On this page:
What is biomass waste-to-energy? Biogas and biofuel Biomass energy and the environment
What is biomass and waste-to-energy?
Biomass is the name used for all organic matter on earth, including plants and animals.
Biomass, including waste, can be used as a source of renewable energy in two ways.
- Organic material such as wood can be burned and used directly to generate heat and electricity.
- Crops, excess farming produce household waste and even human sewage can be used to produce bio-fuel (ethanol) and bio-gas (methane).
[top of page]
Biogas and biofuel
Biogas and biofuel are two energy products sourced from biomass.
Organic material such as plants, animals and food produce a gas called methane when they decompose. Methane is a biogas that can be captured and used as fuel for generators to produce electricity.
Landfill sites and wastewater treatment plants (sewage plants) can potentially release a large amount of methane into the air. Various technologies are used to capture the methane and use it to generate electricity.
New research is underway to use biomass such as wood to produce ethanol (alcohol). Ethanol can be combined with petrol and used as fuel for car engines. Biomass such as plant and animal fat can also be used to produce biodiesel. Biodiesel can be used as fuel for diesel engines.
[top of page]
Biomass energy and the environment
Methane has 21 times more greenhouse gas content than carbon dioxide and is harmful when released into the atmosphere.
However, if you burn methane it procduces carbon dioxide, so it is better to burn methane than to release it.
Cars and combustion engines are major sources of greenhouse gas. Using biodiesel or a mixture of ethanol and petrol to power combustion engines reduces the amount of greenhouse gas produced.
Unlike petrol or diesel, biofuel is made from renewable sources of energy and as the technology advances, it can be produced more economically.
Burning biomass to generate electricity can also help the environment by reducing our dependence on power stations that use non-renewable energy sources and emit large amounts of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.
[top of page]
More information
On this site
Renewable energy