Biomass Energy Disadvantages

Biomass Energy disadvantages. There really are not that many. But we do need to look at the whole picture when trying to see if biomass is a good alternative fuel to fossil fuel such as coal or oil.

1. Biomass produces greenhouse emissions. The biggest argument against biomass is that it produces carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

2. It takes more energy to plant ,cultivate and harvest the crops and trees than it is worth to get a net energy gain. It also takes up more water from the earth and other fossil fuels to make the fertilizers and fuels for planting and harvesting. it also, supposedly, takes up more land for the crops and trees.

3.Biomass collection is difficult. There was a man who, in 1979, traveled from Jacksonville, Fl to Los Angeles, Ca on wood he was using in his biomass gasifier attached to a Chevy Malibu. He would travel 1 mile for every pound of wood. Not the most efficient use of fuel.

4. Biomass crops not available all year. Corn, wheat, barley and the like are seasonal crops. They are not available all year. Trees are also a slow growing resource even though they are renewable. This would also tend to be a negative on the side of biomass fuels.

Biomass Advantages - Put Your Waste Products in Your Gas Tank

Check out these biomass advantages.

1. Biomass energy resources is plentiful.Anything that will decompose and/or burn can be used as biomass energy. Therefore, biomass resources are very plentiful. Grass clippings, animal waste, corn stalks, acorns, tree limbs, meal scraps ...... can all be used for biomass energy.

2. It is easy to convert to fuel I used to drive by a landfill in Indiana every month. There used to be pipes coming out of the landfill with flames that never stopped. They were burning off methane gas from the buried waste. Alcohol has been around for thousands of years. In fact, automobiles and other machinery were running on ethanol almost 100 years ago. And guess what? Brazil, the fifth largest country in the world is independent of foreign oil. they run all their cars on Ethanol. So the technology is there.

3. The Technology is There. The technology is there to produce alcohol as a fuel or to make biodiesel fuel. Farmers were using it almost 100 years ago. Henry Ford was an advocate of alcohol fuel before the Prohibition. Brazil, the fifth largest country in the world, uses nothing but alcohol as it's choice of automotive fuel. Alcohol itself has been around for thousands of years. And anyone can get a permit to produce alcohol fuel from the government.

4. Helps to utilize idle farmland and deforested areas. There is still plenty of land out there that can be producing biomass. Using this idle land will produce biomass, create jobs and help us break away from foreign oil. A great plus for biomass advantages.

5. Biomass absorbs CO2 If it is produced on a renewable basis using biomass energy does not result in a net carbon dioxide increase as plants absorb it when they grow. Through the process of photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is absorbed into the plants. When burned, CO2 is emitted but at least it is balanced out. fossil fuels only add CO@ into the atmosphere.

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Biomass Fuel

Disadvantages of Biomass Energy

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The Basics of Biomass Fuel

Biomass fuel refers to anything that can either burn or decompose. Other terms are biomass energy or biofuel. The prefix "bio" refers to life.

Bioenergy technologies use renewable organic resources, called biomass, to produce many energy related products including electricity, liquid, solid and gaseous fuels, heat, chemicals and other materials.

Bioenergy ranks second - to hydropower - in renewable U.S. primary energy production and accounts for 3 percent of the primary energy production in the United States.

Biomass fuels are starting to become more popular due to the rising costs of fossil fuels. The beauty of using these biofuels is that we can develop our own fuels at home just as our forefathers did over 100 years ago.

Also utilizing the source of bioenergy reduces pollution, helps control carbon dioxide emissions ( Remember, plants take in CO2 which will offset emissions)

Bioenergy is starting to become more popular due to the rising costs of fossil fuels. The beauty of using these biofuels is that we can develop our own fuels at home just as our forefathers did over 100 years ago.

Also utilizing the source of bioenergy reduces pollution, helps control carbon dioxide emissions ( Remember, plants take in CO2 which will offset emissions) Biomass resources will also help support the American farmer as well as other natural renewable resources.

Here are some basics regarding this interesting field:

While crops and certain types of animals are consumed as food, they also create waste products that can be used as biomass. Process residues, dung and bagasse - sugar cane waste - can all be used in the production of bioenergy. one such biofuel is methane gas, a very efficient fuel for today's engines. Energy crops, such as fast-growing trees and grasses, are called bioenergy feedstocks. Stalks, straws, treetops, branches, perennial crops and other forest waste can all be used as biomass. With this, we can generate fuels such as ethanol by use of alcohol fuel stills and hydrogen and methane by the aid of gasifiers.

There are many sources of organic material that can be used to create biomass fuel. One source of materials is byproducts from manufacturing of fibers. Making pulp, paper, lumber, plywood and cotton yields process residues, black liquor, sawdust and bark that can all be used as biomass Construction and demolition wood, yard trimmings and non-recyclable organic material are all consumer waste that can be used as biomass to create energy.

It really does not take much effort once you get the equipment in place to generate your own alcohol, methane or biodiesel fuel from byproducts we dispose of every day.

Unlike other renewable energy sources, biomass can be converted directly into liquid fuels for our transportation needs.

The two most common biomass fuels are ethanol and biodiesel. Ethanol, an alcohol, is made by fermenting any biomass high in carbohydrates, like corn, through a process similar to brewing beer.

It is mostly used as a fuel additive to cut down a vehicle's carbon monoxide and other smog-causing emissions. Biodiesel, an ester, is made using vegetable oils, animal fats, algae, or even recycled cooking greases.

It can be used as a diesel additive to reduce vehicle emissions or in its pure form to fuel a vehicle.

Heat can be used to chemically convert biomass into a fuel oil, which can be burned like petroleum to generate electricity.

Biomass can also be burned directly to produce steam for electricity production or manufacturing processes. (CBS News)
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Biomass Fuel Alternatives
Biomass Advantages
Disadvantages of Biomass Energy
Ethanol Fuel

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