University of Technology
Electromechanical Engineering Department
Energy and Renewable Energies Engineering
Renewable energy
Subject: Biomass
By:-
‫احمد خالد صاحب عبد الحسين‬
‫ثالث طاقة‬
‫صباحي ب‬
Introduction:There are a wide variety of biomass energy resources, including tree and grass crops
and forestry, agricultural, and urban wastes. Biomass is the oldest source of renewable
energy known to humans. It is a renewable energy source because the energy it
contains comes from the sun. Through the process of photosynthesis, chlorophyll in
plants captures the sun's energy by converting carbon dioxide from the air and water
from the ground into carbohydrates, complex compounds composed of carbon,
hydrogen, and oxygen. When these carbohydrates are burned, they turn back into
carbon dioxide and water and release the sun's energy they contain.
There are many types of plants and many ways in which they can be used for energy
production. In general there are two approaches: Energy crops - growing plants
specifically for energy use, and biomass residues - using the residues from plants that
are used for other things. The best approaches vary from region to region according to
climate, soils, geography and population.
Wood is still the largest biomass energy resource today, but other sources of biomass
can also be used. These include food crops, grassy and woody plants, residues from
agriculture or forestry, and the organic component of municipal and industrial wastes.
Even the fumes from landfills (which are methane, a natural gas) can be used as a
biomass energy source
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Thermo-chemical
Bio-chemical ▪ Chemical
Biomass can be used for fuels, power production, and products that would otherwise
be made from fossil fuels.
In such scenarios, biomass can provide an array of benefits which include:
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Potential to greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Burning biomass releases
about the same amount of carbon dioxide as burning fossil fuels. Fossil fuels
release carbon dioxide captured by photosynthesis millions of years ago. Biomass,
on the other hand, releases carbon dioxide that is largely balanced by the carbon
dioxide captured in its own growth (depending how much energy was used to grow,
harvest, and process the fuel). Replacing the biomass harvested results in a
sustainable cycle of carbon dioxide emission and sequestration.
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The use of biomass can reduce dependence on foreign oil because biofuels are the
only renewable liquid transportation fuels available