What is biomass?Biomass is organic non-fossil material of biological origin - including forest and mill residues, agricultural crops and wastes, wood and wood wastes, animal wastes, livestock operation residues, aquatic plants, fast-growing trees and plants, and municipal and industrial wastes. The term biofuel tends to be used to describe the liquid fuels derived from biomass, such as bio-diesel from rapeseed oil, or bio-ethanol from wheat, maize or sugar beet, which are then used as replacement road and industry fuels. How is this different from fossil fuels?Although essentially made from the same raw materials as fossil fuels, the carbon and other elements released in combustion are already within the relevant cycles so the balances are not altered. An example of this is burning fossil fuels, which re-introduces carbon, that has been out of the cycle and locked in the fossil fuel, and increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This is not specific to carbon, it also holds true for other elements released in combustion (e.g. nitrogen and sulphur). Why burning wood fuel is considered greenThe plant matter that makes up biomass absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere when growing through the process of photosynthesis. At the end of the plants life the matter is most commonly broken down by fungi or bacteria, or burned. The carbon absorbed by the growth of plants or trees is then released as it is broken down or burned. This means that the burning of wood to produce heat, providing that the fuel is sourced from a sustainable source, produces no net carbon emissions at a basic level. There are some net emissions released through the production of equipment and process and delivery of fuel. These can be minimised through ensuring heating solutions are well designed and using fuel supplied locally. |