Pros and Cons of Biomass Energy: Benefits and Challenges

Biomass is any organic material utilized to produce energy. Ordinary animal material and different kinds of crops may fall within this category. Biomass may be turned into a liquid or burned to generate power. Biomass is not a perfect energy source. Although renewable, using biomass plants to produce power has pros and cons. This article will address the benefits and drawbacks of using biomass to produce power.

Examples of biomass that are used for generating energy

• Agricultural residues, including cereal straw, rice husks, agricultural food that remains, and sugarcane bagasse.
• Forest residues, leaves, branches, and other wood remains from the timber business and tree thinning operations;
• Plants involve sugarcane, corn, sorghum, elephant grass, and energy hazel, grown primarily for biomass production.
• Food waste, comprising food scraps, peelings from fruits and vegetables, and waste from food processing;
• Wood waste, chips, and residues from the woodwork and woodworking sectors;
• Manure and waste from animals, such as cattle, pigs, and chickens.
• Municipal solid trash includes tree pruning waste, yard garbage, food waste, and paper waste.

Pros and Cons Biomass

Consideration could be given to the pros and cons of renewable energy sources. Some of the most significant advantages and disadvantages of biomass energy are presented in the following table:

Pros Of Renewable Energy Sources

As a secure and renewable power source, biomass can potentially reduce global waste. Let's analyze every benefit of biomass energy.

One Green Energy Source Is Biomass.

Because it is a renewable resource, biomass energy doesn't run out as it is employed. Using solar energy does not surge the sun's lighting, and utilizing wind energy does not decrease wind speed.

Burning organic material from plants and animals is the principal source of biomass energy. Biomass is viewed as a renewable source as it may be renewed over an individual's lifetime.

Reputable Source.

In contrast to being dependent on the weather solar and wind energy, biomass energy is a reliable resource that can provide electricity anytime.

Bioenergy power plants can provide electricity anytime as long as biomass is available.

Reduction Of Waste

Garbage, or municipal solid waste, has the potential to provide valuable energy. Waste reduction is facilitated by removing discarded rubbish from landfills and processing it in waste-to-energy biomass facilities.

Biomass energy may be produced from various materials, such as paper, cardboard, food waste, grass clippings, wood pellets, wood waste, leaves, and leather goods.

Biomass power plants might reduce landfill stress while meeting rising energy demands as people create more trash.

According to a 2018 estimate by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), waste-to-energy plants in the U.S. handled 292 million tons of municipal solid garbage.

Plenty Of Sources

The fact that biomass is an abundant source of electricity is even a great advantage. Every day, a more tremendous amount of organic stuff gets produced. Biomass won't have the problem of restricted availability as fossil fuels do since it can be found almost anywhere in the world.

However, to preserve a healthy biomass supply, it must be kept appropriately. While waiting for the biomass supply to renew, resources may become limited if the demand exceeds the supply.

Carbon-free

Carbon One of the leading chauffeurs of climate change is the issue of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Appreciatively, bioenergy is measured as a carbon-neutral energy source since the carbon it emits is part of the natural carbon cycle, unlike fossil fuels.

It also means that the amount of carbon plants collect during their existence is equal to the amount released into the atmosphere when biomass sources are burned. Thus, no "new" carbon emissions are released into the atmosphere when biomass is burned.

The Cons Of Using Biomass Energy

Although biomass has many advantages, its use as a source is costly, space-intensive, polluting, and may be considered inefficient.

Costly Energy Source

The cost of creating biomass energy could be extremely costly. Large biomass energy plants must be built to use biomass as an energy source since it can only be used on a utility scale. The planning and development of these structures take years and cost millions of dollars.

The levelized cost for electricity for biomass plants is approximately $90 per megawatt-hour (MWh), determined by EIA data from 2022. To put that into context, utility-scale solar energy projects have an LCOE of between $24 to $96 per MWh. Therefore, most solar energy at the lower end of the spectrum is less expensive than biomass.

Releases Greenhouse Gases.

Despite being carbon neutral, biomass energy adds to the climate by generating particulate matter and certain greenhouse gasses. Methane, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides are all released while burning biomass.

Needs Room

As was previously said, constructing power plants is essential since biomass energy can only be used on a big scale. The average biomass plant has an output of around 15 MW, which is a lot of occupied space!

Finding appropriate sites is challenging because of the size of these large combinations. Residential PV solar is a more accessible source since it can be placed on almost any rooftop.

Effects On The Environment

Although viable, biomass energy isn't an optimal choice for the environment. Wood and forestry are the primary sources of biomass, and as biomass plants need more assets, forests may be removed more quickly, which would result in deforestation.

Algae are another significant source of biomass, and their production needs high levels of fertilizer containing phosphorus. Local streams and other species might suffer substantial damage from excessive nitrogen use.

Ineffective Source

Relative to other energy sources, biomass power is less efficient. Burning organic matter frequently needs more energy than it generates.

There is often inadequate output to meet high electricity demand. New technologies must be developed to increase its efficiency if we wish to use biomass more extensively.
A renewable energy source, biomass may offer fuel for vehicles, electricity, and heat.

Although utilizing biomass presents some challenges, it is significant in providing our future energy needs.

However, we must determine how to use biomass more effectively and responsibly to become a sustainable energy source.

Research continues to be conducted to increase the conversion efficiency of renewable while offering new applications for biomass materials. Ultimately, our ability to overcome these obstacles will determine how thriving biomass performs as an energy source.