:biofuels: :ch7003:
A review on biomass: importance, chemistry, classification, and conversion
Tursi
- The timescale of the carbon cycle is reduced with biomass. Using biomass for fuel releases carbon into the atmosphere that just came from the atmosphere.
- This carbon is then absorbed again by other biomass and the cycle repeats.
Biomass availability
- ”Several reports estimate the world’s total biomass land and aquatic reserves as around 1.8 trillion tons and 4 billion tons respectively”.
- With a potential production capacity of 33, 000 EJ (80 times the annual energy utilisation of the world).
- In some countries biomass accounts for 50% of energy needs (14% around the world).
- Why do we want to “hydrolyze” cellulose?
Skipped to section 5.
- How to convert biomass to energy:
- Thermo-chemical conversions: combustion, pyrolysis, gasification and liquefaction.
- Combustion is about 90% of this category.
- The average thermal energy produced is 20Mj/kg of biomass.