As the future and impact of traditional fuels like petroleum and coal come into question biomass is getting more attention as an alternative source of energy.
Biomass is simply any material that is formed by living things. Plants, animals, fungus, micro organisms and even you are biomass. When people talk about biomass they are usually talking about biomass that can be used as a source of energy which is called biofuel.
Fossil fuels like coal and petroleum are believed to be the remains of ancient plants and animals so they are biomass too but when people talk about biomass they are usually referring to material that comes from living things today.
The major advantage of biomass is that it is renewable and considered carbon neural. Unlike fossil fuels biomass is part of the current natural carbon cycle so there is no long term net increase in carbon in the atmosphere when biofuels are burned.
Many biofuels can be produced from waste materials that come from producing other agricultural and forest products. In this case energy is being utilized that would otherwise have gone to waste.
It's a domestic source of energy that is less influenced by political instability and world events. Using biofuel supports local economies.
Unfortunately biofuels haven't been cost competitive with most other sources of energy. So far as a fuel for cars or for generating electricity the cost and energy loss from converting biomass into other forms of fuel and energy are too great. Advances in technology could make it more practical in the future but so far we aren't there yet.
There is an exception to this and that is using biomass for direct heating. People have been heating by burning biomass like wood for thousands of years. This old technology may still be proving to be the most efficient way to utilize biomass energy.
Traditional wood heat may not be practical for most people but wood and other biomass pellets are a practical alternative. Pellet stoves are becoming more popular and are almost as convenient and clean burning as traditional heating systems.
For people who want to use biomass for energy they can do so today by switching to pellets for home heating.
Learn more about pellet burning stoves and learn about making wood pellets.
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