Biomass
the way our world works
How Biomass Works
The waste wood, tree branches and other scraps are gathered together in big trucks. The trucks bring the waste from factories and from farms to a biomass power plant. Here the biomass is dumped into huge hoppers. This is then fed into a furnace where it is burned. The heat is used to boil water in the boiler, and the energy in the steam is used to turn turbines and generators.
Advantages
Advantages
- Theoretically inexhaustible fuel source
- When direct combustion of plant mass is not used to generate energy (i.e. fermentation, pyrolysis, etc. are used instead), there is minimal environmental impact
- Alcohols and other fuels produced by biomass are efficient, viable, and relatively clean-burning
- Available throughout the world
Disadvantages
Disadvantages
- Could contribute a great deal to global warming and particulate pollution if directly burned
- Still an expensive source, both in terms of producing the biomass and converting it to alcohols
- On a small scale there is most likely a net loss of energy--energy must be put in to grow the plant mass
How do I use Biomass In My Community
1.If you have a fireplace you use biomass for heat (burning wood)