Chapter 4 - Virgin Biomass Production

Abstract

This chapter examines the concept of virgin and waste biomass. In the mid-1990s, few virgin biomass species were grown and harvested in the United States specifically for energy or conversion to biofuels, with the possible exceptions of feedstocks for fuel ethanol and a few tree plantations. For virgin biomass to compete as a feedstock for methane production on an equivalent basis, it is required to be grown, harvested, and gasified to produce methane at the same or lower cost. Some potential biomass energy feedstocks have negative values; that is, waste biomass of several types such as municipal biosolids, municipal solid wastes, and certain industrial and commercial wastes must be disposed of at an additional cost by environmentally acceptable methods. In addition to the costs of biomass energy, another and probably more important factor should be considered when assessing market prices for biomass energy and biofuels. It is the accumulated, tangible socioeconomic benefits of the commercial utilization of a local or regional energy resource for the local or regional economy.