Biomass

Biomass is anything that is alive or was alive a short time ago.

What is Biomass?TreesCrops

Garbage

Animal Waste

Wood

Biomass gets its energy from the sun.

Plants store the sun’s energy in their leaves and

roots.

This process is called Photosynthesis.

We Use Biomass Every Day

When we eat biomass, we use the energy to move and grow.

The energy in everything we eat comes from plants.

We Use Biomass Every Day

When we burn biomass, we use

the energy to make heat.

We Use Biomass Every Day

Biomass can be used to make a gas called methane.

Bacteria feed on dead plants and animals. As the plants and animals decay they

release methane.

In China, many farmers use all of their garbage, even animal and human waste, to make methane.

They put all the waste into a big tank without air. It makes methane as it rots.

Farmers use the gas to cook food and light their homes.

We Use Biomass Every Day

The waste that is left can be used as fertilizer to grow more crops!

Methane is the main ingredient in natural gas, the gas we use in

our stoves and furnaces.

We Use Biomass Every Day

We Use Biomass Every Day

We can also add yeast to biomass to produce an alcohol called ethanol.

Ethanol is a fuel a lot like gasoline.

Ethanol and the Carbon Cycle

Biomass Can Make ElectricityMany towns burn their garbage in waste-to-energy plants.

Instead of putting the garbage in landfills, they burn it to make electricity. This saves landfill space and gives them

energy too!

Use of Biomass in the U.S.

• Until the mid-1800s, wood gave Americans 90% of the energy we used.

• Today, biomass gives us only about 3% of the energy we use.

Of all the types of biomass, wood and

wood waste still make up

the largest percentage of biomass use.

Use of Biomass in the U.S.

Biomass is renewable because we can always grow more

plants!

Biomass is Renewable

Biomass and the Environment

Biomass can pollute the air when it is burned, though not as much as fossil fuels.

Burning biomass does not produce pollutants like sulfur, that can cause acid rain.

Growing plants for biomass fuel may reduce greenhouse gases, since plants use carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) as they grow.

Discussion Questions

• What are some ways that you use biomass in and around your house?

• What is deforestation? How is this connected to burning biomass for energy?