The

BASICS

of

BIOMASS
Cabuco
Caintic
Gucor
Joaquino
Ranin
Vega

 What is BIOMASS?
What is it for?
What is the history behind
biomass?
How is it processed/extracted?
Are there other forms of Biomass?
What are its advantages &
disadvantages?
Biomass versus other alternative
forms of energy
Biomass in the Philippines

WHAT IS BIOMASS?
BIOMASS is a biological material derived from
living, or recently living organisms. In the context
of biomass as a resource for making energy, it
most often refers to plants or plant-based
materials which is not used for food or feed, but
biomass can equally apply to both animal and
vegetable derived material. As an energy source,
biomass can either be used directly via combustion
to produce heat, or indirectly after converting it to
various forms of biofuel.
BIOMASS ENERGY CENTER, UK
Some examples of materials that make up biomass fuels
are:
scrap lumber;
forest debris;
certain crops;
manure; and
some types of waste residues

HISTORY OF BIOMASS
400,000 B.C.E - Humans have harnessed biomass-derived energy
since the time when cavemen began burning wood to make fire.
1860s - the United States used biomass, in the form of wood, for
nearly 91% of all energy consumption.
1970 - scientists wanted to find fossil fuel replacement.
1975 - "biomass" came into being and it took off like wildfire.
1980's - Office of Technology Assessment estimated that more than
1/4 of USA's energy needs could be fulfilled using this resource.
----FAIL.
2000's - US government developed a program to use biomass by the
"co-firing method".
Even if the majority of humankind's energy requirements are fulfilled
by fossil fuel combustion, biomass is the only source of fuel for
domestic use in many developing countries.

PROCESS OF BIOMASS Energy

COMBUSTION (burning)
-The combustion process generates heat thats
transformed into energy. In the combustion process
biomass is burned and converted into energy.
- You can use the heat without needing to convert it
into another form of energy such as electricity.
-Heating your home and heating the water in your
home. In addition, the combustion heat can be used
direct heat in plants, manufacture facilities and even
office buildings.
-Direct heat can also be converted into electricity.

PROCESS OF BIOMASS Energy

Co-Firing Process

-An inefficient method of combustion.

- In this process, the biomass replaces 15 to 20
percent of the coal used in a power plant.
-Helps to reduce the emissions from coal fuel and
even reduces the operating cost.
-Switch grass is the common material used for this
process

Thermal Conversion

Use heat to extract energy by altering the biomass

into a different chemical through various chemical
reactions and interaction with oxygen. These include:

PROCESS OF BIOMASS Energy

1. Gasification

-.The gasification process takes place by using high

temperatures and controlling the amount of oxygen
and steam when converting carbon materials such as
petroleum, coal, biomass, and biofuels into hydrogen
and carbon monoxide
-. This conversion process produces whats known as
syngas and is a more efficient product of biomass
than the combustion process.

2.

Pyrolysis

-.Occurs when biomass is heated without any oxygen

in the chamber.
-.- Water, charcoal, tar, oil, and gases such hydrogen,
methane, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide are
the products of biomass pyrolysis.
-.-Charcoal is the most common end-product created
from pyrolysis processes.

PROCESS OF BIOMASS Energy

3.Torrefaction
-. The torrefaction for biomass production is a
thermo-chemical processing by the use of heat.
-. The required temperature for this process is
between 200 to 320 degrees celcius.
-. During the process oxygen is removed any
moisture in the biomass is removed, leaving whats
termed as a volatile matter.
-. The result of this process is a dry dark solid
biomass thats known as bio-coal.
-. The bio-coal is typically made into pellets or
briquettes and burned for heating in homes and
fuel for industries.
-. Bio-coal has less smoke than other combustibles.

PROCESS OF BIOMASS Energy

Chemical Conversion, NonCombustion Processes
These methods are able to convert biomass
materials in the raw and turn them into various
forms of solid fuel, gas and liquid.
- The power plants are then able to use these
converted energies, directly without any further
processing.
Biomass Oils
- Corn, sugar cane, soybeans, and other renewable
plant life can be converted into liquid forms as
fuels and used in place of diesel and gasoline.
Cooking oils are often collected from restaurants
and recycled into biodiesel.
Fermentation, Methane and Alcohol
The non-combustion plants requires heating the
plants in an effort to break down the chemical
-

PROCESS OF BIOMASS Energy

Biochemical, a Fermentation Process
It may sound odd since fermentation is mostly
-

associated with making liquor, beer and wine, but its

logically way to convert bioenergy.
Its through a fermentation process that corn is turned
into grain alcohol (ethanol).
An offgas of this process is methane, which can be used
for electricity production

