Biomass electricity how does it work

But even if living trees can claw back these carbon-dioxide emissions relatively quickly, there is a danger in front-loading our emissions in this way. And even if it remains as forest, wild fire, insect damage, disease and other ecological stresses including climate change itself may limit or prevent regrowth, so that the carbon debt incurred by biomass energy is never repaid. Kate Ravilious is a contributing editor to environment and energy at Physics World , www.

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Biomaterials Research update Processed wood can be moulded into complex 3D structures. Atmosphere Research update Plastic aerosols in the atmosphere could affect the climate. Related jobs. Related events. Large systems require significant amounts of material, which leads to increasing haul distances and material costs.

Therefore, determining the optimal system size for a particular application is an iterative process. A variety of incentives exist for biomass power, but vary with Federal and state legislation policies. The timing of incentive programs often allows less construction time than needed for biomass projects. Also, Federal agencies often cannot take direct advantage of financial incentives for renewable energy unless they use a different ownership structure. Of interest, the State of Massachusetts recently removed biomass-fired electricity from its Renewable Portfolio Standard, because state officials did not believe that biomass provided a clear reduction in greenhouse gases.

As such, biomass projects no longer qualify for renewable energy certificates that count toward Massachusetts renewable energy goals or funding. The most important factors in planning for a biomass energy system are resource assessment, planning, and procurement. As part of the screening and feasibility analysis processes, it is critical to identify potential sources of biomass and to estimate the fuel quantities needed.

If possible, determine, in detail, the capability of potential suppliers to produce and deliver a fuel that meets the requirements of the biomass equipment. This can be a bit of an intensive process as it involves determining the load to be served, identifying possible equipment manufacturers or vendors, working with those vendors to determine a fuel specification, and contacting suppliers to see if they can meet the specification—and at what price.

It is also necessary to estimate the monthly and annual fuel requirement, as well as peak fuel use, to help with fuel handling and fuel storage equipment sizing. Since there is no established wood chip distribution system in most of the United States, it is sometimes difficult to find suppliers. One suggestion is to contact the regional U. Forest Service and state forest service offices. Other resources to contact include landscape companies, lumber mills, and other wood processors, landfills, arborists, and wood furniture manufacturers.

County-level biomass resource estimates are also available online through an interactive mapping and analysis tool. Previously, resource assessment efforts were usually static and did not allow user analysis or manipulation of the data.

This new tool enables users to select a location on the map, quantify the biomass resources available within a user-defined radius, and estimate the total thermal energy or power that could be generated by recovering a portion of that biomass.

The tool acts as a preliminary source of biomass feedstock information; however, it cannot take the place of an on-the-ground feedstock assessment. Available biomass resources in the United States. A process must be developed to receive biomass deliveries and to assess the fuel properties. As of July , there are no national wood chip specifications, but regional specifications are being developed.

Having a specification helps to communicate and enforce chip requirements. The specification should include physical dimensions, fuel moisture content range, energy content, ash and mineral content, and other factors that affect fuel handling or combustion. To ensure fair value, fuel procurement contracts should scale purchase price inversely with moisture content, as higher moisture content significantly decreases combustion efficiency and increases the weight of material to be transported.

In other respects, these systems are similar to other boiler-based electricity production systems. Operation is continual, so costs for operation and for the purchase and storage of fuel need to be assessed with the overall project costs. The primary NEPA and permitting issue with a biomass energy system is the combustion emissions.

Therefore, local requirements should be reviewed. Air emissions from a biomass system depend on the system design and fuel characteristics. If necessary, emissions controls systems can be used to reduce particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen emissions. Sulfur emissions are completely dependent on the sulfur content of the biomass, which is usually very low. The storage of wood chips requires consideration, preparation, and attentiveness. When the chips are stored in a building, there is potential for dust from the chips to build up on horizontal surfaces and to get inside equipment.

A concern, though rare in occurrence, is the wood chips' ability to self-ignite, or spontaneously combust, when stored for long periods of time. This is due to a chain of events, which starts with the biological breakdown of the organic matter and can lead to smoldering of the pile. The probability of spontaneous combustion also increases as pile size increases, due to the increasing depth. To help with this issue, the Office of the Fire Marshal fire code in Ontario, Canada provides the following guidelines:.

The storage site shall be well-drained and level, solid ground or paved with asphalt, concrete, or other hard surface material. The ground surface between piles shall be kept free of combustible materials. Weeds, grass, and similar vegetation shall be removed from the yard. Portable open-flame weed burners shall not be used in chip storage yards. Piles shall not exceed 18 m 59 ft in height, 90 m ft in width, and m ft in length unless temporary water pipes with hose connections are laid on the top surface of the pile.

Renewable natural gas—also called biogas or biomethane —is produced in anaerobic digesters at sewage treatment plants and at dairy and livestock operations. It also forms in and may be captured from solid waste landfills. Properly treated renewable natural gas has the same uses as fossil fuel natural gas.

Researchers are working on ways to improve these methods and to develop other ways to convert and use more biomass for energy. In , biomass provided about 4, trillion British thermal units TBtu , or about 4.

Of that amount, about 2, TBtu were from wood and wood-derived biomass, 2, TBtu were from biofuels mainly ethanol , and TBtu were from the biomass in municipal wastes. The amounts—in TBtu—and percentage shares of total U.

The industrial and transportation sectors account for the largest amounts, in terms of energy content, and largest percentage shares of total annual U. The wood products and paper industries use biomass in combined heat and power plants for process heat and to generate electricity for their own use. Liquid biofuels ethanol and biomass-based diesel account for most of the transportation sector's biomass consumption. The residential and commercial sectors use firewood and wood pellets for heating.

The commercial sector also consumes, and in some cases, sells renewable natural gas produced at municipal sewage treatment facilities and at waste landfills. The electric power sector uses wood and biomass-derived wastes to generate electricity for sale to the other sectors. Biomass explained. What is energy? Units and calculators.

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