This document discusses biomass as a renewable fuel alternative to fossil fuels. It notes that biomass comes from plant materials like wood, corn and grasses that regrow. While biomass emits carbon dioxide when burned like fossil fuels, the key difference is that biomass absorbs the same amount of carbon dioxide during its regrowth through photosynthesis, making it a carbon neutral fuel source. The document argues biomass is a better alternative to fossil fuels because fossil fuels are finite, cause environmental damage during extraction and use, and add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, while biomass is renewable and recaptures the carbon dioxide it emits.

1. BIOMASS - THE FUTURE FUEL
By PANKAJ CHILKOTI

2. What is Biomass Fuel
 Biomass is a low-carbon fuel or energy source that comes from plant
material such as wood, corn, sugar cane and grasses such as Giant King
Grass. Biomass can be burned to generate electricity and heat, digested to
produce biomethane, and converted into liquid biofuels, biochemicals and
bioplastics.
Biomass includes wood and food crops such as sugarcane and corn, and also
byproducts such as agricultural waste-for example, corn straw (stover) and
rice husks-and food waste such as vegetable oil recycled from cooking
processes. Since biomass comes primarily from plants and vegetation that
naturally re-grows, biomass is a renewable resource.

3. The De-merits of Fossil Fuels
 Fossil fuels are that there is a limited supply.
 There are environmental issues in removing fossil fuels from the ground,
transporting them and burning them in power plants or engines.
 In addition to pollutants like ozone, hydrocarbons, sulfur, mercury,
smoke and ash, use of fossil fuels emits large amounts of carbon dioxide
into the atmosphere.
 Some fossil fuels are found in unfriendly countries or in unfriendly
environments like under the sea. There are political, economic and
environmental issues in obtaining these fossil fuels.
 Fossil fuels release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

4. Why to Switch to from Fossil to Biomass
 Biomass is renewable because a new crop can be grown after each
harvest, and biomass is a low carbon fuel.
Biomass has the approximate chemical formula CHO. It is similar to coal with
an oxygen atom added. The oxygen reduces the energy of biomass compared
to coal, because the carbon is “half burned” and that energy is not available.
When biomass is burned, energy is obtained from the hydrogen atom and
some energy from the further burning of CO (but this is less energy than
produced when burning coal) and one carbon dioxide is emitted into the
atmosphere. At this level of thinking, biomass is a worse fuel than coal in
terms of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of energy produced.
The reason that biomass is a low carbon fuel is because biomass breathes
carbon dioxide (extracted from the atmosphere) and stores it in its tissue.
Yes, when biomass is burned, it emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
However, when it regrows, it absorbs exactly the same amount of carbon
dioxide in the process of photosynthesis, and this cycle is carbon neutral

5. The Carbon Cycle

6. BIOMASS – THE CARBON NEUTRAL FUEL
 The carbon dioxide in burning biomass is emitted very
quickly, but only reabsorbed over the growth period of the
biomass. The timescale of biomass carbon neutrality can
be 20 or 30 years in the case of some trees. A significant
advantage of Giant King Grass is that it is very fast
growing and can be harvested every six months or less.
This is called a short rotation crop and the carbon dioxide
emitted is reabsorbed very quickly.

7. THANK YOU