LIMITATIONS OF BIOMASS
-

Biomass fuel, such as ethanol can produce around five

times the energy put into making it, which makes it an
economically sound energy source.
The downside is that the farther the fuel has to be
shipped, the less economical it becomes.
Therefore, the value of biomass energy processes is when
the biomass is used where its produced, such as on farms
and immediate communities

FOUR TYPES OF BIOMASS

1. WOOD AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

Most biomass used today is home grown energy. Wood
logs, chips, bark, and sawdustaccounts for about 46
percent of biomass energy. But any organic matter can
produce biomass energy. Other biomass sources include
agricultural waste products like fruit pits and corncobs.
Wood and wood waste, along with agricultural waste, are
used to generate electricity. Much of the electricity is used
by the industries making the waste; it is not distributed by
utilities, it is cogenerated. Paper mills and saw mills use
much of their waste products to generate steam and
electricity for their use.

2. SOLID WASTE
Burning trash turns waste into a usable form of energy.
One ton (2,000
pounds) of garbage contains about as much heat energy as
500 pounds of
coal. Garbage is not all biomass; perhaps half of its
energy content comes from plastics, which are made from
petroleum and natural gas. Power plants that burn garbage
for energy are called WASTE-TO-ENERGY PLANTS. These
plants generate electricity as much as coal-red plants do,
except that combustible garbagenot coalis the fuel used
to fire their boilers.

3. LANDFILL GAS AND BIOGAS

Bacteria and fungi are not picky
eaters. They eat dead plants and
animals, causing them to rot or decay. A fungus on a
rotting log is converting cellulose to sugars to feed itself.
Although this process is slowed in a landfill, a substance
called methane gas is still produced as the waste decays.
New regulations require landfills to collect methane gas
for safety and environmental reasons. Methane gas is
colorless and odorless, but it is not harmless. The gas can
cause res or explosions if it seeps into nearby homes and is
ignited. Landfills can collect the methane gas, purify it, and
use it as fuel. Methane can also be produced using
energy from agricultural and human wastes. Biogas
digesters are airtight containers or pits lined with steel or
bricks. Waste put into the containers is fermented without
oxygen to produce a methane-rich gas. This gas can be
used to produce electricity, or for cooking and
lighting.

4. ALCOHOL FUELS
a. ETHANOL
Ethanol is an alcohol fuel (ethyl alcohol) made
by fermenting the sugars and starches found in
plants and then distilling them. Any organic material
containing cellulose, starch, or sugar can be made into
ethanol. The majority of the ethanol produced in the
United States comes from CORN. New technologies are
producing ethanol from cellulose in woody fibers from
trees, grasses, and crop residues.
Today nearly all of the gasoline sold in the U.S. contains
around 10 percent ethanol and is known as E10. In 2011,
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the
introduction of E15 (15 percent ethanol, 85 percent
gasoline) for use in passenger vehicles from model year
2001 and newer. Fuel containing 85 percent ethanol and
15 percent gasoline (E85) qualities as an alternative fuel.
There are almost nine million flexible fuel vehicles
(FFV) on the road that can run efficiently on E85 or E10.
However, only seven percent of these vehicles use E85.

b. BIODIESEL
Biodiesel is a fuel made by chemically reacting alcohol
with vegetable oils, animal fats, or greases, such as
recycled restaurant grease. Most biodiesel today is made from
soybean oil. Biodiesel is most often blended with petroleum
diesel in ratios of two percent (B2), five
percent (B5), or 20 percent (B20). It can also be used as neat
(pure) biodiesel (B100). Biodiesel fuels are compatible with
and can be used in unmodified diesel engines with the existing
fueling infrastructure. It is one of the fastest growing
alternative transportation fuels in the U.S.
Biodiesel contains virtually no sulfur, so it can reduce sulfur
levels in the nations diesel fuel supply, even compared with
todays low sulfur fuels. While removing sulfur from petroleumbased diesel results in poor lubrication,
biodiesel is a superior lubricant and
can reduce the friction of diesel fuel
in blends of only one or two percent.
This is an important characteristic
because the Environmental Protection
Agency now requires that sulfur levels
in diesel fuel be 97 percent lower than
they were prior to 2006.

