Before the Industrial Revolution, biomass was the most important source of energy for human life. However, with the arrival of fossil fuels, it took a backseat. Today, with concerns about the environment due to the climate crisis, people are looking for ways to obtain energy through more environmentally friendly sources. Biomass energy could be a solution as long as it is obtained in a clean and renewable way.
If you want to know more about this type of energy, as well as learn what the advantages and disadvantages of biomass energy are , we encourage you to continue reading this interesting article from EcologíaVerde.
What is biomass energy and its types
What is biomass and the energy obtained from it? Biomass energy is a type of renewable energy that uses animal or plant organic matter as an energy source , being a natural or industrial process formed in controlled biological or mechanical processes. Within the types of biomass energy we can find three:
- Natural biomass: is that which is produced in natural ecosystems without human intervention.
- Residual biomass: refers to organic waste generated by activities carried out by people, such as urban solid waste , forestry waste, woody and herbaceous agricultural waste, or industrial and agricultural waste.
- Produced biomass: crop fields where specific species are planted with the sole purpose of being used to generate energy.
Learn more about this type of renewable energy in this other article on What is biomass energy and what is it used for ?
Advantages of biomass energy
There are many applications of biomass, as it is used for thermal and electrical production, for transportation, among other activities. But did you know what are the advantages of biomass energy ?
- It is a renewable energy source, since the energy it contains comes from the Sun and the life cycle, so it is practically inexhaustible because biomass is constantly produced as a result of plant and animal activities.
- Its pollution compared to the burning of fossil fuels is lower, so its use reduces CO2 emissions and has less impact on the ozone layer.
- Biomass is present everywhere on the planet and is cheaper.
- It offers a new opportunity to the agricultural sector, since energy crops replace those crops that have been abandoned or that can no longer be used for their initial activity, thus avoiding soil erosion and degradation .
- There are a wide variety of types of biomass.
- It hardly generates emissions of solid particles, non-polluting such as nitrogen or sulfur.
- It contributes to economic growth in rural areas, as well as the creation of new jobs.
- It is true that in order to take advantage of this type of renewable energy from the biomass that comes from energy crops, combustion must be carried out, with the consequence of producing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere and this could be seen as a disadvantage. However, in energy crops, during the growth of the plants that are found in them, they capture CO2, thus offsetting the emissions derived from combustion.
- The use of waste from other activities, which is what we call residual biomass, is contributing to recycling and waste reduction. In the end, both organic and inorganic waste is being eliminated, making use of it for another purpose.
- The use of this energy reduces dependence on fossil fuels .
Disadvantages of biomass energy
Once we have seen what the most relevant environmental and socioeconomic advantages of biomass are, in this section we will show what the disadvantages of biomass energy are , as well as the environmental impact that some of them have:
- Sometimes biomass contains moisture and needs to be dried before it can be burned. This ultimately means an increase in energy expenditure as an additional process has to be added.
- A larger amount of biofuel is needed compared to fossil fuel to produce the same amount of energy, which is why larger spaces are needed to store it.
- If biomass is obtained through a poor process, i.e. an abusive and poorly focused process, this could lead to the destruction of natural habitats and deforestation of forests.
- We are dealing with a resource that has recently emerged and there is no advanced technology available for its efficient use, as is the case with liquid and solid fuels.
- The costs of using biomass increase when there are difficulties in transportation and storage.
- If the burning of biomass produces toxic substances, it must be burned at a temperature greater than 900 ºC.
- Although biomass can be found all over the planet, there are no suitable places to use it because large spaces are needed.
Now that we know the advantages and disadvantages, as well as the environmental impact of biomass, do you think it could be a viable alternative to replace the use of fossil fuels?
