Biomass definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Examples of biomass sources are wood products, dried vegetarians, crop residues, aquatic plants. Instead, biomass refers to the organic matter which can be used as a renewable energy source in a number of different ways. Organic waste such as dead plant and animal material, animal dung and kitchen waste can be converted into gaseous fuel called biogas.
In many parts of the united states, people use wood in furnaces, wood stoves and fireplaces as. A fuel, such as biogas or biodiesel, that is produced from renewable resources, especially plant biomass, vegetable oils, or treated municipal and. The biomass is an organic matter that can be used as a source of energy. Environmental protection agency epa prefer the term forest or forest.
Plants or plantbased materials that are not used for food or feed, and are specifically called lignocellulosic biomass. The principal categories of biomass conversion technologies for power and heat production are. Energy initiative euei pdf and gizs povertyoriented. That is, stover provided 55 percent of the total biomass in corn. A biomass blueprint to meet 15% of oecd electricity. This means that the share of urban energy use in the global energy mix is. Biomass simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The organic waste is decomposed by bacteria in biogas digesters to emit biogas which is essentially a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide in ecology, biomass means the accumulation of.
Citescore values are based on citation counts in a given year e. Biomass and agricultural residues are a large potential source of renewable energy. Biomass is any organic material that has stored sunlight in the form of chemical energy, such as plants, agricultural crops or residues, municipal wastes, and algae. Use the alphabetical index below to locate terms, or scroll through the terms and definitions in the full text glossary. Other biomass sources can include agricultural waste products like fruit pits and corncobs. Our revised estimates are based on a recent report from a pioneermonsanto project with very recent yield levels and. Biomass, a renewable energy source,is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms, such as wood, waste, and alcohol fuels. It is derived from the energy crops to agricultural residues and waste and from the living organisms. The terms defined in this glossary are used throughout the bioenergy website and publications. Biomass energy definition biomass is an industry term for getting energy by burning organic material that comes from plants and animals.
A general term for energy obtained from a sustainablerenewable energy sourcee. Woodlogs, chips, bark, and sawdustaccounts for about 44 percent of biomass energy. The significance of liquid fuel production from woody. Biomass can refer to species biomass, which is the mass of one or more species, or to community biomass, which is the mass of all species in the community. Look for specific topics, latest articles or uploaded documents and announce upcoming. The weight or quantity of organisms in an area at a given moment is the standing crop. When produced by sustainable means, biomass emits roughly the same amount of carbon during conver. Biomass energy sector planning guide clean cooking alliance. Biomass energy is any kind of energy that uses a biological organism plant or animal as its source.
Biomass breaks down to bio, meaning living, and mass, meaning weight. Biomass definition is the amount of living matter as in a unit area or volume of habitat. Biomass definition of biomass by medical dictionary. Biomass is organic material that comes from plants and animals, and it is a renewable source of energy.
Biomass energy from plant and animal matter biomass is organic material made from plants and animals. This chapter presents a broad overview of biomass and bioenergy, the potential environmental, economic and sustainability benefits to be derived from using biomass to generate electricity, and the. Biomass, the weight or total quantity of living organisms of one animal or plant species species biomass or of all the species in a community community biomass, commonly referred to a unit area or volume of habitat. Biofuel is a product of the organic material mentioned above in the biomass definition. Energy derived from biomass fuel pellets gave a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions nolan et al 2010. The biomass is the mass of living biological organisms in a given area or ecosystem at a given time. Each definition is a short description intended to help students and researchers understand biomass terminology.
Biomass is just organic matter think, stuff thats made in nature like wood pellets, grass clippings and even dung. Biomass is plant or animal waste thats used as fuel. Efficiency, scale, and sustainability energy supply and use is a national priority and a major focus of national, state, and local policy makers. Biomass organic matter that can be converted into energy includes food crops, crops grown specifically to produce energy e. Biomass energy definition of biomass energy by medical. Biomass energy refers to fuels made from plants and animal wastes. Biomass energy definition of biomass energy by the free.
