source of energy

The Underutilized Forest and Wood Biofuel

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As people are waiting for “them” to make biofuel available as a source of energy there are many of us who have been using forest biofuel to heat our homes for generations. This biofuel is sold on the free market without government subsidies or a need for more research and development.

Wood can be made into many biofuel products like methane, alcohol, or diesel and it can be burned directly to power electric generators to produce electricity. All of these are expensive and energy intensive. After refining wood into these biofuels the cost and energy used has not made wood biofuel a viable source of energy. The exception to that is burning wood to generate electricity which has experienced some commercial success.

What people often overlook is a form of wood biofuel that requires very little or no processing and that is wood as a heating fuel. While people are waiting for biofuel they are still using fossil fuels to heat their homes when they could switch today to an economically proven biofuel heat source which is to burn wood.

Since there is little or no processing required, direct heating with wood is more efficient than turning wood into another fuel such as diesel or electricity. The raw material is directly converted to the desired product which is heat.

The most basic form of wood biofuel is simple firewood for wood stoves and fireplaces. This is a very desirable form of energy for many homes but it’s not for everyone. Burning firewood does have some disadvantages such as wood handling, it can be messy and can produce smoke. Although modern wood stoves have come a long way in reducing emissions and efficiency. Modern wood stoves can burn with no visible smoke. Burning firewood is not as convenient as other heat sources since you have to continually feed fuel into the fire.

The alternative to fireplaces and firewood stoves is wood pellet stoves. Wood pellets require more processing but pellet stoves are more efficient than firewood stoves so it makes up for the difference. A pellet stove combines the use of renewable biofuel with the convenience of traditional electric, gas or oil heating systems.

Pellet stoves have automatic fuel feeding systems and are thermostatically controlled. Wood pellets are available today and have been proven as a heat source that is competitive and can even cost less than fossil fuels.

Both firewood and wood pellets are available as a practical source of forest biofuel that you can start using today. Which one you choose depends on your situation and preferences.

Learn more about wood pellets and learn more about firewood as biofuels.

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Is Biomass a Practical Source of Energy?

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Any organic material that is composed of plants and animals including parts of plants, flesh of animals or excretions is called biomass. This is a type of energy that can be utilized as a fuel that is known as biofuel.

When referring to biomass, people usually talk about material coming from living organisms that has recently decayed or died. Fossil fuels are also considered as biomass since it is a decayed matter of ancient plants and animals.

New technology considers biofuel as a source of energy that is useful in the future to ease the problem of energy supply, although the mankind had already been using biofuel since before it is named as biofuel. Biofuel can be manifested in the food that we are eating every day. People during the ancient times have already been using plant material such as wood wax and whale oil as fuel in order to produce heat and light.

Advance technologies had given us the opportunity to utilize biomass in making other biofuels. Biomass can be used to run electric generators or can be converted into methane, alcohol or biodiesel to power or run our cars. However, much energy is needed in these processes of conversion of biomass to new forms of energy. Due to this fact, biofuels cannot be regarded as a practical source to use since it is costly.

One form of biofuel that stands to be effective, efficient and practical is the biofuel that people have been using since earliest times. Direct heating is one of the ways in burning biomass and is still considered as the most efficient way.

We can use biomass in heating our homes or buildings rather than trying to use it to run our cars. Other people may think that firewood is not practical to use, however pellets that came from wood may be practical and burning pellets is the most practical way.

Using biomass as a renewable energy through heating with wood or other pellets is practical and cost-effective and another advantage is that the technology and systems of distribution are readily available.

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Benefits of Biomass Energy

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From the very beginning of civilization biomass fuels were being used for the production of energy but from the last few decades, it has been a matter of great debate whether biomass energy is advantageous or not. With all the research and experiments scientists and researchers came to this result that it has many advantages over fossil fuels and it does help in reducing greenhouse effect.

Through this article we are going to discuss some basic advantages of such energy and what are the present steps that are being taken by different countries and organizations to make it popular.

Renewable source

Yes, the basic advantage of biomass energy is that it is renewable source of energy. It is derived from mostly plants and we all know that without plants there will be no life on this planet. So, as long as plants are going to be on this planet, there will a source for the production of these energy.

