Green Lighting - Electricity From Twigs and Trash - Biomass

Electricity from Twigs and Trash: Biomassindustrial sources.
Electricity consumption from renewable energyExamples from these categories include: appliances,
sources is 7% of the US consumption total, and 22%newspapers, clothing, food scrapes, boxes, disposable
of the world's consumption total without the US.tableware, office and classroom paper, wood pallets,
Within the US, biomass makes up 54% of thatrubber tires, and cafeteria wastes.
renewable total. Hydroelectricity makes up 36%.Waste-to-energy combustion and landfill gas are
Together, they account for 90% of the renewablebyproducts of municipal solid waste. We'll talk about
energy sources in the US.landfill gas next and skip waste-to-energy combustion
Let's we'll talk about biomass as an energy source forentirely.
producing electricity:Landfill Gas
- what it isMunicipal solid waste contains significant portions of
- what biomass is usedorganic materials that produce a variety of gaseous
- how we get the energy out of itproducts when dumped, compacted, and covered in
As always, the explanation will be kid-friendly.landfills. Anaerobic bacteria thrives in the oxygen-free
What Is Biomass?environment, resulting in the decomposition of the
The scientists say it's "organic nonfossil material oforganic materials and the production of primarily
biological origin constituting a renewable energycarbon dioxide and methane.
source."Carbon dioxide is likely to sink deeper into the ground
What they wanted to say is it's living stuff that diesbelow because it is soluble in water. Methane, on the
and can be burnt (such as wood) or thatother hand, which is less soluble in water and lighter
decomposes and gives off gases (such as methane)than air, is likely to migrate out of the landfill. Landfill
that can be burnt.gas energy facilities capture the methane (the
Ever gone camping and had a camp fire or cookedprincipal component of natural gas) and burn it for
with charcoal? You used biomass fuel.energy.
As a fuel for generating electricity, it includes:So far, very simple. Let's quickly review:
- products you may associate with recycling (such asBiomass as a fuel for generating electricity comes
paper and boxes).from wood and wood waste, municipal solid waste,
- products with fibers from plants (e.g., clothing).and methane bubbling up from landfills.
- products made from trees (such as rubberHow Do We Get The Electricity?
automobile tires).First, the fuel is delivered to the power plant.
Separately, biomass is used as a transportation fuelThe heat released from burning the wood, municipal
(ethanol from corn) for powering vehicles.solid waste, or landfill methane is used to produce
In short, biomass is based on trees and plants thatsteam, which turns a steam turbine to generate
haven't had the hundreds of millions of years toelectricity.
decompose and turn into oil and natural gas.With municipal solid waste, it's unloaded from
What Biomass Is Used?collection trucks and shredded or processed to ease
Let's take a look at these three areas:handling. Then, recyclable materials are separated out.
- Wood and wood wasteThe rest is the fuel.
- Municipal solid wasteIs It That Simple?
- Landfill gasYes. It's simply finding a fuel we can deliver
Wood and Wood Wastecost-effectively to a power plant. We already have
Wood is a substantial renewable resource that canthe power plants ready to use steam to generate
be used as a fuel to generate electric power andelectricity.
useful thermal output. Wood for use as fuel comesWhat's The Catch?
from a wide variety of sources.Generating electricity from biomass can affect land
The top 3 sources are:resources in different ways. Biomass power plants,
much like fossil fuel power plants, require large areas
1. the nation's forestland (or timberland) is theof land for equipment and fuel storage. If these
primary, and in most cases original, resource base forbiomass plants burn a waste source such as
fuel wood.construction wood waste or agricultural waste, they
2. private land clearing and tree farming, and urbancan provide a benefit by freeing areas of land that
tree and landscape residues.might otherwise have been used for landfills or waste
3. waste wood (including manufacturing and woodpiles. Biomass grown for fuel purposes requires large
processing wastes, and construction and demolitionareas of land and, over time, can deplete the soil of
debrisnutrients. Fuel crops must be managed so that they
Municipal Solid Wastestabilize the soil, reduce erosion, provide wildlife
Municipal solid waste is total waste excluding industrialhabitat, and serve recreational purposes.
waste, agricultural waste, and sewage sludge.Back To The Big Picture
The municipal solid waste industry has fourCurrently, electricity consumed from biomass fuel
components: recycling, composting, land filling, andsources makes up 54% of the US renewable energy
waste-to-energy via incineration.consumption. Hydropower makes up 36%, and all
As defined by the U.S. Environmental Protectionother sources make up 10%.
Agency, municipal solid waste includes durable goods,Renewable energy makes up 7% of the US
non-durable goods, containers and packaging, foodelectricity consumed. We just need to grow that
wastes, yard wastes, and miscellaneous inorganicpercentage to match the rest of the world's 22%.
wastes from residential, commercial, institutional, and