I.

Introduction
Most of the world rely heavily on non-renewable energy resources, like
coal, nuclear, oil, and natural gas for their energy. A little more than 150 years
ago people created the technology to extract energy from the ancient fossilized
remains of plants and animals fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are non-renewable. This
is usually due to the long time it takes for them to be replenished. They draw on
finite resources that will eventually dwindle, becoming too expensive or too
environmentally damaging to retrieve. Fossil fuels make up a large portion of
todays energy market but due to their limited amount and environmental impact,
there is an increased interest in using renewable forms of energy. Both forms of
energy renewable and non-renewable, each have benefits and challenges,
thus, the development of technologies to increase their efficiency and decrease
carbon footprint is what the industry needs.
When most people hear the term renewable energy, they usually think of
solar panels or wind turbines, but biomass accounts for most of our renewable
energy consumption. Most of this is through wood burning and biofuels such as
biodiesel and ethanol which is readily available amongst gas stations in the
country.
Biomass is a type of energy is contained within organic matter of all kinds:
plants, animals, or waste products from organic sources. Biomass energy is
organic matter that can be burned or decomposed to be used as a source of
energy.

II.

History of Biomass
It was in the 1970s when biomass was officially accepted and known around the

world. There was an active search for alternative energy source during this period
because of the uncontrollable increase in price for fossil fuels. The price for fossil
fuel escalated because of the increased demand for energy. Yet the supply is scarce
and getting it can be costly. Scientists and researchers poured their efforts to come
up with a less expensive way of producing energy. This was the same era when an
experiment could make a car run using the byproduct of degasification a process of
converting biomass products to usable energy. It was during this decade when the
U.S took the discussion on alternative energy resource more seriously. The
congress enacted Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act which will strengthen the
development of alternative energy sources.
In the 1980s, more progress was made for biomass. Infrastructures for
generators which use wood fire were built. More compact and durable models of
biomass hearers and biomass stoves were also produced. It was in 1982 and 1983
when small plantations were made and these are capable of producing electricity
from biomass materials like wood waste. Initially, the plants only use sawmill
residues. Eventually, even forest thinnings, by products from agriculture, trimmings
from yard and common household wood waste were being used and converted to
energy.
In the 2000s, programs were developed so that fuel produced by biomass can
be combined with non-renewable resources, like coal, to reduce the consumption of
fossil fuels.
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III.

Biomass Energy Recovery Process

Today, we can recover energy from biomass in highly efficient energy plants
generating heat, process steam, electricity, syngas, and/or bio-oil. Biomass is a
complicated and difficult fuel because there are so many sources, and its essential to
understand the properties and chemical composition of each one.
Thermal Conversion
Biomass can be burned by thermal conversion and used for energy. Thermal
conversion involves heating the biomass feedstock to burn, dehydrate, or stabilize it.
The most familiar biomass feedstocks for thermal conversion are raw materials such as
municipal solid waste and scraps from paper or lumber mills.

Torrefaction
3

Before biomass can be burned, it must be dried. This chemical process is called
Torrefaction. During torrefaction, biomass is heated to about 200 to 320 C. The
biomass dries out so completely that it loses the ability to absorb moisture, or rot. It
loses about 20% of its original mass, but retains 90% of its energy. The lost energy and
mass can be used to fuel the torrefaction process. During torrefaction, biomass
becomes a dry, blackened material. It is then compressed into briquettes. Biomass
briquettes are very hydrophobic, meaning they repel water. This makes it possible to
store them in moist areas. The briquettes have high energy density and are easy to
burn during direct or co-firing.
Direct Firing and Co-Firing
Most briquettes are burned directly. The steam produced during the firing process
powers a turbine, which turns a generator and produces electricity. This electricity can
be used for manufacturing or to heat buildings. Biomass can also be co-fired, or burned
with a fossil fuel. Biomass is most often co-fired in coal plants. Co-firing eliminates the
need for new factories for processing biomass. Co-firing also eases the demand for
coal. This reduces the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released
by burning fossil fuels.

Pyrolysis

Pyrolysis is a related method of heating biomass. During pyrolysis, biomass is

heated to 200 to 300 C (390 to 570 F) without the presence of oxygen. This keeps it
from combusting and causes the biomass to be chemically altered. Pyrolysis produces
a dark liquid called pyrolysis oil, a synthetic gas called syngas, and a solid residue
called biochar. These components can be used for energy.
Gasification
Biomass can also be directly converted to energy through gasification.
During the gasification process, a biomass feedstock is heated to more than 700C with
a controlled amount of oxygen. The molecules break down, and produce syngas and
slag. During gasification, syngas is cleaned of sulfur, particulates, mercury, and other
pollutants. The clean syngas can be combusted for heat or electricity, or processed into
transportation biofuels, chemicals, and fertilizers. Slag forms as a glassy, molten liquid.
It can be used to make shingles, cement, or asphalt.
Anaerobic Decomposition
Anaerobic decomposition is the process where microorganisms, usually
bacteria, break down material in the absence of oxygen. Anaerobic decomposition is an
important process in landfills, where biomass is crushed and compressed, creating an
anaerobic (or oxygen-poor) environment. In an anaerobic environment, biomass decays
and produces methane, which is a valuable energy source. This methane can replace
fossil fuels.

IV.
5

Products produced in Biomass Energy Recovery

Pyrolysis oil
Pyrolysis oil, sometimes called bio-oil or biocrude, is a
type of tar. It can be combusted to generate electricity
and is also used as a component in other fuels and
plastics.

Scientists

and

engineers

are

studying

pyrolysis oil as a possible alternative to petroleum.

