Advances in Chemical Engineering & Technology

Green Energy and Biomass

Biomass is an industry term for getting energy by burning wood, and other organic matter. Burning biomass releases carbon emissions but has been classed as a renewable energy source in the EU and UN legal frameworks, because plant stocks can be replaced with new growth. Forest-based biomass has recently come under fire from several environmental organizations, including Greenpeace and the Natural Resources Défense Council, for the harmful impacts it can have on forests and the climate. Greenpeace recently released a report entitled "Fuelling a Biomes" which outlines their concerns around forest-based biomass. Because any part of the tree can be burned, the harvesting of trees for energy production encourages whole-tree harvesting. Green energy comes from natural sources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, plants, algae and geothermal heat. These energy resources are renewable, meaning they're naturally replenished. In contrast, fossil fuels are a finite resource that take millions of years to develop and will continue to diminish with use.