introduction to biomass

1. Introduction to Biomass
Er. Arvind Kumar Verma, Senior Lecturer,Department of Mechanical
Engineering ,
Email: hod.dip.me@srmu.ac.in
Dr. N.C Sarcar, Director, Institute of Diploma Studies,
Email: director.diploma@srmu.ac.in
Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University, Barabanki, 225003

2. Biomass:
o Biomass is organic material that comes from plants and
animals, and it is a renewable source of energy.
oBiomass contains stored energy from the sun. Plants
a b s o r b t h e s u n ' s e n e r g y i n a p r o c e s s c a l l e d
photosynthesis. When biomass is burned, the chemical
energy in biomass is released as heat

3. Sources of Biomass
Biomass comes from a variety of sources which
include:
• Wood from natural forests and woodlands
• Forestry plantations (plant)
• Forestry residues (leaves)
• Agricultural residues such as straw (sukhi ghaas,
Bhusa,puwal), cane trash and green agricultural wastes
• Agro-industrial wastes, such as sugarcane bagasse and
rice husk

4. Sources of Bioass
• Animal wastes
• Industrial wastes, such as black liquor from paper
manufacturing
• Sewage
• Municipal solid wastes (MSW)
• Food processing wastes

5. Sources of Bioass
Source: https://www.cleantechloops.com/an-introduction-to-biomass-energy/

6. Advantages
• Biomass is a clean, renewable energy source. Its initial
energy comes from the sun, and plants can regrow in a
relatively short amount of time. Trees, crops, and
municipal solid waste are consistently available and can
be managed sustainably.
• If trees and crops are sustainably (dirghkalin) farmed,
they can offset carbon emissions when they absorb
carbon dioxide through respiration. In some bioenergy
processes, the amount of carbon that is re-absorbed even
exceeds the carbon emissions that are released during
fuel processing or usage.

7. • Many biomass feedstocks, such as switchgrass(sarpat),
can be harvested on marginal lands or pastures
(charagah), where they do not compete with food crops.
• Unlike other renewable energy sources, such as wind or
solar, biomass energy is stored within the organism (live
tree body), and can be harvested (cutting) when it is
needed.

8. • The energy produced can be electrical power, heat or
both (combined heat and power, or CHP). The advantage
of utilizing heat as well as or instead of electrical power is
the marked improvement of conversion efficiency –
electrical generation has a typical efficiency of around
30%, but if heat is used efficiencies can rise to more than
85%.

9. • Biochemical processes, like anaerobic digestion, can also
produce clean energy in the form of biogas which can be
converted to power and heat using a gas engine. In
addition, wastes can also yield liquid fuels, such as
cellulosic ethanol, which can be used to replace
petroleum-based fuels. Algal (shaiwal) biomass is also
emerging as a good source of energy because it can
serve as natural source of oil, which conventional
refineries can transform into jet fuel or diesel fuel.

10. Disadvantages:
• If biomass feedstocks are not replenished as quickly as
they are used, they can become non-renewable.
• Most biomass requires arable (krishi yogya) land to
develop.
• Forested areas that have matured for decades (so-called
“old-growth forests”) are able to sequester (jama karna)
more carbon than newly planted areas. Therefore, if
forested areas are not sustainably cut, re-planted, and
given time to grow and sequester carbon, the advantages
of using the wood for fuel are not offset by the trees’
regrowth.

11. • Biomass has a lower “energy density” than fossil fuels. As
much as 50% of biomass is water, which is lost in the
energy conversion process. Scientists and engineers
estimate that it is not economically efficient to transport
biomass more than 160 kilometers from where it is
processed.
• Burning biomass releases carbon monoxide, carbon
dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and other pollutants and
particulates. If these pollutants are not captured and
recycled, burning biomass can create smog and even
exceed the number of pollutants released by fossil fuels.

12. References:
• https://www.cleantechloops.com/an-introduction-to-
biomass-energy/