Bio-energy Concepts

What is Bioenergy?
When we use plants and other organic material to
generate energy we call it bioenergy.
Bioenergy is one of many diverse resources available to
help meet our demand for energy. It is a form of
renewable energy that is derived from recently living
organic materials known as biomass, which can be used
to produce transportation fuels, heat, electricity, and
products.

Why do we use bioenergy?

We need to reduce the amount of fossil fuel we burn to
meet carbon reduction goals.

• Renewable source - Bioenergy is a low-carbon

renewable energy that we can use to replace carbon
intensive fossil fuels.
• Hard-to-reach sectors - We can use biomass fuels
in cases where few renewable energy options exist, such
as fuel for aeroplanes, ships and trucks.

• Carbon capture - We may be able to use bioenergy

with carbon capture technology to remove CO2 from the
atmosphere.

BENEFITS OF A ROBUST BIOENERGY INDUSTRY

Abundant and renewable bioenergy can contribute to a
more secure, sustainable, and economically sound future
by:
• Supplying domestic clean energy sources
• Reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil
• Generating U.S. jobs
• Revitalizing rural economies
The U.S. Department of Energy's 2016 Billion-Ton Report:
Advancing Domestic Resources for a Thriving
Bioeconomy concluded that the United States has the
potential to produce 1 billion dry tons of non-food
biomass resources annually by 2040 and still meet
demands for food, feed, and fiber. One billion tons of
biomass could:

 Produce up to 50 billion gallons of biofuels.

 Yield 50 billion pounds of bio-based chemicals and

bioproducts.

 Generate 85 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to

power 7 million households.

 Contribute 1.1 million jobs to the U.S. economy.

 Keep $260 billion in the United States.

BIOMASS: A RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCE

Biomass is a renewable energy resource derived from
plant- and algae-based materials that include: Crop
wastes,Forest residues,Purpose-grown grasses,Woody
energy crops,Microalgae,Urban wood waste,Food waste

Biomass is a versatile renewable energy source. It can be

converted into liquid transportation fuels that are
equivalent to fossil-based fuels, such as gasoline, jet,
and diesel fuel. Bioenergy technologies enable the reuse
of carbon from biomass and waste streams into
reduced-emissions fuels for cars, trucks, jets and ships;
bioproducts; and renewable power.

BIOFUELS: ENERGY FOR TRANSPORTATION

Biomass is one type of renewable resource that can be
converted into liquid fuels known as biofuels for
transportation. Biofuels include cellulosic ethanol,
biodiesel, and renewable hydrocarbon "drop-in" fuels.
The two most common types of biofuels in use today are
ethanol and biodiesel.

BIOPOWER: ENERGY FOR HEAT AND

ELECTRICITY
Biopower technologies convert renewable biomass fuels
into heat and electricity using processes like those used
with fossil fuels. There are three ways to harvest the
energy stored in biomass to produce biopower: burning,
bacterial decay, and conversion to a gas or liquid fuel.
Biopower can offset the need for carbon fuels burned in
power plants.

BIOPRODUCTS: EVERYDAY COMMODITIES

MADE FROM BIOMASS

Biomass is a versatile energy resource, much like

petroleum. Beyond converting biomass to biofuels for
vehicle use, it can also serve as a renewable alternative
to fossil fuels in the manufacturing of bioproducts such as
plastics, lubricants, industrial chemicals, and many other
products currently derived from petroleum or natural gas.

Bioenergy Technologies
• Biofuels : Biofuels are transportation fuels, such as
ethanol and biodiesel, created by converting biomass
into liquid fuels to meet transportation needs.

• Biopower: Biopower technologies convert renewable

biomass fuels into heat and electricity using one of three
processes: burning, bacterial decay, and conversion to I
gas/liquid fuel.

• Bioproducts: In addition to electricity and fuels,

biomass can also be converted into chemicals for making
plastics and other products that typically are made from
petroleum.

Benefits of Biomass
Biomass can provide an array of benefits.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction
The use of biomass energy has the potential to greatly
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Burning biomass
releases about the same amount of carbon dioxide as
burning fossil fuels. However, fossil fuels release carbon
dioxide captured by photosynthesis millions of years ago
an essentially "new" greenhouse gas. Biomass, on the
other hand, releases carbon dioxide that is largely
balanced by the carbon dioxide captured in its own
growth (depending how much energy was used to grow,
harvest, and process the fuel).

Foreign Oil Dependence Reduction

The use of biomass can reduce dependence on foreign
oil because biofuels are the only renewable liquid
transportation fuels available.

U.S. Agricultural and Forest Product Industry

Support
Biomass energy supports U.S. agricultural and
forest-product industries. The main biomass feedstocks
for power are paper mill residue, lumber mill scrap, and
municipal waste. For biomass fuels, the most common
feedstocks used today are corn grain (for ethanol) and
soybeans (for biodiesel). In the near future and with
NREL-developed technology agricultural residues such as
corn stover (the stalks, leaves, and husks of the plant) and
wheat straw will also be used. Long-term plans include
growing and using dedicated energy crops, such as
fast-growing trees and grasses, and algae. These
feedstocks can grow sustainably on land that will not
support intensive food crops.

Advantages of biomass energy

1. Renewable : Biomass energy is a renewable form of
energy. As we use biomass materials, the supply of
organic matter is diminishing. However, biomass can be
regenerated quickly.
2. Reliable : Biomass is a reliable resource that can
produce energy at any time. This is an advantage over
other renewable energy resources, like wind and solar
energy, which are intermittent.
3. Abundant : One of the biggest pros of biomass energy
is that biomass is abundant. There is a growing amount
of organic material being produced every day; you can
find biomass nearly everywhere on the planet.
4. Waste reduction : One reason why biomass is so
widely available is because the planet produces a lot of
waste. Much of the waste we make is biodegradable, like
food and plant waste.
5. Carbon-neutral : Carbon dioxide emissions are driving
forces of climate change. Biomass is considered a
carbon-neutral energy source because it fits into the
natural carbon cycle, which traditional fossil fuels do not.

Disadvantages of biomass energy

1. Expensive : The production of biomass energy can
come with a high price tag. First, constructing biomass
energy plants requires a significant upfront investment.
Then, the cost of harvesting and transporting biomass
materials needs to be considered.
2. Requires space : Biomass energy plants need quite a
bit of space, mainly because of needing storage space.
This limits where biomass energy plants can be built.
3. Greenhouse gas emissions : As we said, biomass
energy is carbon-neutral. However, biomass is still
releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Other
renewable sources are carbon-zero, which is much
better when looking to tackle climate change. The less
carbon dioxide being released - the better.
4. Environmental impact : Although biomass energy is
renewable, it isnt the most environmentally friendly
renewable option out there.
5. Inefficient : Right now, biomass energy is not as
efficient as other energy sources. In many cases, it takes
more energy to burn the organic material than the
process actually produces.