The Entire Concept of Biomass Fuels

Ajay Gupta

Jul 30, 2023 • 2 min read

The oldest sustainable energy source, biomass, has been utilized for thousands of years.

Millions of tonnes of biomass, such as bagasse, rice husk, mustard husk, waste wood, coconut shell, horticultural and agricultural waste, waste from palm oil, and other organic solid waste, are produced in the nation and may easily be used in boilers to replace fossil fuels as an energy source.

Biomass has the ability to provide the following advantages:

• Potentially higher profits for the forestry and agricultural industries.
• Reducing the issue of managing biomass waste.
• Increasing energy security through the diversification of energy sources and the use of local resources.
• Cutting down on carbon emissions if produced, transported, and used in a sustainable way.

As a result of plants and trees removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and storing it as they develop, using biomass as fuel is seen as being carbon neutral. This stored CO2 is released back into the atmosphere when biomass is burned in industrial operations, to produce electricity, or for transportation purposes. New plant or tree growth also restores CO2 to the atmosphere, maintaining the equilibrium of the carbon cycle.

As long as biomass is re-grown and harvested for use during the following management cycle, this net-zero or carbon-neutral cycle can be performed indefinitely. Therefore, maintaining the carbon cycle requires the sustainable management of the biomass supply.

Unlike biomass, fossil fuels like gas, oil, and coal release CO2 that has been stored for millions of years and cannot be sequestered or stored; hence they are not considered to be carbon-neutral.

Industries in INDIA have already begun using biomass as a source of energy and have been profitable for the past 8–10 years. Utilizing biomass also improves the environment by reducing CO2 emissions, which otherwise would contribute to global warming.

Crop patterns and geographical differences in weather and seasons have a significant impact on the availability of biomass in INDIA. The dispersed supply of biomass, which makes collecting and distribution labor-intensive and expensive, is an additional problem. The entire amount of biomass that can be made commercially available to industry is constrained by these reasons.

It is challenging to guarantee the year-round supply of any certain type of biomass. The main issue is that biomass fuels have a low bulk density, which leads to decreased tonnage per vehicle, spilling from open lorries or trucks, and greater transportation costs. The cost of transportation makes up a sizeable amount of the landed cost of biomass. Thus, care should be taken while using baling for loose biomass to reduce additional transportation costs.

Most biomass consumers lack enclosed spaces where various forms of biomass can be stored securely and shielded from the elements. The amount of fuel that can be stored is limited since biomass fuel has a tendency to rot or disintegrate over time when left out in the open. Because they are unable to store huge amounts of biomass, users must take great care to regularly secure the biomass they need for their activities. Building protected storage yards, where biomass loss from decay may be minimized, would be advantageous. It is necessary to construct storage sheds and utilize the proper equipment for stacking and recovering.