Energy from Biomass

Biomass is an energy obtained from living or dead biological material, it comes mostly from plants which can be used for heating and generating electricity as well as for fuel. The best known and widespread biomass is wood which has been used for heating for millenia. Besides wood the term biomass encompasses straw, rapeseed, canola, corn, sugarcane and many forms including biodegradable waste but not coal or crude oil. Biomass can be used directly as a heating source or transformed into liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons for fuel (biodiesel and biogas).

Although biomass is a renewable energy source it still results emissions of carbon dioxide which contribute to global warming. Besides that experts are concerned that cultivation of some plats such as canola, corn and rapeseed for biofuel may on the long term cause lack of food and consequently greater hunger.

However biomass material absorbs carbon dioxide while growing and its prices are generally much lower when compared with fossil fuels which can be very unstable. There are many ways to generate heat from biomass, the most popular being biomass burning stoves that many types of biomass fuel however this fuel must be stored and requires refueling effort.

Biomass for heating also results additional costs for the purchase fuel, the price of which is upredictable. Currently biomass is still one of the cheapest energy sources for millions of households all over the world although wider replacement of fossil fuels with biomass fuels may result higher prices in the future and doesn't help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.