Biological Sciences
Biomass
Biomass refers to organic materials, such as plants, wood, and agricultural waste, that can be used as a renewable energy source. It can be converted into biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, and used for heating and electricity generation. Biomass is considered a sustainable energy option because it can be replenished through natural processes.
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11 Key excerpts on "Biomass"
eBook - PDFPlant Biomass Derived Materials
Sources, Extractions, and Applications
- Seiko Jose, Sabu Thomas, Lata Samant, Sneha Sabu Mathew(Authors)
- 2024(Publication Date)
- Wiley-VCH(Publisher)
1 1 Biomass – An Environmental Concern Deepak S. Khobragade Datta Meghe College of Pharmacy, Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Sawangi (M), Wardha, India 1.1 Introduction Any biological organic matter derived from living or dead organisms can be called “Biomass.” Every type of Biomass is directly or indirectly obtained from the photo- synthesis process [1]. Thus, Biomass is a natural material with an organic matrix obtained from plants and animals [2]. It encompasses various materials, like wood, agricultural and industrial remains, and animal and human waste. Due to its range, there are substantial differences in Biomass composition, whether of industrial or domestic origin [3]. With this vast heterogeneity in the usage and origin of materials, the definition of “Biomass” varies. There is a wide range of Biomass materials that can be broadly grouped as raw or derived. Cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, starch, and proteins are some of the main elements of Biomass [4–7]. Various Biomass sources of diverse origins, like agricultural, forestry, industrial, and other sources, are presented in Table 1.1 and depicted in Figure 1.1. Biomass is now primarily used for feed, followed by food, and finally for the production of energy, fuels, and chemical feedstock. It accounts for 13% of global final energy consumption (other renewables contribute another 5%). The industrial organic chemical sector produces 550 million tonnes of chemicals and 275 million tonnes of nitrogen fertilizer, but the chemicals contain only 500 million tonnes of carbon. Furthermore, organic compounds used in organic chemistry contain approximately 100 million tonnes of carbon [8]. Currently, sugar, starch, and vegetable oil are the primary sources of biofuels and biochemicals [9]. Consumers interest and the need for replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources are driving up demand for bio-products.
eBook - PDF- Katarzyna Bulkowska, Zygmunt Mariusz Gusiatin, Ewa Klimiuk, Artur Pawlowski, Tomasz Pokoj(Authors)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
In some countries the term Biomass is used for any plant-derived organic matter available on a renewable basis, including dedicated energy crops and trees, agricultural food and feed crops, agricultural crop waste and residues, wood waste and residues, aquatic plants, animal waste and municipal waste. In other countries, the term Biomass is defined more strictly and 15 16 Biomass for biofuels pertains only to the fuels arising from agricultural and forestry sources, using a separate category, waste fuels, for the waste products of human, urban and industrial processes (Spliethoff, 2010). In the EU, the Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC) defines Biomass as the biodegradable fraction of products, waste and residues of biological origin from agriculture (including vegetal and animal substances), forestry and related industries, including fisheries and aquaculture. It also includes the biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal waste. By 2020, 20% of all energy used in the EU has to come from renewable sources, including Biomass, bioliquids and biogas (Kerolli-Mustafa et al., 2015). In the United States Biomass is termed as Biomass resource and renewable Biomass (Klass, 2004; Milbrandt et al., 2013; Santos & Falberg, 2015). A Biomass resource is (i) organic matter derived from a plant and available on a renewable basis (e.g. dedicated energy crops) and (ii) organic waste from harvesting or agriculture (e.g. animal waste, wood waste, sewage). The term renewable Biomass is very broad, divided into 8 categories: plant material from agricultural land, plant material from pasture land, non-hazardous vegetative matter from waste, animal waste and byproducts, algae and vegetative matter from evacuation by a public official, residues or byproducts of milled logs, residues from forested land (Basu, 2010). In Japan, Biomass was for the first time recognized as a new energy source in 2002 (Amano & Sedjo, 2003; Yokoyama, 2008).
