Your guide to Biomass

Biomass refers to living and recently dead plant or animal material which can be used to create energy. A common usage is for producing Biofuel.

The term biomass is useful for plants, where some internal structures may not always be considered living tissue, such as the wood of a tree. This biomass is produced from plants that convert sunlight into plant material through photosynthesis.

Sources of biomass energy lead to agricultural crop residues, energy plantations, and municipal and industrial wastes.

Biomass is grown from several plants, including:

• miscanthus
• switchgrass
• hemp
• corn
• poplar
• willow
• sugarcane
• rapeseed

The particular plant used is usually not very important to the end products, but it does affect the processing of the raw material.

Though biomass is a renewable fuel, and is sometimes called a ‘carbon neutral’ fuel, its use can still contribute to global warming. This happens when the natural carbon equilibrium is disturbed; for example by deforestation or urbanisation of green sites. These activities are termed ‘carbon leakage’.

Michanthus and other energy grasses have the potential to produce very good yields with shorter growing times. Once established, the crop can be harvested annually for a least 15 years.

Biomass energy (Bioenergy) is produced when biomass, such as trees, crops or waste, is used to generate electricity or heat energy.

Biomass in your home

There are two main ways you can use biomass in your home:

Stand-alone stoves providing space heating for a room. These can be fuelled by logs or pellets with pellets only being suitable for automatic feeds. Some models can be fitted with a back boiler to provide water heating.

Boilers connected to your central heating and hot water systems. These are suitable for pellets, logs or chips.