Biomass
Biomass is the use of plant materials and animal wastes that is burned in order to provide heat and electricity by converting the waste in gaseous or liquid biofuels. Biomass contains stored energy because plats absorb energy from the sun through the process of photosynthesis. When the biomass is burned, the stored energy is released as heat to produce energy that we can use. If harvested and burned sustainably, the CO2 levels omitted during the process can be relatively low. The biofuels can be easily stored and transported and can be used for crops to grow almost anywhere.
ADVANTAGES |
DISADVANTAGES |
Moderate costs (economic) |
Nonrenewable if harvested unsustainably (environmental) |
No net CO2 increase if harvested and burned sustainably (environmental) |
Low photosynthetic efficiency (environmental) |
Plantation can help restore degraded lands (environmental) |
Plantations could compete with cropland (economic) |
Plantation can be located on semiarid land not needed for crops (environmental) |
Often burned in inefficient and polluting open fires and stoves (environmental) |
Large potential supply in some areas (economic) |
Moderate to high environmental impact (environmental) |