Methods of extracting biomass energy biomass can be converted to thermal energy, liquid, solid or gaseous fuels and other chemical products through a variety of conversion processes. Biomass includes both the above and belowground tissues of plants, for example, leaves, twigs, branches, boles, as well as roots of trees and rhizomes of. United states department of agriculture chief economist. Wood and wood waste are used to generate electricity. Subsequently, corn yields have typically increased and the harvest index has declined. During photosynthesis, plants use light from the suns energy light en ergy to convert carbon dioxide and water into simple sugars and oxygen. The solid biomass portal provides an overview of biomass related information on energypedia. Information and translations of biomass in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Biomass energy synonyms, biomass energy pronunciation, biomass energy translation, english dictionary definition of biomass energy.
The chemical energy in plants gets passed on to animals and people that eat them. Biomass is any organic matterwood, crops, seaweed, animal wastes that can be used as an energy source. The use of biomass as an energy feedstock is emerging as a potentially viable alternative to address u. However, with the emergence of global warming as a serious concern in. Biomass is any organic matterwood, crops, seaweed, animal wastesthat can be used as an energy source. Comparison of definitions in legislation congressional research service 1 introduction the potential for biomass to meet u. It is, therefore, one of the extensively explored research areas in sustainable energy field. Crops, like sugarcane and corn, can also be used to create biofuels.
This energy is also available in the form of biodegradable waste, which is the rejected component of available biomass 7. When biomass is burned, the chemical energy in biomass is released as heat. This process is a very efficient means of extracting. Biomass can be used to produce electricity or other forms of energy. Biomass refers to the mass of living organisms, including plants, animals, and microorganisms, or, from a biochemical perspective, cellulose, lignin, sugars, fats, and proteins. Biomass is a renewable energy source with an enormous potential to generate heat, power, and biofuels.
Barley straw and hulls are a source of biomass to make fuel pellets, which can be burned alone or cofired with coal to produce heat andor power. You can use biomass as a technical term for the total mass of living stuff in a particular area, like the biomass of kansas, or the biomass of your kid brothers room yuck. We frequently use biomass to talk about natural material that can be used as fuel, like cow. And because plant matter can be regrown, its a renewable source of energy.
The biomass is a biomass residue2 and the use of that biomass residue in the project activity does not involve a decrease of carbon pools, in particular dead wood, litter or soil or ganic carbon, on the land areas where the biomass residues are originating from. Even if we had an unlimited supply of fossil fuels, using renewable energy is better for the environment. Biomass energy can theoretically be made from any material that is, or was, living. Biomass meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. The total amount of organic material produced by living organisms in a particular area. Japans biomass has the potential to meet a part its primary energy needs. Wood energy comes from direct use of harvested wood as a fuel and from wood waste streams. Because the definition of biomass is so broad, fuels that can be considered biomass include a wide variety of items and researchers are discovering new biomass energy sources all the time. We often call renewable energy technologies clean or green because they produce few if any. Comparison of definitions in legislation through the 111. In the context of this document, biomass conversion refers to the process of converting biomass into energy that will in turn be used to generate electricity andor heat. Plants absorb the suns energy in a process called photosynthesis. One of the most promising renewable energy sources for transportation is biomass. For example, forest residues such as dead trees, branches and tree stumps, yard clippings and wood chips and garbage may be used as biomass.
During photosynthesis, plants use light from the suns energy light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into simple sugars and oxygen. Biomass is defined as organic matter, such as wood, crops, and animal wastes. Po box 1611, montpelier, vermont 05601 ph 8022237770 fax 8022237772. Biomass definition, the amount of living matter in a given habitat, expressed either as the weight of organisms per unit area or as the volume of organisms per unit volume of habitat. Found as a pdf file on epa server november 2000, february 2001. Some sources of biomass are wood and waste derived from wood, forest debris, animal manure, agricultural crops, and waste, etc.
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