Biomass Energy Still A Dependable Source

Biomass energy still a dependable source of energy.

China was it at it again. They made an economic biogas plant out of bamboo. Even the dome was bamboo joined with wooden resin. And those plants are providing cooking gas, light and even hot water to the community.

The whole concept biogas/biomass can be summarized as ‘Waste to Power.' Biogas is renewable, Carbon neutral and abundant. Besides, the technology is employing the rural areas. In India, 32% of energy requirement is met by biomass. In the US this figure is low at 5%.

Bagasse based cogeneration in sugar mills is picking up as a feasible solution for the power starved country. Jatropha a flowering plant can be another source of energy. Oil from the seed of the Jatropha plant can be processed to produce a high-quality biofuel or biodiesel. This fuel can be used in diesel cars. The cake can be used as biomass feedstock to power electricity plants, used as well as fertiliser.

Biomass materials are quite varied- bagasse, rice husk, straw, cotton stalk, coconut shells, soya husk, deoiled cakes, coffee waste, jute wastes, groundnut shells, saw dust, etc. Biomass Gasifier is ideal for heating applications in industries like Rice mills, sugar, textile and dying, tiles, steel and other industries. The power from Biomass gasifiers can be connected to the grid. Government- subsidies are available for biogas gasifiers and biogas plants.

A combustible gas mainly Methane is produced when Organic waste, sewage or manure is fermented in the Oxygen free atmosphere. Biogas is typically a mixture of Methane (CH4, 40~70%), Carbon Dioxide (CO2, 25 ~60 %)), traces of Hydrogen (H2) and Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S).

Biogas does not produce smoke is a provider of sustainable agriculture. By using biogas, the dependency of precious fossil fuel is reduced substantially. Biomass has stored energy from the sun through photosynthesis. Biogas is eco-friendly too.

Biomass can be converted to other usable forms of energy such as methane gas or transportation fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. Wood burning stoves are very popular, but the efficiency of conversion is very low. At the same time, biomass gasifiers can produce very high efficiency.