by Can Tran

Created on: May 21, 2007

Biomass is a type of energy that's made from waste or plants that is used for biofuel. To understand how biomass energy works, we have to understand what this energy source is comprised of. Basically, biomass is energy made from waste such as biodegradable wastes that can be burned off as a source of fuel. Biomass can be made into a gas or a liquid. There is biomass gasification and biomass liquidation.

Biomass gassification takes place when you get the biomass and charcoal that is treated when air or oxygen is present. But not enough present air for combustion. However, there is still the gas formation as a result of the charcoal and biomass in the presence of the air. Basically, they try to oxidize the mix of biomass and charcoal as a gas. The air should remove the charcoal as the final output is maximized. As a result, a "producer-gas" is produced. This producer-gas is a source of energy as a result from the biomass.

This is one aspect on how biomass works as an energy source. Biomass alone cannot be used as energy, it has to be converted into either a gas or a liquid. In gas form, the gas produced by the mix of biomass and charcoal can be used as a source of energy. Such as a case generating electricity to power TVs, computers, batteries, and anything else requiring electric power.

But if hydrogen and carbon monoxide is mixed, it is called synthesis gas. This can be burned in combustion engines producing methanol and hydrogen. It becomes a synthetic fuel. Basically both methods are considered carbon-neutral and economically efficient.

There are several methods in which biomass can be liquified. Such as the Fischer Tropsch process as described above to make synthetic fuel from biomass. Less land is required to produce the fuel as a result of this process which is a pretty good thing. Meaning, it can be environment friendly.

There's alkanes produced from plant oils that possess fatty acid esters. The result from the hydrogenation from those oils is biodiesel fuel. Another method of liquification is the use of flash pyrolysys burning at the temperature of four-hundred and fifty degree celsius with sour oil, charcoals, and usable gas as a result. Lastly, there is catalytic depolymerization separating usuable diesel fuel from hydrocarbon wastes.

There's also the MixAlco process which converts biomass to a mixed alcohol fuel. More liquid fuel is produced from the biomass as a result. The biomass can be solid wastes, biodegradable waste, sewage sludge, corn stover, sugarcane bagasse, gotton gin trash, manure, and other wases. Those wastes are converted into chemicals such as carboxylic acids, ketones, and biofuels. The chemicals produced are then mixed with primary and secondarly alcohols.

Luckily, using this method the fuels produced don't need to be sterlized. It's more economical in terms of greating ethanol. So these are the three methods in which biomass can be used as energy. Keep in mind, use of biofuel is renewable but still contributes to global warming.

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