- Syed Ali Ashter(Author)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- William Andrew(Publisher)
2Biomass and its sources
Abstract
Biomass is the collective term used to identify organic matter generated either in the form of waste such as solid municipal waste or from living plants such as trees, grass, and agricultural crops and residues. The composition of these organic matters will affect how they are handled and processed. For appropriate handling, the composition of these wastes has to be characterized by means of available tools such as thermogravimetric analysis, ultimate analysis, proximate analysis, and stoichiometric calculations.This chapter will focus on discussing historical development of Biomass, sources of Biomass, types of Biomass systems, handling of Biomass, advantages of Biomass, composition of Biomass, and some challenges of Biomass commercialization.Keywords
Biomass; Biomass system; Ultimate analysis; Proximate analysis; Higher heating value; Lower heating value; Stoichiometric calculations2.1 Definition
Biomass is the collective term used to identify organic matter generated either in the form of waste such as solid municipal waste or from living plants such as trees, grass, and agricultural crops and residues. The composition of these organic matters will affect how they are handled and processed. Even varietal or hybrid differences within the same crop can also influence processing characteristics [1 ,2 ].2.2 Difference between Biomass and fossil-based fuels
Fossil-based fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas have played a significant role in our day-to-day lives. In addition to producing electricity, and fuels for heating and transportation, fossil-based fuels are used in the production of industrial plastics [3
eBook - ePubDecision-Making for Biomass-Based Production Chains
The Basic Concepts and Methodologies
- Sebnem Yilmaz Balaman(Author)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Academic Press(Publisher)
Fig. 1.1 depicts the Biomass resources focused in this chapter.Figure 1.1 The classification of Biomass resources covered in this chapter.1.1.1 Dedicated Energy Crops
Until the first oil crisis of the 1970s, when a sudden rise in the price of oil led to the first push for the development of renewable energy production, energy crops have been largely ignored in favor of growing food crops to feed people and animals. After this period, many governments supported the development of novel nonfood crops for energy production in addition to food production. Interest in crop production for energy purposes is now increasing as the economics of extracting fossil fuel-based energy becomes more expensive and there is an increasing concern over energy security. In addition to volatile and increasing oil prices, numerous reports draw attention to the substantial cost to humankind of not acting to reduce the current rate of increase in greenhouse gas emissions. As the use of fossil fuels significantly contributes to climate change, the need for alternative energy sources to save carbon is placed at the top of the global agenda. However, the global population continues to grow at an alarming rate, and people both need to be fed and are consuming more energy. This raises trade-offs and questions of “Food versus Fuel,” how much land and other resources are available, what are the priorities, and how should they be divided between food and fuel production? Over the years, the large-scale production of energy crops has become a highly controversial topic, in that each crop must compete for arable farmland for food purposes, and as to whether or not it is sustainable or viable to use such large areas of farmland and forests, to produce dedicated energy crops, has been the subject of much debate. These questions should be answered and trade-offs should be considered while designing and managing Biomass-based production systems and supply chains, especially in planning the land-use for energy crop production.
