NexPlan Recycling
Renewable Energy
Biomass
Biomass refers to living and recently dead biological material that can be used as fuel or for industrial production. Most commonly, biomass refers to plant matter grown for use as biofuel, but it also includes plant or animal matter used for production of fibres, chemicals or heat..Biomass refers to any form of plant or animal tissue that can be used as energy. In the energy industry, biomass refers to wood, straw, biological waste products such as manure, and other natural materials that contain stored energy. The energy stored in biomass can be released by burning the material directly, or by feeding it to micro-organisms that use it to make biogas, a form of natural gas. Energy from biomass is still used around the world, for everything from cooking and heating to generating electricity. Biomass energy, or bioenergy, is the energy stored in non-fossil organic materials such as wood, straw, vegetable oils and wastes from the forest, agricultural and industrial sectors. Like the energy in fossil fuels, bioenergy is derived from solar energy that has been stored in plants. The main difference is that fossil fuels require thousands of years to be converted into usable forms, while properly managed biomass energy can be used in an ongoing, renewable fashion. Municipal solid waste and sewage sludge can also be considered as biomass. For example, the decomposition of organic wastes in landfill sites produces methane that can be converted into heat, electricity and possibly fuels., or by feeding it everything from cooking and heating to generating electricity.
There are huge advantages in biomass energy uese. Biomass is very abundant. It can be found everywhere on the earth as seaweed, trees or dung. It is cheap in relation to the other energy sources. It is easy to convert to a high-energy portable fuel such as alcohol or gas. Biomass production can often mean the restoration of wasteland. Also, It is very low in sulphur reducing the production of acid rain and pollution.
However, there are a few disadvantages of biomass energy that must be noted. Biomass energy is still an expensive source, both in terms of producing the biomass and converting it to alcohols and fuels. As well, biomass energy contributes a great deal to global warming and unrefined pollution if directly burned.
Renewable Energy
Renewable energy effectively uses natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat, which are naturally replenished. Renewable energy technologies range from solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity, micro hydro, biomass and biofuels for transportation.
