Biomass is organic material which can be converted to energy. It is usually thought of as “waste” material such as wood chips, yard clippings, dead trees, and even used tires and farmyard manure. Biomass can be converted to energy by burning it or capturing gases from it.

Biomass can be converted to electricity by collecting material like scrap wood and bringing it to a biomass processing plant. The material is burned in large furnaces and the heat is used to provide steam to drive turbines and power generators.

A lot of the material used for biomass energy would otherwise be sent to landfills. In fact, there are still a lot of recyclable substances that do end up in landfills, but the energy from these substances can still be captured in the form of methane gas. Pipelines installed in landfill sites can collect the methane and use it to feed power plants which produce electricity.

Methane can also be collected from farmyard manure. Farms which have a lot of cows, chickens, and other animals can collect the methane gas produced from the manure and use it for energy.

Biomass energy is ecologically friendly because it does not contribute to global warming. As plants grow, they consume carbon dioxide, and this carbon dioxide is released when the plants are burned. In turn, the CO2 released by the burning process is again consumed by new plants grown for biomass energy. Other forms of energy like fossil fuels contribute to global warming because they release CO2 into the atmosphere without providing a corresponding mechanism to absorb it.

Eventually, we hope to reach the stage where all biomass can be converted to energy. This will have the dual effect of reducing the need for landfill sites while providing an alternate energy source.

New ways are being explored for utilizing biomass energy. For example, biomass can be used to produce ethanol which can be used as a gasoline replacement in specially designed cars. It can also be combined with gasoline to cut down on fuel consumption.