Biomass energy definition of biomass energy by the free. Energy derived from biomass fuel pellets gave a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions nolan et al 2010. A biomass blueprint to meet 15% of oecd electricity. During photosynthesis, plants use light from the suns energy light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into simple sugars and oxygen. A general term for energy obtained from a sustainablerenewable energy sourcee. Plants or plantbased materials that are not used for food or feed, and are specifically called lignocellulosic biomass. Biomass definition of biomass by medical dictionary.
The chemical energy in plants gets passed on to animals and people that eat them. Look for specific topics, latest articles or uploaded documents and announce upcoming. Biomass energy definition of biomass energy by medical. The weight or quantity of organisms in an area at a given moment is the standing crop. When produced by sustainable means, biomass emits roughly the same amount of carbon during conver. Biomass simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Energy initiative euei pdf and gizs povertyoriented. The principal categories of biomass conversion technologies for power and heat production are. Biomass can be used to produce electricity or other forms of energy.
Information and translations of biomass in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Subsequently, corn yields have typically increased and the harvest index has declined. Biomass is any organic matterwood, crops, seaweed, animal wastesthat can be used as an energy source. Biomass energy synonyms, biomass energy pronunciation, biomass energy translation, english dictionary definition of biomass energy. Each definition is a short description intended to help students and researchers understand biomass terminology. Biomass, a renewable energy source,is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms, such as wood, waste, and alcohol fuels. Biomass is any organic material that has stored sunlight in the form of chemical energy, such as plants, agricultural crops or residues, municipal wastes, and algae. Biomass and agricultural residues are a large potential source of renewable energy.
Barley straw and hulls are a source of biomass to make fuel pellets, which can be burned alone or cofired with coal to produce heat andor power. Other biomass sources can include agricultural waste products like fruit pits and corncobs. Found as a pdf file on epa server november 2000, february 2001. Biomass energy refers to fuels made from plants and animal wastes. And because plant matter can be regrown, its a renewable source of energy. The organic waste is decomposed by bacteria in biogas digesters to emit biogas which is essentially a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide in ecology, biomass means the accumulation of. The significance of liquid fuel production from woody. A fuel, such as biogas or biodiesel, that is produced from renewable resources, especially plant biomass, vegetable oils, or treated municipal and. Biofuel is a product of the organic material mentioned above in the biomass definition. Environmental protection agency epa prefer the term forest or forest.
The biomass is a biomass residue2 and the use of that biomass residue in the project activity does not involve a decrease of carbon pools, in particular dead wood, litter or soil or ganic carbon, on the land areas where the biomass residues are originating from. The total amount of organic material produced by living organisms in a particular area. Solid biomass such as wood, charcoal and agricultural residues has been used since ancient times for cooking and heating purposes and more recently to generate electricity. Biomass comes from agricultural crops and waste, sewage, municipal solid waste, animal residues, such as manure and liquid manure, industrial residues and forestry crops, like poplars and wood residues. Methods of extracting biomass energy biomass can be converted to thermal energy, liquid, solid or gaseous fuels and other chemical products through a variety of conversion processes. It is derived from the energy crops to agricultural residues and waste and from the living organisms. The biomass is an organic matter that can be used as a source of energy. Biomass definition is the amount of living matter as in a unit area or volume of habitat. Biomass can refer to species biomass, which is the mass of one or more species, or to community biomass, which is the mass of all species in the community. Wood and wood waste are used to generate electricity.
Our revised estimates are based on a recent report from a pioneermonsanto project with very recent yield levels and. Biomass refers to the mass of living organisms, including plants, animals, and microorganisms, or, from a biochemical perspective, cellulose, lignin, sugars, fats, and proteins. Biomass meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. Biomass is a renewable energy source with an enormous potential to generate heat, power, and biofuels. This energy is also available in the form of biodegradable waste, which is the rejected component of available biomass 7. The solid biomass portal provides an overview of biomass related information on energypedia. Instead, biomass refers to the organic matter which can be used as a renewable energy source in a number of different ways. Examples of biomass sources are wood products, dried vegetarians, crop residues, aquatic plants. That is, stover provided 55 percent of the total biomass in corn.
