Using Biomass as a Possible Homegrown Energy Source

With the current “green” movement going on throughout the world, many countries are beginning to research new sources of energy that are renewable and also able to remain sustainable given the current demand. In the United States the most publicly seen alternative energy forms are solar and wind, but biomass supplies almost fifteen times as much energy as both solar and wind power combined (How Biomass Energy Works). Using biomass as a fuel source is not a new concept. For the last several hundred years, humans have been able to successfully harness the energy from the sun that is contained in biomass. The process of harnessing this energy included the following processes: burn the biomass, heat water, create steam, and use steam to generate electricity (How Biomass Energy Works). Although there are many promising uses of biomass for a renewable energy source, there are also skeptics that question if the biomass technology is going to be able to keep up with the demand. The skeptics of biomass state that if the biomass energy is moved to large scale power production there will not be enough biomass fuel sources to sustain these new biomass plants. These increases in demand for biomass will also increase the price of food since many of the biomass crops include ones used for consumption (Alternative Energy Sources).

Biomass energy is only one of the many different alternative energy fuel sources that have been explored in more detail in the last decade. One of the main reasons that biomass energy appeals to the United States is its ability to be grown and harvested on our own land. The political events that have been going on over the past decade in the Middle East have sparked the need to look for a fuel source other than foreign oil. The ideal situation would be for the United States to be able to grow and produce all of the fuels that are consumed on such a large scale every day. In order to keep up with the large demand, there must be numerous possible sources to use to make the biomass based fuels. Possible sources include trees, grass, crops, industrial and agricultural waste. These sources are used to fill the three main fuel demands in the world right now, solid, liquid and gas. Biomass offers opportunities for each one of these fuel types. For solid fuel demands, biomass can be pelletized and in turn burned to produce heat and electricity. Liquid fuels can be made by liquefying biomass to create natural oils.(what about gas?) Although all of these modes of creating fuel from biomass have been developed and successfully tested in the laboratories, skeptics say that most of these can only be done on a small scale, due in part to the large scale harvesting that must be done.

There are two main approaches to growing and harvesting biomass plants. One approach includes farming specific plants that have the potential to be fully converted into a fuel. The second approach includes using the residues from the harvested plants such as corn husks (How Biomass Energy Works). In the article “Building on its Biomass Base” in the Biomass Magazine, author Lisa Gibson talks about how four separate companies are testing their own developed biomass systems in the same building. In this article Lisa writes about the different research areas that are currently being explored including , an algae photo bioreactor, a Fastox gasification system, a circulating fluidized bed combustor, and a methane producing waste water treatment plant (Gibson). Each one of these processes offers great potential to be used in various applications as fuel sources, Although these processes will have to overcome certain challenges in order to be able to produce these biofuels on a large scale as outlined in the academic journal “An Overview of Second Generation Biofuel Technologies” by Ralph Sims. These challenges include technical barriers, production cost, need for more investment in research and development, and the transition process from one source to another (Sims).

When biomass energy is implemented on a large scale, there will be a need for a substantial amount of biomass. One source of biomass that is readily available for harvest is what is known as woody biomass. In Woodland, California there is a power plant that is fueled directly from locally supplied woody biomass. This woody biomass is comprised of agricultural residues and urban wood waste (Gibson). Although this site has proven that the technology can work, one main argument that can be said is that if there was a biomass power plants like this one in every major city there would not be enough woody biomass to enable the plant to keep up with the demand for power. This plant can function because it is the only one in the area and therefore can utilize a vast amount of resources that are, at this time, unused by any other production method. The reason that these woody biomass plants require such a large amount of biomass to operate, is due to the fact that the woody biomass contains much less energy per unit than that of coal. Since the woody biomass produces less energy when burned we must obtain and harvest it at a rate that is greater than the current mining rate of coal. Therefore as more woody biomass plants are built, more forest will have to be harvested. The current forest systems will not be able to sustain themselves if they are harvested at the rate they would need to be if coal was replaced completely with woody biomass alone. When all of the woody biomass is removed, the forest loses its natural nutrient supply and fertilizer that it needs to sustain itself. If the forest is going to replenish itself it will need fertilizers added to it, which are currently made of petroleum based products. This is another reason why it is so difficult to find a technology that completely frees our society from petroleum and coal. Large scale storage and harvesting is a another issue that has to be solved due to the large volume that would be required for each biomass plant(Alternative Energy Sources). Although woody biomass seems like a simple solution , it still has its negative effects that have to be accounted for.

When it comes to energy usage in the United States, Ohio was rated as the sixth largest energy consumer in 2000 (Green Energy Ohio). This means that the people of Ohio should be on the top of the list of people looking for a new clean fuel source produced from something that is already grown. The reason that a new sustainable and clean fuel source is needed is because our current practices cause environmental issues such as clear cutting, toxic ground water, and air pollution (Green Energy Ohio). These environmental issues have been occurring since the Industrial Revolution, but only in the last decade have these issues begun to emerge as a main stream topic in which people have become involved.. When biomass energy is discussed, one environmental issue that often arises is the fact that carbon dioxide is released when the biofuels are burned. If the trees are used as a biomass fuel source themselves, without their process of photosynthesis, how will the carbon dioxide be absorbed. These are all issues that need to be weighed when determining is the best option for an energy source to replace coal.
Time is not on our side when it comes to selecting a new renewable and sustainable energy source. There are many different energy possibilities that have resulted from dedicated and vigorous research work of companies, university, and individuals. In order to make the correct decision and choice when it comes to the replacement of coal we have to weigh all of the options both short term and long time. I believe that we have a vast number of people who are beginning to recognize that we need to be aggressive and act quickly when it come to our future energy plans. Biomass energy is one source that will be able to fill a niche in the fuel industry and help to move our society away from coal.









Bibliography
Gibson, Lisa. "Building on its Biomass Base." Biomass Magazine (2010).
Green Energy Ohio. January 2004. 21 January 2010 .
"How Biomass Energy Works." 2009. Union of Concerned Scientists. 25 January 2010 .
It's Good but Disadvantages of Biomass Energy Must also be Acknowledged. 2008. 3 February 2010 .
Sims, Ralph. "An overview of second generation biofuel technologies." Bioresource Technology (2009): 1570-1580.