1.19 Biomass Energy

Abstract

Biomass represents approximately 14% of the world’s energy consumption. Biomass can be converted into bioenergy (heat/power), biofuels, and bio-based chemicals and materials through various thermochemical and biological conversion technologies. This chapter overviews the global biomass resources, current state-of-the-art of various thermochemical and biological conversion technologies, including combustion/co-firing with fossil fuels, gasification, pyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction, supercritical water gasification and biological conversions (anaerobic digestion for biogas and bio-hydrogen) and their challenges from both technical and large-scale applications perspectives. The most important barriers and challenges associated with the utilization of biomass as a source for energy and chemicals are its cost, variability/unpredictability and compatibility with existing infrastructure, social and other barriers, etc. However, biomass resource is renewable, carbon neutral and abundant, so it has a great potential to become a primary energy source along with others for energy and chemicals production in the years to come. For instance, forest biomass, containing relatively high concentration of lignin – precursors of bio-phenols and bio-polyols, is being increasingly used for production of a wide range of high-value bio-products, for example, industrial chemicals, bio-based materials, textiles, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, etc., other than traditional forest products such as lumber and paper/pulp. Increasing use of biomass resource could help ease society’s dependence on fossil fuels and, in the process, reduce net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and foster bio-economy.