eBook - PDF- Frank R. Spellman(Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
Energy Consumption by Energy Source , Environmental Investigation Agency, Washington, D.C., 2007 (http://www.eia. doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/trends/table1.html). 167 Biomass/Bioenergy Biomass * Biomass (all Earth’s living matter) consists of the energy from plants and plant-derived organic-based materials; it is essentially stored energy from the sun. Biomass can be biochemically processed to extract sugars, thermochemically processed to produce biofuels or biomaterials, or combusted to produce heat or electricity. Biomass is also an input into other end-use markets, such as forestry products (pulpwood) and other industrial applications. This complicates the economics of Biomass feedstock and requires that we differentiate between what is technically possible from what is eco-nomically feasible, taking into account relative prices and intermarket competition. Biomass has been used since people began burning wood to cook food and keep warm. Trees have been the principal fuel for almost every society for over 5000 years, from the Bronze Age until the middle of the 19th century (Perlin, 2005). Wood is still the largest Biomass energy resource today, but other sources of bio-mass can also be used. These include food crops, grassy and woody plants, residues from agriculture or forestry, and the organic component of municipal and industrial wastes. Even the fumes from landfills (which are methane, a natural gas) can be used as a Biomass energy source. This category excludes organic material that has been transformed by geological processes into substances such as coal or petroleum. F EEDSTOCK T YPES A variety of Biomass feedstocks can be used to produce transportation fuels, bio-based products, and power. Feedstocks refer to the crops or products, such as waste vegetable oil, that can be used as or converted into biofuels and bioenergy.
eBook - PDF- Nancy E. Carpenter(Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Chapman and Hall/CRC(Publisher)
Ultimately, Biomass is packaged solar energy primarily made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen that has been converted into cellulose, lignin, and other organic molecules by photosynthesis, and into proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and other biomolecules by other biochemical processes. The more detailed chemical composition of Biomass will be examined in Section 8.2. Where does Biomass come from? In terms of renewable energy, we tend to focus on plant matter—trees, grasses, seeds—although animal waste products (e.g., manure, municipal solid waste (MSW), and even waste animal meat) are important Biomass resources as well. Crops that are grown for the express purpose of harvest-ing for energy production are energy crops and include plants such as switchgrass, hybrid poplar, and Camelina sativa (Benemelis 2012). Residual plant waste (e.g., rice husks, nut shells, or sawdust) is also a ready supply of Biomass. 8.1.4 W HAT A RE B IOFUELS ? Biomass can be considered solar fuel —after all, it is potential energy created by photosynthesis. There are certainly other kinds of solar fuels, for example, the photosynthetic production of hydrogen covered in Chapter 5. Then there are bio-fuels , those being fuels that are derived from Biomass. Biofuels include everything from sugars and fats—simple foodstuffs that power organisms—to Biomass-derived ethanol and biodiesel. Biofuels have evolved from “first-generation” bio-fuels that compete with food production (e.g., ethanol from corn or biodiesel from soybeans) to “second-generation” biofuels that are derived from lignocellulosic Biomass (LCB). Biofuels can also be categorized by their physical properties, much like fossil fuels. Thus, lower-boiling bioalcohols include not only Biomass-derived methanol and ethanol but also biobutanol. Bio-oil is primarily obtained from the pyrolysis of Biomass; these are larger molecules that retain the characteristics of higher-boiling organic liquids, that is, oils.
eBook - PDFBioenergy: Principles and Technologies
Volume 2.1
- Zhenhong Yuan(Author)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- De Gruyter(Publisher)
Yishui Tian*, Changzhu Li, Wen Wang, Changhua Shang, Liangbo Zhang, Zhongming Wang, and Peiwang Li 2 Biomass energy resources and energy plants Biomass produced by plants through the process of photosynthesis is sustainable, and biofuels derived from Biomass are not only renewable – which can alleviate depen-dence on crude oil – but are also beneficial in reducing CO 2 emissions. Biomass is the most plentiful substance in the world, while China is the largest grain producer in the world. In 2014, China produced more than 600 million tons of grains, generating at least the same amount of residues including corn stover and rice and wheat straw, which are suitable for the production of bioenergy. 2.1 Material basis of Biomass energy Generally, the term ‘Biomass’ is used to denote organic matters produced by vari-ous living organisms or being part of the bodies of living organisms. The energy con-tained in Biomass is called Biomass energy. From the perspective of energy utilization, Biomass that can be used as an energy source belongs to Biomass energy. 2.1.1 Photosynthesis Photosynthesis is a biochemical reaction that takes place in the presence of visible light. Depending on the photosynthetic pigments, cells, plants, algae, and some bac-teria can convert water (H 2 O) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), or hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) and CO 2 into organics, while releasing oxygen (O 2 ) or sulfur (S) as a by-product. In this process, photoenergy is converted to chemical energy.
