What is it?

 

Bioenergy is energy created from organic matter called biomass. Biomass consists of plant or animal material that can be used in combustion or chemical processes to generate biogas or biofuel. Biogas is collected as a by-product of anaerobic digestion. Biofuels are formed from chemical conversion processes that produce ethanol and biodiesel. The diagram at right shows the wide array of possible fuels, processes, and products of bioenergy.

 

 

How does it work?

 

There are several methods of generating bioenergy. A common biochemical process is anaerobic digestion. This process works by feeding organic matter (manure) into a tank. This matter is then decomposed by bacteria in the tank. The solid matter, biochar, sinks to the bottom of the tank and can be burned for heating. The liquid in the tank, effluent, can be pumped out to a secondary reservoir that can be used for irrigation. The gas released from the decomposed organic matter rises to the top of the tank and is passed through a meter to measure its volume. This gas can be burned to power generators to produce electricity or simply in a furnace to produce heat.

 

The most common process for generating bioenergy is combustion. In combustion processes, biomass is burned to produce heat. This process releases carbon dioxide and water as well as smoke and ash. The emissions from burning biomass are less harmful to the atmosphere than those released from burning fossil fuels because they are derived from organic matter that would otherwise naturally decompose.

 

 

Advantages:

 

• fueled by waste materials

• produces solid, liquid, and gas products

• emissions are less harmful than fossil fuels

 

 

Disadvantages:

 

• requires large mounts of biomass fuel

• fuel can be variable quality