Bioenergy is produced by the release of stored chemical energy contained in fuels made from biomass. Biomass is actually a product of solar energy that has been stored by the photosynthetic activity of plants. The plants remove CO2 from the atmosphere and combine it with water to produce biomass.
Biomass is in many common waste products, such as:
- agricultural waste
- forest waste
- municipal waste
- food processing waste
Bioenergy is not a new concept. It is one of the oldest of all energy resources, beginning with the controlled use of fire to provide heat, light and cooking for earliest mankind. The production of prepared biofuels also dates to ancient civilizations who made metal instruments in forges that burned wood in the form of charcoal. These civilizations also used liquid biofuels in the form of animal fats or vegetable oils for their lamps.
At one time in Canada, the combustion of biomass, usually wood, was the principal method for heating, cooking and providing hot water. Industry also used the combustion of biomass, along with water and wind power, as its principal source of energy.
Today, 5.9% of Canada’s primary energy demand is supplied from the combustion of biomass. Other countries that are not heavily industrialized or do not have indigenous fossil fuels still use biomass for a large portion of their energy supply.
Applications of Bioenergy
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Bioenergy Applications
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Potential Users
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Source of Bioenergy
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 Process heat and/or electricity
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Industrial
Municipal
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Pulping liquor and wood residues are burned in large boilers.Wood residues are processed using gasification to produce fuel gas.Forestry and agricultural residues are processed using liquifaction-pyrolysis to produce Bio-oils.
Municipal solid waste is burned directly or digested in a landfill to produce landfill gas.Municipal sewage is processed biologically in anaerobic digesters to produce biogas.
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Space and water heat
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Residential
Commercial
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Chunk wood or pellets are burned in high-efficiency enclosed fireplaces, box-stoves, furnaces and cook stoves.
Wood or agricultural residues are burned in furnaces to produce direct heat or to heat water in boilers. The biomass can be made into a more efficient fuel by transforming it into pellets, briquettes and logs.
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Automobile fuel
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General Public
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Straw and corn stover are converted to sugars that are fermented to produce Ethanol.
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Heavy vehicle fuel
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Trucking Industry
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Oilseed is processed using extraction to produce Bio-diesel fuel. |
Benefits of Bioenergy
Bioenergy has the following benefits:
- Biomass can be used as a source of energy indefinitely because plant matter is renewed continuously by photosynthesis in a short regrowth cycle.
- Due to the short replication cycle of biomass, using bioenergy does not increase atmospheric carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases considered to be the major cause of global warming. In fact, it can actually decrease the amount of methane – another more potent greenhouse gas – which is given off by decaying plant matter.
- Bioenergy has a generally positive impact on the local economy. Biofuels are bulky and have a low-energy density so it is not economical to transport them long distances. As a result, the money spent to purchase biofuels generally remains in the local area.
- More local jobs are created and material requirements are increased because more labour is needed to handle fuels made from biomass and more extensive mechanical structures are needed.
- The use of biomass provides significant benefits to other local industries. For example, the removal of dead, diseased or low-quality trees from forests for fuel prepares the area for replanting more valuable tree species. And the collection of straw or corn stover for conversion to ethanol provides extra income for farms without an investment in special equipment.
- Biomass materials are often waste products from existing industrial activities that would otherwise be disposed of--at considerable cost. For example, if you burn unusable waste material such as bark, construction waste and tree clippings, you reduce the pressure to expand local landfill sites while generating useful energy
- By growing biomass for use as a source of energy, you can improve the environment. Land that can’t be used for traditional crops can be put to use to grow biomass for energy. If you plant fast-growing trees on exposed land areas, you can prevent erosion, hold rainfall for better flood control and provide foliage for organic matter that increases nutrients in the soil.
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