Syngas
Syngas can be converted into fuel. It can also be converted into methane and be used
as a replacement for natural gas
Biochar
Biochar is a type of charcoal. Biochar is a carbon-rich solid that
is particularly useful in agriculture. Biochar enriches soil and
prevents it from leaching pesticides and other nutrients into
runoff. When added back to the soil, biochar absorbs and
retains water and nutrients. Biochar is also an excellent carbon
sink. Carbon sinks are reservoirs for carbon-containing
chemicals, including greenhouse gases.

Biofuel
6

Biomass is the only renewable energy source that can be

converted into liquid biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.
Biofuel is used to power vehicles. Biofuels do not operate as
efficiently as gasoline. However, they can be blended with
gasoline to efficiently power vehicles and machinery, and do
not release the emissions associated with fossil fuels. Another type of biofuel is Ethanol.
Ethanol is made by fermenting biomass that is high in carbohydrates, such as sugar
cane, wheat, or corn. Biodiesel is made from combining ethanol with animal fat,
recycled cooking fat, or vegetable oil. Ethanol has become a popular substitute for wood
in residential fireplaces. When it is burned, it gives off heat in the form of flames, and
water vapor instead of smoke
Black Liquor
When wood is processed into paper, it produces a highenergy, toxic substance called black liquor. Until the 1930s,
black liquor from paper mills was considered a waste product
and dumped into nearby water sources. However, black
liquor retains more than 50% of the woods biomass energy.
With the invention of the recovery boiler in the 1930s, black liquor could be recycled
and used to power the mill. In the U.S., paper mills use nearly all their black liquor to run
their mills, and the forest industry is one of the most energy-efficient in the nation as a
result.

V.

Biomass Energy in the Philippines

The Philippines has abundant supplies of biomass resources, including agricultural

crop residues, forest residues, animal wastes, agro-industrial wastes, municipal solid
wastes and aquatic biomass. The most common agricultural wastes are rice hull,
bagasse, coconut shell/husk and coconut coir. The use of crop residues as biofuels is
increasing in the Philippines as fossil fuel prices continue to rise.
Biomass energy plays a vital role in the nations energy supply. Nearly 30% of the
energy for the 80 million people living in the Philippines comes from biomass, mainly
used for household cooking by the rural poor. Biomass energy application accounts for
around 15% of the primary energy use in the Philippines. At present, biomass
technologies utilized in the country vary from the use of bagasse as boiler fuel for
cogeneration, rice/coconut husks dryers for crop drying, biomass gasifiers for
mechanical and electrical applications, fuelwood and agricultural wastes for oven, kiln,
furnace and cook-stoves for cooking and heating purposes. Biomass technologies
represent the largest installations in the Philippines in comparison with the other
renewable energy, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas abatement technologies.
Presently, one of the biggest biomass energy contributors in the Philippines is
Global Green Power PLC Corporation. They are in the process of deploying an initial
140MW of biomass energy. Their mission is to provide renewable, clean, decentralized
base-load biomass energy to replace fossil fuels. They have targeted the Philippines for
the construction and operation of biomass power plants in response to the Philippines
having one of the highest electricity prices in South East Asia.

VI.

Evaluation Advantages and disadvantages of biomass energy

Biomass is a clean, renewable energy source. Its initial energy comes from the sun,
and plants or algae biomass can regrow in a relatively short amount of time. Trees,
crops, and municipal solid waste are consistently available and can be managed
sustainably. If trees and crops are sustainably farmed, they can offset carbon emissions
when they absorb carbon dioxide through respiration. In some bioenergy processes, the
amount of carbon that is re-absorbed even exceeds the carbon emissions that are
released during fuel processing or usage. Unlike other renewable energy sources, such
as wind or solar, biomass energy is stored within the organism, and can be harvested
when it is needed.
However, if biomass feedstocks are not replenished as quickly as they are used,
they can become non-renewable. A forest, for instance, can take hundreds of years to
re-establish itself. This is still a much, much shorter time period than a fossil fuel such
as peat. It can take 900 years for just a meter of peat to replenish itself.
Biomass has a lower energy density than fossil fuels. As much as 50% of biomass
is water, which is lost in the energy conversion process. Scientists and engineers
estimate that it is not economically efficient to transport biomass more than 160
kilometers from where it is processed. However, converting biomass into pellets can
increase the fuels energy density and make it more advantageous to ship.

VII.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Biomass is still subject of many debates when it comes to talking about benefits of
biomass, especially when compared with other renewable energy sources. Despite
these debates, biomass is still proven to have many advantages over fossil fuels. In
general, biomass indeed helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that
give more impact to global warming and climate change. Also, biomass can help clean
our environment. Biomass indeed helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gas
emissions that give more impact to global warming and climate change. Many of
garbage ends up in rivers, water streams, oceans harming nearby ecosystems and
having negative impacts on human health. Instead of pollution, all the generated waste
can be used in the production of this energy and it helps cleaning our environment from
many different types of pollution.
It is important to understand the consequences of the production of biomass energy
if it is not controlled. The utilization of biomass energy promotes saving the earth but
neglecting the replenishment of biomass feedstocks can make biomass energy nonrenewable.

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VIII.

11

References
http://nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/biomass-energy/
http://www.bioenergyconsult.com/tag/biomass-energy-in-philippines/
http://www.conserve-energy-

future.com/Advantages_Disadvantages_BiomassEnergy.php
http://www.conserve-energy-

future.com/Advantages_Disadvantages_BiomassEnergy.php
http://www.our-energy.com/benefits_of_biomass.html