Biomass Energy

Biomass Energy - Page 1/1

►Biomass Energy:

Biomass is plant and animal material that can be used for energy. This includes using wood from trees, waste from other plants (for example, Bagasse from sugar cane) and manure from livestock. Biomass can be used to generate electricity, light, heat, motion and fuel. Converting biomass energy into useable energy has many environmental benefits. It uses waste materials that are usually dumped, and uses up methane (a greenhouse gas). Fuels such as ethanol can be made from biomass and used as an alternative to petrol to power motor cars.
All plant and animal matter is called biomass. It is the mass of biological matter on earth. We can get (biomass) energy:

- Directly from plants, for example burning wood for cooking and heating. or Indirectly from plants, for example turning it into a liquid (alcohol such as ethanol) or gas (biogas) fuel.
- Indirectly from animal waste, for example biogas (mainly methane gas) from sewage and manure.

An increasing number of renewable energy projects using biomass has been developed. Most of these use waste products from agriculture, so they solve a waste disposal problem and, at the same time, create energy for use in homes, farms and factories.

Logan City Council collects biogas from a landfill site at Browns Plains, and uses it to generate electricity. Four companies in Ipswich are working together to use energy from landfill biogas. The biogas will be processed and piped to nearby Swanbank Power Station.

Biogas can also be produced from livestock manure and human sewage. Farms where animals graze and sewage plants are ideal places to produce energy from biogas. Waste peelings from food processing plants can also be used to produce biogas.

An example of agricultural waste being used to produce electricity is the recent Mackay Sugar Cooperative Association bagasse project. Bagasse (solid waste from sugar production) from four mills will be processed and used instead of coal to produce electricity.