| Man started to use biomass for energy on the day | | | | the cost of food rose. So where can we find |
| that our ancestors discovered fire, and used it for | | | | sustainable renewable biomass without taking up |
| cooking. Biomass is actually just another word for | | | | good food producing farmland? Well, as we hinted |
| biological-mass. Biomass is anything that has been | | | | earlier there is a huge, largely untapped source of |
| grown or has lived, except for fossil fuels (coal, oil, | | | | biomass, in the waste produced by modern society. |
| natural gas etc). Fossil fuels were of course created | | | | Why not use that? (Some purists would say that |
| by the decay of living organisms many millennia ago in | | | | some waste - like plastics is made from fossil fuel |
| pre-history and are biomass in that sense, but these | | | | (oil) sources. I would respond that these should, in |
| are not included within the term 'biomass' as used by | | | | principle, be removed from the biomass before use, |
| renewable energy experts. So, taking a broad view | | | | and recycled.) Biomass can also be separated at |
| of man's history, he has used very few energy | | | | source by the public by the rapidly increasing number |
| sources other than biomass for energy over eons of | | | | of councils which provide a separate collection for |
| time, and while man did only use biomass, mankind | | | | biowaste, including food waste which is the highest |
| had only a small and sustainable impact on the climate. | | | | heat producing waste of them all when burnt or |
| The situation has changed completely now that we | | | | digested, and these days comprises between 15% |
| realize that the use of fossil fuels cannot go on | | | | and 25% of all household (domestic) waste by |
| forever as demand is so high now, and many believe | | | | weight. Western societies do throw away an awful |
| that very soon we shall begin to find that the rate of | | | | lot of food, and in many nations the amount of food |
| discovery of oil fossil fuel for energy use diminishes | | | | discarded is continuing to rise, although overall |
| quite rapidly anyway. So, whether we like it or not | | | | tonnages of waste created by the public have nearly |
| we are going to have to use these energy sources | | | | stabilised. So society must now rediscover biomass |
| from the past. But, don't be negative about it. There | | | | as a significant energy source - in fact our newest |
| are huge opportunities for individuals and businesses | | | | energy source! We think that we have progressed |
| to development and profit from this brand new era | | | | far away from the simple log fire, which used |
| of renewable power. Biomass takes many forms, | | | | biomass. In truth we have not. By using fossil fuels in |
| some of the most well known are wood, straw, | | | | massive quantities, we have simply been raiding the |
| biowaste, wood chip, waste paper, organic slurries | | | | bank, we have been stealing oxygen from the |
| from the processing of foodstuffs, livestock farming, | | | | earth's atmosphere and replacing the oxygen with |
| sewage treatment, chicken litter etc. I guess that | | | | the greenhouse gas, and global warming gas, carbon |
| most of us can think of a hundred or more examples | | | | dioxide. We simply cannot go on doing this without |
| of biomass with a little thought, and they can all be | | | | reaping climate change disaster on the earth. We can |
| burnt, or fermented and digested to provide energy. | | | | change our ways. It is possible, but we need |
| They all contain energy from the sun, which was | | | | thoughtful people like you. People who read articles |
| bound up into their carbon chemistry while they were | | | | like this one, to understand this truth, and appreciate |
| alive, and that energy can be released for man's use | | | | the great urgency for change to renewable fuels. |
| without increasing the net additional carbon dioxide | | | | The planet needs all of us that do understand to |
| (greenhouse gas) burden on our planet, as long as | | | | keep ourselves informed and to influence our friends, |
| we continually replant, breed and re-grow | | | | and persuade them of the value of using biomass as |
| replacement biomass sources in place of those we | | | | a fuel, and in particular waste biomass is one of the |
| use. So biomass can also be grown as a crop for use | | | | best ways of doing this. If you want to be one of |
| as fuel. If the biomass is to be grown it will need to | | | | those that understand renewable energy and what |
| be selected to be of high calorific value (give of lots | | | | the adoption of the newest renewables can do to |
| of heat when burnt), grow fast, need little fertilizing | | | | help future generations to survive climate change, |
| or watering, require low power requirements during | | | | please do visit our web site. |
| growing and be cheaply harvested. However, the | | | | Our web site is The Renewable Energy News Blog. In |
| growing of biomass to use as biofuel on a large scale | | | | particular we think that you would find this article |
| would have the effect of reducing available land for | | | | interesting Making Your Own Biodiesel. |
| food crops. This could be a bad thing for the poor, if | | | | |