Reduces green house effect

Another great advantage of biomass energy over fossil fuels is that it helps in reducing green house effect.

It has been observed in the past, that people have raised questions on this very nature of biomass energy. The question is “in the production of biomass energy CO2 is released and also from fossil fuels CO2 is released, so how does this energy have advantage over fossil fuels?”

The basic difference is that all the CO2 which has been absorbed by plant for its growth is going back in atmosphere during its burning for the production of biomass energy while the CO2 produced from fossil fuels is only going to increase the green house effect. Fossil fuels not only produce CO2 but also sulphur dioxide and lead oxide during their burning which are very toxic gases.

Biomass also helps in controlling methane, another green house gas.

Fresh surrounding

The third advantage of biomass energy is that, it also helps in cleaning surrounding.

In the world of today with the increase in population, problem of disposing garbage is also increasing. For their own advantage people throw their garbage’s in river, nearby ocean or empty land which worsens our eco-system balance.

Whatever organic garbage’s are produced by human, animals and plants; they all can be used for the production of this energy and it helps in cleaning our surrounding.

Available in plenty

There is surely no doubt in this statement that biomass is available in plenty. Wherever we look, we can find the source of the production of biomass energy. This is also one of the great advantages of biomass energy over fossil fuel. As we all know that fossil fuels are not going to remain for next 500 years. Many researches are going in different nations to find a source of energy which is not only cheap but also available in plenty. Biomass energy truly is the answer for all their questions regarding seek of alternative form of energy.

So, know this information you can do your part in using biomass energy and help save the earth. Alternatively, you can also use other renewable resources such solar and wind energy. Use them in your homes and you will be able to save electricity and save money at the same time. How wonderful is that?

Yes, together we can save the earth and totally avoid global warming. With this in mind, we are going to increase the lifespan of our generations. Our children will be able to breathe fresher air and live life to the fullest because the earth is greener.

Let us spare some thoughts and take action to heal the world.

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What is Biomass Energy?

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In short, biomass energy is the process of incinerating organic waste, such as dead trees, branches, yard clippings, crops, wood chips or sawdust, to create energy. Biomass is converted into energy through a relatively simple process, especially when compared to other manners used to obtain energy. First, the organic waste is collected at biomass power plants. The organic waste may have come from factories, farms or municipalities that participate in collecting homeowners’ yard waste. The waste is then burned at the biomass power plant in a furnace. The heat from the incineration boils water in an adjacent boiler and the steam then turns turbines and powers generators creating energy.

Many people are turning to biomass energy because biomass appears to be a more renewable, green energy source. First, there is a lot of organic waste out there that usually ends up in landfills.

For example, California generates more than sixty-million tons of organic waste annually, and five-million tons of that is used to generate electricity! Biomass energy provides a way to reduce landfill sizes and landfill emissions. The second reason is that biomass energy is considered a carbon-neutral source of energy. Before organic waste becomes waste, it is comprised of living plants. These plants consume and store carbon dioxide during their life cycle. When incinerated, the organic waste releases the same amount of carbon dioxide that it consumed during its life cycle. For example, one cornhusk soaks up the same amount of energy during its lifecycle that it releases once incinerated. Then, as more plants are replanted to replace the incinerated ones, it will close the carbon dioxide cycle.

Biomass energy, which includes all forms of organic waste (including animal waste), currently supplies about fifteen times more energy to Americans than both wind and solar power. However, biomass energy accounts for just over 1% of the total electricity used in the United States.

Advocates of biomass energy state that we will see numerous environmental benefits—improved air quality, reduced erosion and the reduction of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Opponents of biomass energy claim that it is not a carbon-neutral source of energy, since the biomass power plants consume a substantial amount of energy that is not included in the typical equation that makes biomass neutral. In theory, one cornhusk will consume the same amount of carbon dioxide in its life cycle that it will emit once incinerated, however, there are other costs in the process, such as transporting biomass and powering the power plant. So, in the end, the entire process of converting organic waste to energy may not be carbon-neutral.

Biomass energy is an interesting topic because we are still debating whether or not it is better than the use of fossil fuels. There are many benefits and there are also many drawbacks. EnviroCitizen.org suggests that you do your own research and find out what your position on biomass energy is.

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