Terminology and Input Materials
– Biomass and biofuel are sometimes used interchangeably.
– Biomass refers to the biological raw material used as fuel.
– Biofuel is reserved for liquid fuels.
– Biogas is reserved for gaseous fuels.
– Terminology is important for clear communication in the field.
– Wood and wood residues are the largest biomass energy source.
– Other plants such as maize, switchgrass, miscanthus, and bamboo can also be used as fuel.
– Waste feedstocks like wood waste, agricultural waste, municipal solid waste, and manufacturing waste can be used.
– Upgrading biomass to higher grade fuels can be achieved through thermal, chemical, or biochemical methods.
– Thermal conversion processes include torrefaction, pyrolysis, and gasification.
Applications and Comparison with other renewable energy types
– Biomass can be used for heating, transportation, and production of liquid fuels.
– Biomass heating systems can use direct combustion, gasification, or anaerobic digestion.
– Biofuels can be classified into first-generation and second-generation.
– First-generation biofuels are made from food sources like sugarcane and maize.
– Second-generation biofuels use non-food biomass sources like energy crops and agricultural residues.
– Biomass, wind, hydro, and solar power have different surface power production densities.
– Biomass has an average lifecycle surface power density of 0.30 W/m.
– Wind has a density of 1 W/m.
– Hydro has a density of 3 W/m.
– Solar has a density of 5 W/m.
Related technologies and Climate and sustainability aspects
– Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) can capture emissions from bioenergy power plants.
– BECCS can result in net carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere.
– BECCS can be a negative emissions technology.
– Carbon in biomass can be stored through geologic sequestration or land application.
– Wide deployment of BECCS is limited by cost and biomass availability.
– The climate impact of bioenergy depends on biomass feedstocks and how they are grown.
– Burning wood for energy releases carbon dioxide, but it can be offset by replanting trees.
– Sustainable management of forests is important for carbon neutrality.
– The bioenergy supply chain and wood products also contribute to the climate impact.
– Assessing the climate effects of bioenergy requires considering different system boundaries.
Environmental impacts and Unsustainable practices
– Displacement of natural ecosystems
– Soil degradation
– Water resource consumption
– Emission of greenhouse gases
– Reduction of available farmland for food production
– Unsustainable harvesting of wood for traditional heating and cooking
– Significant energy requirements for bioenergy feedstock production
– Higher carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels in some cases
– Clearing of forests for palm oil production leading to social and environmental effects
– Large land requirement for bioenergy production compared to other renewable sources
Scale and future trends and Mitigation potential and challenges
– Bioenergy expansion fell by 50% in 2020, except for China and Europe
– Limited room for expansion due to utilization of available sawmill residue
– Sawmill residues have lower net emissions compared to pulpwood
– Need for more harvested pulpwood to go to pellet mills for significant bioenergy sector expansion
– Reliance on sustainable sources of biomass such as algae, waste, and crops grown on unsuitable soil
– Bioenergy can either mitigate or increase greenhouse gas emissions
– Agreement on problematic local environmental impacts
– Need for research and development in negative emissions technologies and reliable sequestration
– Importance of applying a science-based systems perspective to dispel misconceptions about climate effects of forest bioenergy
– Trade-offs and challenges in achieving sustainable biofuel production systems Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioenergy
This article may be unbalanced towards certain viewpoints. (May 2023) |
Bioenergy is energy made or generated from biomass, which consists of recently living (but now dead) organisms, mainly plants. Types of biomass commonly used for bioenergy include wood, food crops such as corn, energy crops and waste from forests, yards, or farms. The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) defines bioenergy as a renewable form of energy. Bioenergy can either mitigate (i.e. reduce) or increase greenhouse gas emissions. There is also agreement that local environmental impacts can be problematic.
