Main knowledge bank page | Recent additions | Recent changes | What links here | Categories | Category cloud
How-to guides | Organisation profiles | Project profiles
 

edit this page

Biomass

Authors / contributers wanted! Do you have knowledge or experience in this topic? If you do, please consider writing something for this page...

What is biomass?

Biomass is a rather simple term for all organic material that come from plants (including algae), trees, and crops. Biomass sources are therefore diverse, including organic waste streams, agricultural and forestry residues, as well as crops grown to produce heat, fuels, and electricity (energy plantations).

Bioenergy resources can be broadly classified into three categories:
  1. residues and wastes,
  2. purpose-grown energy crops, and
  3. natural vegetation.

Global production of biomass residues, including by-products of food, fiber, and forest production, exceeds 110 EJ/year, perhaps 10 percent of which is used for energy (Hall et al., 1993). Residues concentrated at industrial sites (e.g., sugarcane bagasse, and sawdust) are currently the largest commercially used biomass source.

Biomass is a renewable energy source with major advantages compared to fossil fuels and other renewable energy sources to provide energy services, improve rural livelihoods, increase welfare and reduce poverty.

Related topics


External links and references

Contributors

User:Grant Ballard-Tremeer 27 September 2003

Comments / Questions on this page



edit this page

Page created: 27 September 2003; Last edited: 15 October 2003; Version: 0
Knowledge Bank text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.

Pagename: Biomass @HEDON: UEAA