%
and for consumption about 9% in 2022
• Other biofuels—include renewable heating oil, renewable jet fuel (sustainable aviation fuel,
alternative jet fuel, and biojet), renewable naphtha, renewable gasoline, and other emerging
biofuels that are in various stages of development and commercialization

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Environmental Impacts

Using biomass and biofuels made from biomass has positive and negative effects on the
environment. One benefit is that biomass and biofuels are alternative energy sources to fossil fuels.
Burning fossil fuels and biomass releases carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas. However, the
source plants for biomass capture almost as much CO2 through photosynthesis as biomass releases
when burned, which makes biomass a carbon-neutral energy source.1

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