No longer available |Learn more- Guy R. Larocque(Author)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
For example, old-growth forests’ Biomass is habitat for many species that would be vulnerable if Biomass decreased (Malhi and Phillips 2004). In turn, aboveground C Biomass can be affected by species composition and hence affect biodiversity (Bunker et al. 2005). Biomass is a useful indicator for fibers, 308 Ecological Forest Management Handbook fuel, and other raw materials that humans can obtain from ecosystems, as well as the pres-ence of species and abiotic resources with potential ornamental use (de Groot et al. 2010). Given these relationships between Biomass and biodiversity, frequent and high-resolution mapping of forest Biomass and Biomass changes are crucial for conservation policies (Le Toan et al. 2011). Biomass assessments can contribute to forest management by providing information about nutrient pools in the ecosystem that can be released through decomposition. When Biomass is removed from forests through cleaning, thinning, or clearcutting, there is a sig-nificant export of nutrient from the ecosystem (Raulund-Rasmussen et al. 2008). The study of biogeochemical cycles and Biomass in forest is thus tightly linked (Schroeder et al. 1997). Biomass estimations of diverse groups of organisms can aid forest management because they reflect forest quality. For example, epiphytic lichens fix nitrogen (N) and take up other elements that are later released as leachates and litterfall and provide food resources and shelter for fauna (Esseen et al. 1996; Porada et al. 2014). Since they are sen-sitive to environmental disturbance and habitat destruction, they are good indicators of habitat quality and forest continuity. Plus, these organisms can represent between 6.2% and 8.6% of the amount of branch material, contributing to overall Biomass in the lower canopy (Esseen et al. 1996).
eBook - PDF- David Pimentel Ph.D., Marcia H. Pimentel M.S., David Pimentel Ph.D., Marcia H. Pimentel M.S.(Authors)
- 2007(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
277 20 Biomass: Food versus Fuel David Pimentel, Alan F. Warneke, Wayne S. Teel, Kimberly A. Schwab, Nancy J. Simcox, Daniel M. Ebert, Kim D. Baenisch, and Marni R. Aaron Biomass resources (fuelwood, dung, crop residues, ethanol) constitute a major fuel source in the world (Hall et al., 1985; Pimentel et al., 1986a; Hall and de Groot, 1987). Biomass is a prime energy source in developing nations, where it meets about 90% of the energy needs of the poor (Chatterji, 1981). Each year 2.5 billion tons of forest resources are harvested for a variety of uses, including fuel, lumber, and pulp (FAO, 1983a). About 60% of these resources are harvested in developing nations; of this amount, about 85% is burned as fuel (Montalembert and Clement, 1983). Fuelwood makes up about half (1.3 billion tons) of the 2.8 billion tons of Biomass consumed annually worldwide; the remaining half consists of crop residues (33%) and dung (17%) (Pimentel et al., 1986b). High fossil fuel prices and rapid population growth in developing countries have made it necessary for the people there to rely more on Biomass in the form of fuelwood, crop residues, and dung for energy (Dunkerley and Ramsay, 1983; OTA, 1984; Sanchez-Sierra and Umana-Quesada, 1984). Estimates are that the poor in developing nations spend 15%–40% of their income for fuel and devote considerable time and energy to collecting Biomass for fuel (CSE, 1982; Hall, 1985). Biomass RESOURCES The use of Biomass for food and energy in the United States, Brazil, India, and Kenya is compared here. These countries were selected because they represent different economic, social, and environmental conditions. U NITED S TATES The United States, with 917 million ha of land and a human population of 256 million (Table 20.1), is the largest of the four countries in land area and the second largest in total population. It has the lowest rate of population growth but the largest per capita GNP (gross national product) (Table 20.1).
