ECOShift

About Bioenergy

Bioenergy is produced by the release of chemical energy contained within fuels made from biomass. What is Biomass, you might ask.  It is actually the result of solar energy that is stored by the photosynthetic activity of plants. As we know, plants remove CO₂ (carbon dioxide) from the atmosphere and combine it with water to produce biomass. Some common sources of Biomass include; agricultural waste, forest wast, municipal waste, food processing waste etc.

Bioenergy is one of the oldest of all renewable energy resources on our beautiful planet.  One of the first forms of Bioenergy usage was fire.  Fires used to heat, cook and create light are, in fact, and example of Bioenergy at work. Another example of historical Bioenergy is the use of animal fats or vegetable oils used to power oil lamps. The use of Biomass as a source of energy, primarily wood, was the principle method for heating, cooking, and illumination for many civilizations and cultures, not all that long ago.

Benefits of Bioenergy

Bioenergy also has the following benefits to our environment when used as an alternative source of energy:

• Biomass can be used as a source of energy indefinitely because plant matter is renewed continuously by photosynthesis in a short regrowth cycle. 
• Due to the short replication cycle of biomass, using bioenergy does not increase atmospheric carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases considered to be the major cause of global warming. In fact, using Biomass as a source of energy can actually decrease the amount of methane – another more potent greenhouse gas – which is given off by decaying plant matter.
• Bioenergy has a generally positive impact on the local economy. Biofuels are bulky and have a low-energy density so it is not economical to transport them long distances. As a result, the money spent to purchase biofuels generally remains in the local area. 
• More local jobs are created and material requirements are increased because more labour is needed to handle fuels made from biomass and more extensive mechanical structures are needed. 
• The use of biomass provides significant benefits to other local industries. For example, the removal of dead, diseased or low-quality trees from forests for fuel prepares the area for replanting more valuable tree species. And the collection of straw or corn stover for conversion to ethanol provides extra income for farms without an investment in special equipment.
• Biomass materials are often waste products from existing industrial activities that would otherwise be disposed of--at considerable cost. For example, if you burn unusable waste material such as bark, construction waste and tree clippings, you reduce the pressure to expand local landfill sites while generating useful energy