1. Biomass is the material derived from plants that use
sunlight to grow which include plant and animal
material such as wood from forests, material left over
from agricultural and forestry processes, and organic
industrial, human and animal wastes.
Biomass energy is a type of renewable energy
generated from biological (such as, anaerobic
digestion) or thermal conversion (for example,
combustion) of biomass resources.
Biomass Energy
2. Biomass comes from a variety of sources
which include
• Wood from natural forests and woodlands
• Forestry plantations
• Forestry residues
• Agricultural residues such as straw, stover, cane trash and green agricultural wastes
• Agro-industrial wastes, such as sugarcane and rice husk
• Animal wastes
• Industrial wastes, such as black liquor from paper manufacturing
• Sewage
• Municipal solid wastes (MSW)
• Food processing wastes
4. •Biomass can be transformed into clean energy and/or
fuels by a variety of technologies, ranging from
conventional combustion process to advanced biofuels
technology.
•Besides recovery of substantial energy, these
technologies can lead to a substantial reduction in the
overall biomass waste quantities requiring final
disposal, which can be better managed for safe
disposal in a controlled manner while meeting the
pollution control standards.
5. Heat and electrical energy is generated which reduces
the dependence on power plants based on fossil fuels.
The greenhouse gas emissions are significantly
reduced by preventing methane emissions from
decaying biomass.
Moreover, biomass energy plants are highly efficient
in harnessing the untapped sources of energy from
biomass resources and helpful in development of rural
areas
6. Biomass contains energy first derived from the sun: Plants
absorb the sun’s energy through photosynthesis, and convert
carbon dioxide and water into nutrients (carbohydrates).
The energy from these organisms can be transformed into
usable energy through direct and indirect means.
Biomass can be burned to create heat (direct), converted into
electricity (direct), or processed into biofuel (indirect).