eBook - PDFBiomass as a Sustainable Energy Source for the Future
Fundamentals of Conversion Processes
- Wiebren de Jong, J. Ruud van Ommen(Authors)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Wiley-AIChE(Publisher)
a Including plastics. b Average value. c Wt% in dry ash (S and Cl contents can be high (Mageswaran et al., 1985), report values 0.7 < S < 3.9 wt% dry basis (db) and 1.3 < Cl < 7.9 wt% db). f. Nutrient availability and fertilization regime g. Pesticide dosing regime h. Location (including distance from polluting sites as cities, highways, etc.) 3. Age, harvesting season, harvesting collection technology, pickup of extraneous material (e.g., dust, dirt, soil), transport, handling, and storage 4. Blending strategies In the following sections, more details concerning the molecular structure and minor composing elements are dealt with. Biomass in general is composed of mainly organic matter but in conjunction with a smaller fraction of inorganic compounds containing a variety of intimately associated phases or minerals with different origins. These have formed by natural processes, both authigenic (formed in Biomass) and detrital (formed outside Biomass but fixed in/on Biomass), as well as by anthropogenic (formed in or outside Biomass and fixed in/on Biomass) processes. In this respect, one can discrimi- nate between presyngenesis, syngenesis, epigenesis, and postepigenesis (see Figure 2.2). The phase composition can be summarized as follows (Vassilev et al., 2010): 1. Organic matter a. Solid, noncrystalline—structural constituents, e.g., (hemi)cellulose, lignin, and extractives b.
eBook - PDFChemicals from Biomass
Integrating Bioprocesses into Chemical Production Complexes for Sustainable Development
- Debalina Sengupta, Ralph W. Pike(Authors)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
The life cycle of the fos-sil resources show that coal, petroleum, and natural gas are all derivatives of decomposed Biomass on the earth’s surface trapped in geological forma-tions. Thus, Biomass, being a precursor to the conventional nonrenewable resources, can be used as fuel and can generate energy and produce chemi-cals with some modifications to existing processes. TABLE 2.1 Heating Value of Biomass Components Component Heating Value (Gross) (GJ/MT Unless Otherwise Mentioned) Bioenergy feedstocks Corn stover 17.6 Sweet sorghum 15.4 Sugarcane bagasse 18.1 Sugarcane leaves 17.4 Hardwood 20.5 Softwood 19.6 Hybrid poplar 19.0 Bamboo 18.5–19.4 Switchgrass 18.3 Miscanthus 17.1–19.4 Arundo donax 17.1 Giant brown kelp 10.0 MJ/dry kg Cattle feedlot manure 13.4 MJ/dry kg Water hyacinth 16.0 MJ/dry kg Pure cellulose 17.5 MJ/dry kg Primary biosolids 19.9 MJ/dry kg Liquid biofuels Bioethanol 28 Biodiesel 40 Fossil Fuels Coal (low Rank; lignite/sub-bituminous) 15–19 Coal (high rank; bituminous/anthracite) 27–30 Oil (typical distillate) 42–45 Source: Klass, D.L., Biomass for Renewable Energy, Fuels and Chemicals , Academic Press, San Diego, CA, ISBN 0124109500, 1998; McGowan, T.F., Biomass and Alternate Fuel Systems , John Wiley & Sons Inc., Hoboken, NJ, ISBN 978-0-470-41028-8, 2009. 25 Biomass as Feedstock Biomass can be classified broadly as all the matter on the earth’s surface of recent biological origin. Biomass includes plant materials such as trees, grasses, agricultural crops, and animal manure. Just as petroleum and coal require processing before use as feedstock for the production of fuel, chemi-cals, and energy, Biomass also requires processing such that the resource potential can be utilized fully. As explained earlier, Biomass is a precursor to fossil feedstock, and a comparison between the Biomass energy content and fossil feedstock energy content is required.
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