Biomass+Power

   GET YOUR GAS OUT OF GRASS: BIOMASS!

//By: Nicole and Zoe //

[[image:http://www.malignani.ud.it/WebEnis/NorthWind-SouthSun/power/images/biomass.jpg width="450" height="418" align="right" caption="This is a picture showing the cycle of how biomass is created [3. "]]
 * // Important Vocabulary Terms: //**

**Biodiesel=** A biofuel made from vegetable oil- relevant to biomass becasue biodiesel is another form of biomass fuel [1]. Gasification= ** Process of converting solid or liquid biomass into a gas- relevant to biomass because it is a step in the transformation in converting biomass into gas [1]. //
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These are all relevant to biomass because they are all several ways of capturing stored chemical energy in biomass: // Direct Combustion **= the burning of material by direct heat and is the simplest biomass technology and may be very economical if the biomass source is nearby [2]. Anaerobic Digestion= **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">converts organic matter to a mixture of methane, the major component of natural gas, and carbon dioxide. Biomass such as waterwaste (sewage), manure, or food processing waste, is mixed with water and fed into a digester tank without air [2]. Alcohol Fermentation **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">= fuel alcohol is produced by converting starch to sugar, fermenting the sugar to alcohol, then separating the alcohol water mixture by distillation. Feedstocks such as wheat, barley, potatoes, and waste paper, sawdust, and straw containing sugar, starch, or cellulose can be converted to alcohol by fermentation with yeast [2].
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 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Landfill Gas **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">= generated by the decay (anaerobic digestion) of buried garbage in landfills. When the organic waste decomposes, it generates gas consisting of approximately 50% methane, the major component of natural gas [2].<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #11ee85; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">media type="youtube" key="GZ8PgGKUjqA" height="287" width="318" align="right"


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Congeneration= **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> the simultaneous production of more than one form of energy using a single fuel and facility. Biomass cogeneration has more potential growth than biomass generation alone because cogeneration produces both heat and electricity [2].

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The UK's largest biomass power plant located in Lockerbie, Scotland

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif;">//** Steps to produce Biomass: **//[[image:http://www.bluffton.edu/courses/TLC/MontelA/Montel/Alternative_Energy_Website/types_of_biomass.gif width="258" height="324" align="right" caption="This is a picture showing the different types of Biomass [4"]]

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">1. Plants capture sunlight and transform it into chemical energy using photosynthesis.

//There are different ways to convert the chemical energy into heat, liquid, or electricity://

2. Solid biomass fuels are burned in a boiler. 3. The heat produced turns water into steam. 4. The steam turns a turbine generator to produce electricity.
 * 1st Method**

2. Biomass is gasified. 3. Then it's burned.
 * 2nd Method**

[4]

<span style="color: #275aec; font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">//**Conservation of Energy Throughout the Steps of Biomass:**//

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">In step 1, solar energy is being captured and transformed into chemical potential energy.

In step 2, chemical potential energy in the biomass, is transformed into heat energy In step 3, the heat energy is transferred to the water, which creates steam In step 4, heat energy from the steam, transforms into kinetic energy, which is then transformed into electrical energy.
 * 1st Method**

In step 2 and 3, the chemical potential energy from the biomass is transformed into heat energy. **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">2nd Method

[[image:http://www.bluffton.edu/courses/TLC/MontelA/Montel/Alternative_Energy_Website/final.gif width="821" height="477" align="center" caption="This is a picture showing how biomass is tranformed into electrical energy [4."]]

**//Advantages of Biomass://** ​Biomass is a renewable resource. Wheat and other agricultural cereals can be used as food, and the stems, or stalks can be used to make biomass. Another advantage is, that when biomass absorbs carbon dioxide during growth, the same carbon dioxide is emitted during combustion, therefore that means that biomass doesn't contribute as much to greenhouse gasses. Also biomass doesn't contribute to acid rain much because it produces small amounts of ash and sulfur [1].

Biomass could contribute to global warming and particulary pollution if it is directly burned. Biomass is still an expensive source, both in terms of producing the biomass and converting it to alcohols. On a small scale, it is most likely a net loss of energy. Energy must be put in to grow the plant mass. Also, growing energy crops takes up a lot of land [5].
 * // Disadvantages of Biomass: //**

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #11ee85; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">media type="youtube" key="2bbxtWMEy3Q" height="263" width="365" align="right"

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Article: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[] This article is about how the government is trying to find new ways to replace the fuel for the government's aircrafts. Biofuel is the newest succesful way that they have been testing to replace the current fuel.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: right;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">This is a video showing what biomass is and how we can use it for energy.

[1] Momis, Neil. __Biomass Power__. Smart Apple Media: North Mankato, MN, 2007.

[2] __Renewable Energy: Biomass__. 1982. Young Peoples Trust for the Environment. 6 Apr. 2010. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[]

[3] Hoexter, Michael. __Electricity from Biomass__. 3 Mar. 2010. Green Thoughts. 6 Apr. 2010. [|http://greenthoughts.us/ree/biomasselectricity|ttp://greenthoughts.us/ree/biomasselectricity]

[4] __Biomass__. 18 Apr. 2002. Alternative Energy. 7 Apr. 2010. []

[5] __Biomass Advantanges and Disadvantages__. 1998. Energy Matters. 5 Apr. 2010. []