What is Biomass?

Biomass is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms. It most often refers to plants or plant-derived materials which are specifically called lignocellulosic biomass. 

 

As a renewable energy source, biomass can either be used directly via combustion to produce heat, or indirectly after converting it to various forms of biofuel. Conversion of biomass to biofuel can be achieved by different methods which are broadly classified into: thermal, chemical, and biochemical methods. 

 

Historically, humans have harnessed biomass-derived energy since the time when people began burning wood to make fire. Even in today's modern era, biomass is the only source of fuel for domestic use in many developing countries.

Advantages of Biomass

Biomass boilers use agricultural, forest, urban and industrial residues and waste to produce heat and electricity, this having less effect on the environment than fossil fuels.

 

This type of energy production has a limited long term effect on the environment because the carbon in biomass is part of the natural carbon cycle; while the carbon in fossil fuels is not, and permanently adds carbon to the environment when burned for fuel (carbon footprint). Historically, before the use of fossil fuels in significant quantities, biomass in the form of wood fuel provided most of humanity's heating.

 

MCS accredited biomass heating systems are eligible for the Governments's Renewable Heating Incentive (RHI) so long as your property has sufficient insulation. Your property's insulation will be assessed by a Green Deal assessment, which has to be undergone to qualify for the RHI. If your property doesn't meet the specified levels of cavity wall or loft insulation then you maybe eligible for free Green Deal insulation.

Disadvantages of using Biomass

The use of biomass on a large scale takes agricultural land out of food production, reduces the carbon sequestration capacity of forests, and extracts nutrients from the soil. Combustion of biomass creates air pollutants and adds significant quantities of carbon to the atmosphere that may not be returned to the soil for many decades.

 

Despite its reputation as a "green” fuel, dried wood contains up to 50% carbon by weight, meaning that upon combustion, it produces a range of dangerous gasses and pollutants, including carbon monoxides and "black carbon”, which is possibly the second largest contributor to global warming.  In 2009, a Swedish study found that biomass burning was directly responsible for "the giant brown haze” which periodically covers areas of Asia. 

Due to the large carbon content in wood, it had once been theorised that biomass fuels were "carbon neutral”, due to the carbon being released into the atmosphere naturally at the end of a tree’s life when it rots away, and that the release of the same carbon upon combustion would not cause any adverse effects on the atmosphere.  However this has recently been countered by evidence to suggest that release of the carbon in a single pulse has much more of an impact on the atmosphere.

    

Contact Us

Call 01157012030 or fill in the form to the right for more info on installing a biomass heating system at your property through the Green Deal scheme and advice on what is best for you and your property.