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Biomass. Biomass. L iving and recently dead biological material that can be used as fuel or for industrial production Uses plant matter to generate electricity Also includes biodegradable wastes that can be burnt as fuel. Sources of Biomass. Dead trees Yard clippings Wood chips
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Biomass • Living and recently dead biological material that can be used as fuel or for industrial production • Uses plant matter to generate electricity • Also includes biodegradable wastes that can be burnt as fuel
Sources of Biomass • Dead trees • Yard clippings • Wood chips • Plants grown for industrial biomass include: miscanthus, switchgrass, hemp, corn, poplar, willow, sorghum, sugarcane, and trees such as eucalyptus and oil palm
Problems • Contributes to global warming • If used as a replacement for fossil fuels it puts the same amount of CO2 as using fossil fuels would • Produces the same amount of air pollution as other fuels
Advantages • If used as a replacement for energy production produces carbon neutral which reduces greenhouse gases • Using biomass saves the atmosphere from about 11 million tons per year of CO2 emissions that using fossil fuels would produce
Costs • Areas need a lot of space devoted to agriculture • If an area does not it costs more to transport the necessary things to use biomass as a fuel, and it becomes more expensive to use
Use • New Hope Power Partnership • Largest biomass power plant in North America • Uses sugar cane fiber and recycled urban wood • Supplies power to nearly 60,000 homes along with large milling and refining plants • Reduces oil dependence by more than 1 million barrels of oil per year