The entire globe is looking for alternative energy sources to suffice their energy needs. There is a tremendous amount of research and development that has been done in the Biomass power generation industry to minimize the impact of energy generation on the environment.
According to a report by Extrapolate, the global biomass power generation market size is projected to reach USD 107.2 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 5.8% between 2022 and 2030.
In this blog, let us have a look at what biomass power generation is and what are the different processes to generate power using biomass.
What is Biomass Power Generation?
Biomass is a product of natural resources, including sun, air, land, and water energy. It has the potential to serve as an effective, alternative, dependable, and renewable energy source. The organic matter created by terrestrial and aquatic plants and their derivatives is referred to as biomass. During the photosynthesis process, plants use the sun’s energy to transform atmospheric carbon dioxide into sugars.
After the combustion of biomass, the energy is released as sugar and is transformed back into carbon dioxide. As a result, the energy is generated and released in a short period, making biomass a renewable resource. Despite fossil fuels also being derived from atmospheric carbon dioxide, the duration is longer. Fossil fuels take millions of years in comparison to biomass, which takes a few years.
Today, biomass contributes to approximately 14% of the entire energy supply globally and is dominantly used in developing countries. The biomass power generation facilities are seen in the rural and traditional sectors of the economy. Organic matter that is utilized as fuel to generate electricity, heat, or gas is referred to as biomass feedstock. Here is the segmentation of biomass feedstock:
Crop Residue:
Biomass power generated through wheat straw, rice straw, nutshells, corn stalks, rice hulls, and sugarcane residue
Animal Waste:
Biomass power generation facilities use animal excretion, which is a by-product of processing.
Food Processing Waste:
Biomass power generation processes that use leftover sludge, fruit pits, cheese whey waste, potato waste, and other energy-rich fruit processing waste (FPW)
Wood waste:
One of the biomass power generation modes is using wood waste, which includes any type of wood or wood-based product.
Different Biomass Power Generation Processes
Biomass can be transformed into energy using several methods, including:
- Burning it directly (combustion) to generate heat
- Thermochemical processes to produce solid, gaseous, and liquid fuels
- Chemical processes to create liquid fuels
- Biological processes to generate liquid and gaseous fuels
Direct combustion is the most widely used technique for converting biomass into usable energy. Any type of biomass can be burned to heat buildings and water, provide heat for industrial processes, or produce electricity via steam turbines.
Thermochemical conversion includes methods such as pyrolysis and gasification. These processes involve heating biomass feedstock in sealed, pressurized vessels known as gasifiers at high temperatures. The key differences between pyrolysis and gasification are the specific temperatures and the amount of oxygen available during the conversion process.
Biomass power generation equipment transforms renewable fuels into heat and electricity, utilizing processes that are similar to the ones used for fossil fuels. Following are the three ways to release the energy stored in biomass to generate biopower:
● Burning
The majority of the electricity created from biomass is generated by direct combustion. The boiler burns the biomass to create high-pressure steam. The steam is passed over various turbine blades, which makes the blades rotate. As the turbine blades rotate, it produces electricity. It can also act as an alternative for a coal portion in the current power plant furnace in an approach referred to as co-firing. It is a process of combusting two distinctive types of materials simultaneously.
● Bacterial Decomposition (Anaerobic Digestion)
Organic waste, like animal manure or human sewage, is placed in oxygen-free tanks known as digesters. In these tanks, anaerobic bacteria break down the material, producing methane and other by-products. This process creates renewable natural gas, which can be purified and used to generate electricity.
● Transformation to a Gas or Liquid Fuel
The gasification or pyrolysis process is used to convert biomass into gaseous or liquid fuel. The process that exposes solid biomass material to high temperatures with less oxygen present to create synthesis gas or syngas is referred to as gasification. Syngas is a combination of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Electricity can be produced by burning the gas in a conventional boiler. This can be also utilized to replace natural gas in a combined-cycle gas turbine.
Pyrolysis uses a similar technique to gasification but through different operating conditions. The process takes place in the complete absence of oxygen to generate crude bio-oil by heating biomass at a lower temperature range. The bio-oil generated in this process can be later replaced for fuel oil or diesel in engines, turbines, and furnaces for generating electricity.
Wrapping Up Biomass Power Generation
There are more research and developments happening in the biomass power generation sector to minimize the reliance on fossil fuels for generating energy. The market is poised to witness significant growth because of government initiatives and public sector support.
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