What is biomass energy?
Why is biomass energy better than burning fossil fuels?
Why is it unpopular?
Biomass energy is the utilization of energy stored in organic matter. Wood, crops, animal waste, bones, leaves and scales are examples of "biomass." These organic matters are sometimes burned directly to produce heat; sometimes they are refined to produce fuel like ethanol or other alcoholic fuels. In fact, using biomass energy is actually an indirect way of using energy from the sun.1
Why is biomass energy better than burning fossil fuels?
Biomass is virtually everywhere. In the agriculture industry, residuals like bagasse (fibers) from sugarcane, straw from rice and wheat, hulls and nutshells, as well as manure lagoons from cattle, poultry and hog farms are usable. Similarly, the timber industry has a lot to offer. Wood wastes like sawdust, timber slash and mill scrap are considered organic materials. Even in cities, paper and yard wastes are usable. Fully utilized biomass reduces pollution in underground water bodies by offsetting the amount of waste in landfills. Methane and other poisonous gases that form from dead organic matters can be found in landfills and water treatment plants. These can be captured and converted in to fuels suitable for generating electricity. If not enough biomass can be obtained for sufficient energy production, planting energy crops like fast growing trees and grasses for fuel supplies would be the solution. These crops can also prevent soil erosion and reduce global warming.2
In summary, biomass energy reduces or may even eliminate some of the pollution found in the atmosphere, land and water.
Unlike other alternative energies, the burning method of biomass is not clean. Similar to burning fossil fuels, it produces large amounts of carbon dioxide. However, it produces much less harmful pollutants (e.g. sulfur), as the main elements found in organic materials are hydrogen, carbon, oxygen and nitrogen. Furthermore, the extra energy crops and other plants can consume the additional carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.
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