ADVANTAGES OF BIOMASS
1. RENEWABLE:Biomass energy is a renewable resource. The
principal positive about biomass energy is that it creates power
by utilizing renewable assets. These assets may be wood
waste, tree build-up, handled wood pellets or urban waste. As a
rule, biomass energy plants utilize leftover wood that comes from
existing logging or sawmill ventures.
2. DEPENDENCY ON FOSSIL FUELS IS REDUCED:It replaces
other fuel sources. In all cases, the fuel might be immediately
replaced. By utilizing natural materials to deliver power, there is
less interest for power created by non-renewable assets, for
example, coal and gas. The entire purpose of utilizing renewable
energyis to facilitate the reliance on sources that are harming
natures domain in such a large number of ways.
3. CARBON NEUTRAL:It doesnt produce carbon. The
distinction between using biomass fuel rather than coal or gas is
that the carbon that is discharged was already part of nature
because of the plant. At the point when coal or gas is utilized it is
expelled starting from the earliest stage it has been sequestered
for a large number of years.

4. WIDELY AVAILABLE:Biomass energy is widely

available all over the world. Organic waste in the form of
dead leaves, grass and trees, animal carcasses are available
in abundance and can be used to produce biomass energy.
This in another way is good as the amount of waste that
could have gone to landfills can be used as a source of
energy. As long as organic matter from plants and animals is
going to exist, we are never going to run out of biomass
energy.
5. CAN BE USED IN MANY FORMS:Biomass can be used
to create different products from different forms of
organic matter. It can be used to produce methane gas,
biodiesel and other bio fuels. It can also be used directly as
heat or to generate electricity using a steam turbine.
6. HELPS REDUCE WASTE:It helps with waste
management. Consistently we create huge amounts of
solid waste. This waste involves biodegradable waste,
recyclable waste, along with dangerous toxic waste.
Biomass energy uses this waste so that its no longer sitting
inlandfills.

DISADVANTAGES OF BIOMASS
1. NOT TOTALLY CLEAN WHEN BURNED:The biggest
contention against biomass as a clean energy is the
pollutionthat is created from burning the wood and other natural
materials. Sometimes, theyre as bad as the pollution that comes
from coal and other types of energy resources. There are a
number of different compounds that come from burning biomass.
Even though biomass energy is considered to be renewable, it is
hard to claim it is a clean or efficient power energy.
2. CAN LEAD TO DEFORESTATION:Wood is a major source of
biomass energy. To produce considerable amount of power, large
amount of wood and other waste products have to be burned.
The desire to produce energy on a large scale can lead
todeforestationthat would destroy the homes of large number
of plants and animals.
3. IN-EFFICIENT:Biodieselproduct like Ethanol which is
produced by biomass is relatively inefficient as compared to
gasoline. It has to be mixed with gasoline so that it can be used
in combustion engines. Apart from that, long term usage of
Ethanol can be harmful to the engines.

4. REQUIRES LOT OF SPACE:Its hard to find a plant

that is in a convenient place. Many times, biomass energy
plants are found in urban areas, which means that they are
causing more traffic in those areas and they are causing
more pollution, which seems to be more of a problem than
an actual help.
5.REQUIRE MORE LAND: Combustion of biomass
products require some land where they can easily be burnt.
Since, it produces gases like methane in atmosphere;
therefore it can be produced in those areas which are quite
far from residential homes.
6. HARMFUL TO ENVIRONMENT: Using animal and
human waste to power engines may save on carbon
dioxide emissions, but it increases methane gases, which
are also harmful to the Earths ozone layer. So really, we
are no better off environmentally for using one or the other.
And speaking of using waste products, there is the smell to
consider. While it is not physically harmful, it is definitely
unpleasant, and it can attract unwanted pests (rats, flies)
and spread bacteria and infection.

BIOMASS VS. Other alternative

energy
Cost-effective
Practical
Offers realistic & sustainable
alternative to fossil fuels
Versatile

BIOMASS IN THE PHILIPPINES

The Philippines has an existing capacity of 5,500 MW of
renewable energy power. Out of which, 61 percent is
hydropower while 37 percent is geothermal power.
Biomass energy application accounts for around 15
percent of the primary energy use in the country. The
resources available in the Philippines can generate biomass
projects with a potential capacity of around 200 MW.
The country has abundant supplies of biomass
resources, offering much potential for clean energy
generation. These include 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. Rice hull is perhaps the most important,
underdeveloped biomass resource that could be fully utilized
in a sustainable manner.

BIOMASS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Biomass Energy in the Philippines GIZ

Green Power Panay Philippines Inc. (GPPPI)

Fin