Biomass Energy Processes

By definition, biomass energy is created by the burning (combustion) or

biochemical conversion of any organic matter to be used for fuel. Some of the
organic materials used as a source for biomass energy include wood, sawdust,
grasses, corn, sugarcane, farm waste (cow manure), and other plant life. The
processes for converting biomass into energy are numerous.

Combustion
The most well-known process is simple. It is burning (combustion). The
combustion process generates heat that's transformed into energy. In the
combustion process biomass is burned and converted into energy.

The advantage of biomass combustion is that you can use the heat without
needing to convert it into another form of energy such as electricity. You simply
use the heat directly for such things as heating your home and heating the water
in your home. In addition, the combustion heat can be used for direct heat in
plants, manufacturing facilities and even office buildings. Direct heat can also be
converted into electricity.

Co-Firing Process
The co-firing process is considered an inefficient method of combustion. In this
process, the biomass replaces anywhere from 15 to 20 percent of the coal used in
a power plant. This helps to reduce the emissions from coal fuel and even reduces
the operating costs. Switchgrass is the most common material used for this
process.

Switchgrass is a perennial summer grass that's a natural plant found in the

American Great Plains region and in some areas of the South. It's a strong
resistant plant that can withstand drought, flood, pests, and poor soil. It's a
resilient crop that can also be cultivated without the need of harmful fertilizers
than can result in runoff pollution into the rivers, streams and oceans. Many
scientists believe that switchgrass is a more efficient feedstock for ethanol
production than corn.

The combustion process produces some air pollution and isn't as efficient as other
methods since a large portion of the energy produced escapes.

Thermal Conversion
Thermal conversion processes use heat to extract energy by altering the biomass
into a different chemical through various chemical reactions and interaction with
oxygen. These include:
Gasification
The gasification process takes place by using high temperatures and controlling
the amount of oxygen and steam when converting carbon materials such as
petroleum, coal, biomass, and biofuels into hydrogen and carbon monoxide. This
conversion process produces what's known as syngas and is a more efficient
product of biomass than the combustion process. Syngas can be burned directly,
used to create methanol and hydrogen and even be further converted into a
synthetic fuel. You may be familiar with current gasification processing of fossil
fuels.

Pyrolysis
Pyrolysis occurs when biomass is heated without any oxygen in the chamber.
Water, charcoal, tar, oil, and gases such as hydrogen, methane, carbon dioxide,
and carbon monoxide are the products of biomass pyrolysis. These chemical
changes are determined by the type of biomass being processed and how long it
takes to heat. Charcoal is the most common end-product created from pyrolysis
processes, which is used in metallurgy for absorption applications.

Torrefaction
The torrefaction for biomass production is a thermo-chemical processing by the
use of heat. The required temperature for this process is between 200 to 320
degrees Celsius. During the process oxygen is removed and any moisture in the
biomass is removed, leaving what's termed as volatile matter. Superfluous
volatiles are also removed for a purer form of useable biomass. Superfluous
volatiles can include cellulose and other biopolymers that give off an array of
volatiles as they decompose. The result of this process is a dry dark solid biomass
that's known as bio-coal. The bio-coal is typically made into pellets or briquettes
and burned for heating in homes and fuel for industries. Bio-coal has less smoke
than other combustibles.

Chemical Conversion, Non-Combustion Processes

There are other processes for converting biomass into energy that don't require
burning. These methods are able to convert biomass materials in the raw and turn
them into various forms of solid fuel, gas and liquid. The power plants are then
able to use these converted energies, directly without any further processing.