Biomass as a Source of Energy

I. Introduction

In India, the concept of energy as " Shakti " has been at the focus of philosphic, scientific and metaphysical thought from time immemorial. The conventional energy sources like fossil fuels, crude oil, natural gas etc. are dwindling fast. The world stock of non-renewable natural sources indeed have decreased. There is every necessity of going for renewable alternative resources for energy. The energy crisis of 1973 left scientists to accelerate the renewable energy programmes.

The important renewable energy sources are sun, wind, tides, waves, biomass, hydro-power (from water) charcoal, peat, fuelwood, geothermal energy etc. The pattern of energy consumption in India shows that 56.5 % of total energy is from the commercial sources like coal, oil " electricity and remaining 43.5% is non-commercial energy. Fire wood, charcoal, agricultural residues, vegetable wastes, cow dung, urban and industrial wastes, forest residues are the main sources of this non-commercial energy.

The most efficient utilization of these resources comes when they are converted to biomass by appropriate technologies. The non-commercial biomass fuels are the main sources of energy available in the rural areas. The 80% of our population resides in villages are dependent on this non-commercial biomass fuels.

II. Concept of Biomass

The term biomass refers to all organic matter generated through photosynthesis and other biological processes. The ultimate source of this renewable biomass is the inexhaustible solar energy which is captured by plants through photosynthesis. It includes both terrestrial as well as aquatic matter such as wood, herbaceous plants, algae, aquatic plants and residues, like straw, husks, corncobs, cow dung, saw-dust, wood shavings and other wastes like disposable garbage, night soil, sewage solids, industrial refuse etc. In spite of all these biomass resources available in India, they are not being properly utilized. In fact, a large amount of it is disposed off by burning in open fields causing serious air pollution.

In order to utilise these resources properly, biomass should be converted to energy which can meet a sizeable percentage of the country's demands for fuel as well as energy. Three main approaches can be adopted for generation and proper utilization.

1. Collection of agricultural and forest residues to produce fuels, organic manures and chemical feed stock.

2. Collection of urban and industrial wastes as fuel in boilers and as a feedstock for producing methane and some liquid fuels.

3. Growth of some specific energy plants for use as energy feed stock and cultivation of commercial forestry, aquatic and marine plants for different products.

By a number of processes, the collected wastes can be converted into solid, liquid and gaseous fuels. The technologies include thermal, thermo-chemical and bio-chemical conversions. The actual processes in these technologies are combustion, pyrolysis, gasification, alcoholic fermentation, liquefaction etc.

The main products of conversion technologies are energy (thermal, steam, electricity), solid fuels (charcoal, combustibles) and synthetic fuels (methanol, methane, hydrogen gas etc.). These can be used for different purposes like cooking, lighting, heating, water pumping, electricity generation and as industrial and transport fuels.

III. Types of Biomass

Depending on the nature and availability of these wastes and organic residues they can be utilized in different manners as described here.

1. Fuel biomass

By some processes and procedures, biomass products like fuel gas, liquid fuels, gaseous fuels etc. are obtained, which are given here

a. Biomass from plants or animal origin are directly burnt for cooking and other purposes. Municipal and sewage wastes, industrial wastes and agricultural wastes are converted to energy which can meet the demand for energy in rural sector.

b. Paddy straw and rice husk can be profitably converted to fuel gas by thermal decomposition (Combustion)

c. Ethanol, which is used as a liquid fuel can be produced from carbohydrates by alcoholic fermentation.

d. When wood and agricultural residues are heated in the absence of air (pyrolysis), charcoal is the resultant product which can be used as a fuel more advantageously than wood.

e. By the process of gasification, gas is evolved which can be used as a fuel for engines.

f. Biogas, which is popular in rural areas is produced by anaerobic fermentation from farm wastes.

2. Feed biomass

Conventionally, crop residues are used as cattle-feed. However, some of them with high percentage of lignin or non-digestible constituents need certain treatments such as soaking in water, alkali/alcohol to make their use as a fuel. The oil-cakes of various crop seed like cotton, rubber, tobacco etc. can also be used as a feed after extraction of toxic materials.

3. Organic fertilizer biomass

Dry fermented slurry can be used as a direct organic fertilizer for crop land.

4.Fibre biomass

The fibrous agricultural wastes and residues are being profitably utilised for making pulp for cheap grade paper.

5.Chemical biomass

Highly siliconous agricultural residues like rice husk and rice straw can be converted into useful chemicals like morphous silicon, silicate products and solar grade silicon. Furfural an another chemical can be produced from biogases, cotton seed hulls, corn-cobs, flax fibres, oat hulls etc., which is used as a solvent for some petroleum products.

Country Attractiveness Indices

Since 2003, the Ernst & Young Environmental Finance team has been releasing quarterly data that ranks national renewable energy markets, and their suitability for individual technologies. The Country Attractiveness Indices now track the relative attractiveness of 40 countries' renewable energy markets across a selection of technologies each quarter.

