Biomass

Technologies that tap biological waste for gas or heat energy.

bi·o·mass: material that is derived from living or recently living plant or animal organisms

Supplying more than 3 percent of the U.S.’s energy, biomass already has surpassed hydropower as the largest domestic source of renewable energy, and researchers believe much potential remains. (ref)

Not listed here are some proprietary processes and not-yet-public companies that have prototypes in place that convert biomass to energy with no carbon emissions.

• Katrina Wood Waste Creates Biomass Opportunity - Green Energy Resources is offering to pay the government to release the wood normally sent to a landfill or burned. GER says the harvested destruction from weather events in general could power as much as 10% of U.S. energy needs. (PESN; Sept. 15, 2005)

• Corn Stoves: an Interim Technology on a Crumbling Foundation? - Though cleaner burning that wood, and currently using a lower-cost fuel, the corn stove should not be regarded as a permanent solution to dependence on foreign oil. Do short term savings on the heating bill entail increasing famine risk in the long term? (PESN; Jan. 6, 2006)

• IAS Solar Turbine also has Biomass Applications - International Automated Systems to install first phase of solar power plant near Barstow, California.  Claims their solar-heat-turbine system will be competitive with fossil-based power. Biomass applications of turbine also progressing. (PESN; Oct. 5, 2005)

• 2005 Year in Review, U.S. Biomass Energy Policy - 2005 was marked by considerable growth in the field of biomass and biofuels in the U.S., thanks in part to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), numerous agriculture organizations and several Members of Congress. (Renewable Energy Access; Jan. 4, 2006)

• Scientists set sights on biomass to reduce fossil fuel dependence - Using plants rather than oil or coal to produce fuels and chemicals could play an essential role in reducing the world's dependence on fossil fuels, according to a group of scientists from the UK and the USA writing today in the journal Science. (PhysOrg; Jan. 27, 2006)

• American Energy Security (.org) - Website developed to inform individuals, businesses, and policy makers about America's liquid fuels crisis and the tremendous challenges and opportunities ahead.

• Hydrogen from Biomass - Virent Energy Systems of Wisconsin has developed a novel aqueous phase reforming process for squeezing hydrogen out of biomass, which could mean a cheaper and easier way to make hydrogen for fuel cells. (MIT Technology Review; May 12, 2006)

• Fairchild International Corp. Announces Discovery of Almost Unlimited Inexpensive Natural Gas Substitute - No airborne emissions from inexpensive process that creates gas from biomass, waste wood, and low-grade coal. (PESN; May 16, 2005)

• Segway creator unveils his next act - Inventor Dean Kamen wants to put entrepreneurs to work bringing water and electricity to the world's poor. 1 kW generator uses anything that burns, including cow dung. Water purifier makes 1,000 liters of water per day. (CNN; Feb. 16, 2006) (See Slashdot discussion)

• WoodMaster PLUS Fuel Furnace - Alternative fuel furnace efficiently burns corn, wood and paper pellets, barley, beet pulp, sunflowers, dried cherry pits, soy beans and a variety of other alternative fuels. Installs outdoors, connects to home furnace system.  Saves up to 75%. (BusinessWire; Oct. 17, 2005)

• Nathaniel Energy's Thermal Combustor - turns processed fuel converted from feedstock such as waste, biomass, tires and virtually any solid carbon based material into useful energy without harming the environment. Funded company is fulfilling orders for installations internationally.

• Turbo-cooker Wins Prize for Clean Burning - El Salvador inventor Ren Nunez has developed the Turbo-cooker that reduces the amount of fuel needed by over 95% and could make life better for 3 billion people who rely on primitive wood- or biomass-burning stoves for cooking and heating. He now has a prize and a patent. (TreeHugger; Dec. 2, 2007)

• Smaller, Cheaper Biofuel Reactors - Researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a fast way to convert sawdust and waste biomass directly into a mixture of gases that can be burned to generate electricity or made into liquid fuels such as diesel. If the process could be scaled, it could serve as a reactor located close to biomass sources. (MIT Technology Review; Aug. 9, 2007)

• Electricity from Sugar Water - Researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a catalytic method for producing hydrogen from cheap fuels such soy oil and even a mixture of glucose and water.  Could also make synthetic gas and plastics. (MIT Technology Review; Nov. 7, 2006)

• Rice as a source of electricity - Rice yields an abundance of biowaste: Husks make up around one quarter of the weight. Only a small fraction of this is utilized, for instance, to fire distillery furnaces. Researchers at Hanoi University of Technology now also want to use rice husks to generate electricity. (PhysOrg; Nov. 21, 2006)

• Grass Hailed as Potential Source of Clean Energy - If about 8% of the land area of Illinois was planted with the grass called Miscanthus, and only half of those yields were harvested, there would be enough matter to generate the total electricity used by of the state if Illinois, in a carbon-neutral cycle. (Reuters; Sept. 7, 2005)

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