The biomass is the mass of living biological organisms in a given area or ecosystem at a given time. Biomass definition, the amount of living matter in a given habitat, expressed either as the weight of organisms per unit area or as the volume of organisms per unit volume of habitat. Biomass organic matter that can be converted into energy includes food crops, crops grown specifically to produce energy e. We often call renewable energy technologies clean or green because they produce few if any. The terms defined in this glossary are used throughout the bioenergy website and publications. It is, therefore, one of the extensively explored research areas in sustainable energy field. Plants absorb the suns energy in a process called photosynthesis. Woodlogs, chips, bark, and sawdustaccounts for about 44 percent of biomass energy. Biomass breaks down to bio, meaning living, and mass, meaning weight. Citescore values are based on citation counts in a given year e.
Comparison of definitions in legislation congressional research service 1 introduction the potential for biomass to meet u. However, with the emergence of global warming as a serious concern in. Biomass is organic material that comes from plants and animals, and it is a renewable source of energy. Biomass energy is the use of organic material to generate energy. Wood energy comes from direct use of harvested wood as a fuel and from wood waste streams. This means that the share of urban energy use in the global energy mix is. Biomass is defined as organic matter, such as wood, crops, and animal wastes.
Japans biomass has the potential to meet a part its primary energy needs. Use the alphabetical index below to locate terms, or scroll through the terms and definitions in the full text glossary. Organic waste such as dead plant and animal material, animal dung and kitchen waste can be converted into gaseous fuel called biogas. Biomass is a basic term in ecology, and in the energy production industry. The mass can be expressed as the average mass per unit area, or as the total mass in the.
One of the most promising renewable energy sources for transportation is biomass. For example, forest residues such as dead trees, branches and tree stumps, yard clippings and wood chips and garbage may be used as biomass. In many parts of the united states, people use wood in furnaces, wood stoves and fireplaces as. Biomass energy can theoretically be made from any material that is, or was, living. Some sources of biomass are wood and waste derived from wood, forest debris, animal manure, agricultural crops, and waste, etc. During photosynthesis, plants use light from the suns energy light en ergy to convert carbon dioxide and water into simple sugars and oxygen. Biomass is any organic matterwood, crops, seaweed, animal wastes that can be used as an energy source. Biomass includes both the above and belowground tissues of plants, for example, leaves, twigs, branches, boles, as well as roots of trees and rhizomes of. Biomass energy sector planning guide clean cooking alliance.
Fossil fuels are hydrocarbon deposits, such as petroleum, coal, or natural gas, derived. Biomass definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Biomass energy from plant and animal matter biomass is organic material made from plants and animals. We frequently use biomass to talk about natural material that can be used as fuel, like cow. In the context of this document, biomass conversion refers to the process of converting biomass into energy that will in turn be used to generate electricity andor heat. Biomass energy definition biomass is an industry term for getting energy by burning organic material that comes from plants and animals.
Biomass is commonly plant matter grown to generate electricity or produce heat. Biomass is just organic matter think, stuff thats made in nature like wood pellets, grass clippings and even dung. Crops, like sugarcane and corn, can also be used to create biofuels. United states department of agriculture chief economist.
The use of biomass as an energy feedstock is emerging as a potentially viable alternative to address u. Biomass energy is any kind of energy that uses a biological organism plant or animal as its source. Because the definition of biomass is so broad, fuels that can be considered biomass include a wide variety of items and researchers are discovering new biomass energy sources all the time. Biomass, the weight or total quantity of living organisms of one animal or plant species species biomass or of all the species in a community community biomass, commonly referred to a unit area or volume of habitat. This process is a very efficient means of extracting.
You can use biomass as a technical term for the total mass of living stuff in a particular area, like the biomass of kansas, or the biomass of your kid brothers room yuck. Comparison of definitions in legislation through the 111. Po box 1611, montpelier, vermont 05601 ph 8022237770 fax 8022237772. Biomass is plant or animal waste thats used as fuel. When biomass is burned, the chemical energy in biomass is released as heat.
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