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Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Indices

To find out more about the renewable markets, read the latest Ernst & Young Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Indices below which scores and comments on various technologies, including wind, solar PV, solar CSP, biomass, and geothermal.

Renewable energy country attractiveness indices issue 33
Following a record 2011, investment in clean energy in Q1 2012 was the weakest since the worst of the financial crisis three years ago, and grid parity is now key to longer-term success as clean energy faces a challenging 2012.

• The gap between developed and emerging markets in the indices has noticeably reduced. In the West, fiscal challenges have dampened public policy support, while developing countries are introducing incentive mechanisms and implementing national energy strategies.
• Renewable technologies are becoming more cost competitive, stimulating global activity. The price of solar PV modules, for example, fell by 50% in 2011. The sector continues to face significant challenges though.

What is energy?

Energy is used to provide electricity to our homes and can be generated from renewable sources (that can be naturally replenished) or non-renewable sources (that are used up and cannot be recreated). Energy generated from renewable sources is less harmful to the environment because it does not use up the Earth’s precious resources, and is often less polluting than non-renewable sources of energy, such as coal.

Click on the images below to learn about each renewable energy source!

Hydrogen Energy

Hydrogen is the simplest element. An atom of hydrogen consists of only one proton and one electron. It's also the most plentiful element in the universe. Despite its simplicity and abundance, hydrogen doesn't occur naturally as a gas on the Earth - it's always combined with other elements. Water, for example, is a combination of hydrogen and oxygen (H₂O).
Hydrogen is also found in many organic compounds, notably the hydrocarbons that make up many of our fuels, such as gasoline, natural gas, methanol, and propane. Hydrogen can be separated from hydrocarbons through the application of heat - a process known as reforming. Currently, most hydrogen is made this way from natural gas. An electrical current can also be used to separate water into its components of oxygen and hydrogen. This process is known as electrolysis. Some algae and bacteria, using sunlight as their energy source, even give off hydrogen under certain conditions.

Hydrogen is high in energy, yet an engine that burns pure hydrogen produces almost no pollution. NASA has used liquid hydrogen since the 1970s to propel the space shuttle and other rockets into orbit. Hydrogen fuel cells power the shuttle's electrical systems, producing a clean byproduct - pure water, which the crew drinks.
A fuel cell combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, heat, and water. Fuel cells are often compared to batteries. Both convert the energy produced by a chemical reaction into usable electric power. However, the fuel cell will produce electricity as long as fuel (hydrogen) is supplied, never losing its charge.
Fuel cells are a promising technology for use as a source of heat and electricity for buildings, and as an electrical power source for electric motors propelling vehicles. Fuel cells operate best on pure hydrogen. But fuels like natural gas, methanol, or even gasoline can be reformed to produce the hydrogen required for fuel cells. Some fuel cells even can be fueled directly with methanol, without using a reformer.
In the future, hydrogen could also join electricity as an important energy carrier. An energy carrier moves and delivers energy in a usable form to consumers. Renewable energy sources, like the sun and wind, can't produce energy all the time. But they could, for example, produce electric energy and hydrogen, which can be stored until it's needed. Hydrogen can also be transported (like electricity) to locations where it is needed.

Why is renewable energy important?

Renewable energy is important because of the benefits it provides. The key benefits are:

Environmental Benefits

Renewable energy technologies are clean sources of energy that have a much lower environmental impact than conventional energy technologies.

Energy for our children's children's children

Renewable energy will not run out. Ever. Other sources of energy are finite and will some day be depleted.

Jobs and the Economy

Most renewable energy investments are spent on materials and workmanship to build and maintain the facilities, rather than on costly energy imports. Renewable energy investments are usually spent within the United States, frequently in the same state, and often in the same town. This means your energy dollars stay home to create jobs and fuel local economies, rather than going overseas.
Meanwhile, renewable energy technologies developed and built in the United States are being sold overseas, providing a boost to the U.S. trade deficit.

Energy Security

After the oil supply disruptions of the early 1970s, our nation has increased its dependence on foreign oil supplies instead of decreasing it. This increased dependence impacts more than just our national energy policy.

Alternative Energy For Kids

Alternative Energy For Kids

What is alternative energy, anyway!? And why do we need them and when did alternative energy first appear in our history? We have a vague idea that these types of enhanced natural resources can save our planet, but we also have heard that alternative energy may have some disadvantages that may not be as talked about as they should be. The fact is alternative energy encompasses a myriad of sub-topics that include wind, water, geothermal, nuclear, and more.

This very important and comprehensive page is sent to you from the website that loves most things 'green' (including M7Ms) - benefits-of-recycling.com. There is a ton of interesting and valuable information of this site that you will want to check out, but, for now it's all about alternative energy for kids!


Alternative Energy For Kids / Why do we need energy?


