- Biomass is plant material, vegetation, or agricultural waste used as a fuel or energy source. - Because biomass is made of plant material, which absorbs the sun’s energy in a process called photosynthesis, we can also describe biomass as an indirect form of solar energy. - Biomass is also more environmentally friendly. Compared to fossil fuels, biomass burns more cleanly, releasing fewer harmful emissions into the atmosphere.

Quick Biomass Facts Biomass is one of the oldest forms of energy known to humanity. Biomass is a renewable source of energy. Biomass resources in the form of agricultural crops and waste from forestry and industrial processing currently provide about 14% of the world’s primary energy supplies. Worldwide, biomass is the fourth largest energy resource after coal, oil, and natural gas. There is a consensus among scientists that biomass fuels used in a sustainable manner result in no net increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Using biomass rather than fossil fuels can help avoid acid rain and global warming.

What are the assigned energy source’s? Texas Biomass: General Resource Types AgricultureForestsUrban Biomass Harvest Residues Process Wastes Energy Crops Logging Residues Mill Residues Woody Energy Crops Municipal Solid Waste Sewage Landfill Gas Used Cooking Oils

What are the assigned energy source’s?  There are many types of Biomass. Here are some of the most popular.

How much energy does biomass fuels currently produce in Texas? Biomass Landfill Gas and wood products in Texas

How much energy does biomass fuels currently produce in Texas? It is possible that 25% or more of Texas electrical and transportation need can be met with biomass fuels.

Texas is #1 in renewable potential

Best areas to grow Biomass in Texas

Biomass as it pertains to Texas

Major Biomass Regions

How important is biomass as a source of energy likely to become?  Biomass fuels are going to become very important, as other fuels such as oil become more expensive and harder to find.  Biomass fuels are carbon neutral because the carbon produced while they are burning is reabsorbed by the plants when they grow.  They are a renewable resource.

Advantages  Biomass is renewable resource  Biomass is carbon neutral  Biomass is very abundant  Biomass can solve a feedlots problem of manure disposal  Landfill gas powered generators are highly reliable producing full power 90 to 95% of the year. A level higher than fossil fuel and nuclear plants.  Biomass can create jobs

Disadvantages of Biomass biodiesel and ethanol fuels  On December 31st,2006 the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has effectively banned biodiesel in the state’s largest markets. The problem, they say, lies with the fuel’s nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and their contribution to the formation of ground-level ozone in Texas’ eastern counties. According to the TCEQ, biodiesel does not meet the stricter NOx standards recently imposed on diesel and alternative diesel fuels under new regulations. Efforts to clean up the air, led the TCEQ in November 2005 to adopt Texas low emission diesel standards (TxLED) in an effort to reduce pollutants in the state’s smoggiest 110 counties. Texas’ biodiesel industry – the largest in the country – suddenly found itself essentially outlawed after the standards went into effect.Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)  Biodiesel gelling  The amount of Btu’s or energy used to make ethanol is just as much or more depending the processes used.  Ethanol and other alternative energy’s must be subsidized to be competitive at current prices unless crude oil hits approximately $100 a barrel or more.

Land area needed to produce all electricity sold in Texas

What is the position of the local electric company regarding biomass as an energy source?  With the new laws introduced, The demand for RECs (Renewable Energy Credits) will result in the building of new renewable energy projects. The local electric companies in Texas are trying to buy as much renewable energy as possible to get enough RECs. They have a favorable position on any renewable energy they can get.

Are the sources for biomass energy constant and reliable? Biomass fuels have been around since the beginning of time. 1800’s Wood was the primary heat source for cooking, heating, creating steam for industry and home 1890 Coal displaced wood for steam generation Ethanol, competed with gasoline to be the primary fuel for cars Most rural homes use wood, in town homes use coal and displaces wood as primary heat source.

Are the sources for biomass energy constant and reliable? 1930 Over half of all Americans live in cities in buildings heated by coal. Rural Americans still heat their houses and cook with wood. Diesel and gasoline are firmly established as the fuel for trucks and automobiles. Street cars run on electricity, generated from fossil fuels. Railroads and boats use coal and diesel fuel Electricity—generated using coal and other fossil fuels, like natural gas—have displaced wood heat in most homes and commercial buildings The Energy Crisis forces petroleum-dependent energy users to reconsider biomass fuels. Today Concern about dwindling natural resources, global warming, high energy prices, and pollution make biomass an attractive solution to our ongoing energy problems.

Are the sources for biomass energy constant and reliable?  The decomposition at a dumpsite takes approximately 30 years.  There will always be garbage.  As long as the sun is shining and plants growing there will be Biomass fuel available.  There is not an infinite amount of cropland, however you can use algae and marine life or grow things unconventionally like in ditches or on mountain sides.

Will the technology be improved in the next 15 years? Yes New technology is making both corn and ethanol production more efficient, more environmentally friendly.  Assumptions about corn production are key to the LCA and must reflect the steady increases in corn yield per acre, which have doubled between 1970 and today. Also, nitrogen fertilizer use per acre peaked in 1985 and has been trending lower since.  Energy efficiency in the ethanol production process is advancing, leading to reduced GHG emissions. Since 2001, U.S. ethanol producers have achieved a 22% drop in total energy use. Between 2004 and 2007, ethanol plants reduced BTU usage by between 14% and 21%.

Is the biomass resources affordable? LFG energy plants operate nearly continuously and use free, on-site fuel, they produce electricity at rates comparable to the cheapest conventional power plants.

Biomass fuels effect on food prices.

Schematic of LFG-To Electricity Plant and candidate landfills for energy recovery

Modern Landfill  Some landfills simply burn the methane gas in a controlled way to get rid of it. But the methane can also be used as an energy source. Landfills can collect the methane gas, treat it, and then sell it as a commercial fuel. It can then be burned to generate steam and electricity.  Landfill Gas Energy Projects  Today, there are almost 400 operating landfill gas energy projects in the United States. California has the most landfill gas energy projects in operation (73), followed by Illinois (36), and Michigan (27).

From US EPA

How does Biomass energy affect the environment?  Biomass fuels are carbon neutral because the carbon produced while they are burning is reabsorbed by the plants when they grow.  Biomass is also more environmentally friendly. Compared to fossil fuels, biomass burns more cleanly, releasing fewer harmful emissions into the atmosphere.  There is a consensus among scientists that biomass fuels used in a sustainable manner result in no net increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2).  Using biomass rather than fossil fuels can help avoid acid rain and global warming.  Biomass is a renewable source of energy.

Airplane powered by Biomass

How to make ethanol from Biomass Animated Feature provided by youtube.comyoutube.com