Many things around us require energy in order to function. TV set and stereo, microwave oven and electric kettle, computer and refrigerator - all of them need energy to work. Besides, energy is also necessary to make a car run, to keep the house warm or to heat water for showers.

Most of energy, used nowadays, is called electric energy. It is supplied to our houses constantly through wires; but in order to have energy it should first be produced.


Alternative Energy For Kids / How is energy produced?

Energy is produced or generated from natural resources, which are usually called energy sources. The examples of energy sources are gas, oil, water, sun and wind. However, not all energy sources are created equal. Some of them can be dangerous for the environment we live in.

For example, when oil or gas is burnt in order to produce energy or to heat the houses, a lot of harmful things are released into the air, making it bad for breathing. Besides, we have already used so much oil and gas, which was stored on our planet that only a small amount of those resources remained at our disposal.


That is why people decided to find other sources of energy, which would not harm the air and the amount of which would never end. Such types of energy sources are called alternative. Examples of alternative energy sources are solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy and biofuel energy. All of these sources give us “clean” energy, because it is safe for people and for the environment we live in.


Alternative Energy For Kids / What are the different types?

Solar Energy Solar Energy comes from the sun. When the sun shines, it can warm water, heat the house, and it can even produce electricity to run different electric house appliances. In order to use the energy of sun, people put special solar panels on top of their houses’ roofs.

Those solar panels can produce electricity or heat water. The amazing thing about solar energy is that it is free of charge, and it is renewable (this word means that energy from the sun never ends). People use solar energy in those places, where there is a lot of sunshine all year round. In such sunny places as California people even built large power plants, which gather sunlight and transform it into electricity for people.

Wind Energy
People have used the power of wind for thousands of years. Nowadays wind energy is used to produce electricity. Special wind machines are built in the areas, where strong wind blows (usually it is at the coastline).

When many wind machines are built near one another, it is called wind farm. A wind machine consists of a tower with the blades and a generator on top of it. When the wind blows, it rotates the blades. When blades spin around, electricity is produced in the device, called generator.

In order to catch a lot of wind, the towers are built very high. As with solar energy, wind energy is renewable, because wind will always blow on the Earth.

Geothermal Energy
Our planet Earth is very hot and contains a lot of hot water and steam deep down beneath its surface. Volcanoes are best examples of how hot our planet is in its center. People have already learned how to use geothermal energy (“geo” means Earth and “thermal” mean high temperature).

In places, where hot water is close to the Earth surface, people drill special wells and use that hot water for warming their houses. After that water is sent back into the Earth, so that no water is wasted in vain. Geothermal energy is also a free and renewable source of energy.

Biofuel
Biofuel is the modern alternative source of energy, which was invented to substitute gasoline, used in all the cars, trucks, and motorcycles around the globe. Gasoline is bad for the air because when it is burned in the car engine, a lot of harmful substances are released into the air.

Biofuel energy is not that harmful and can be produced from certain plants, grown specifically for that purpose. The fuel, which is produced from plants, is called ethanol and it is suitable for most of the vehicles on the roads. Some biofuel can even be produced from vegetable oil, after it has been used in the kitchen for preparing meals, like potato chips. Such fuel is called biodiesel.

Solar and wind energy, geothermal energy and biofuel are the major examples of the alternative energy sources. They are renewable and safe for humans and for the planet Earth, so in the future people will obviously use only such kinds of energy.

Renewable and Non Renewable Energy Sources

Nonrenewable Energy Sources

   A nonrenewable energy source is a natural energy source in limited supply. While these energy sources may be plentiful, they cannot be produced at all or as quickly as they are consumed. In addition to these resources being limited, not only the burning but also the extraction of these energy sources has dire consequences to our environment.

Petroleum

   Petroleum, also known as crude oil, is a naturally occurring toxic combustible liquid primarily made up of hydrocarbons. Petroleum is the result of partial decay of living organisms occurring in the rock strata of certain geological formations.

Coal

   Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock formed from fossilized plants. Coal consists of amorphous carbon with various organic and some inorganic compounds and is normally occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds.

Natural Gas

   Natural gas is a combustible mixture of hydrocarbon gases that occurs with petroleum deposits consisting primarily of methane. It is found with other fossil fuels and in coal beds and is created by the decay of methanogenic organisms in marshes, bogs, and landfills. Lower temperatures are likely to produce more petroleum, and higher temperatures are likely to produce more natural gas.

Nuclear Power

   Nuclear power is produced by controlled nuclear fission (splitting atoms). In most cases nuclear power plants use nuclear fission reactions to heat water, using the steam to produce electricity. Uranium, specifically, uranium -235, is one of the few elements easily fissioned.

Renewable Energy Sources

Geothermal

   Geothermal energy is power extracted from heat stored under the earth’s crust. This power source is generally cost effective, usually reliable, mostly sustainable, and generally environmentally friendly. Historically, geothermal energy extraction has been limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries. Recent advances in technology have significantly widened the range of viable resources, especially for applications such as home heating.