The importance of green energy produced from biomass is increasing day by day as the fossil fuels are becoming depleted and more costly. There is increased potential for bio-fuels produced from various biomass sources. More and more countries that are dependent on oil producing countries for their power production needs are entering into green energy production from various sources including biomass. Biomass is a good source for sustainable energy production. Some of the sources of renewable energy from biomass is discussed below
Bagasse
Bagasse is a great source for power production. It is the residue of the sugarcane from the sugar mills after the production of sugar. It is possible for the sugar mills to use this bagasse for the production of power for their use to sell it to the main grid. The new technologies used increases the production of power from bagasse considerably. The total energy content of bagasse is very high and harnessing this energy will be useful. Countries with sugar growing areas can depend on this biomass source for green energy production. They are easily available and are cheap.
Fuel Wood
For many rural household fuel wood is the main source of energy. The important sources of fuel wood for power generation includes
- The woodlands
- Commercial plantations
- Sawdust, wood chips and bark from the sawmills
- Waste from paper and pulp mills
- Other available vegetations
Sawmills and pulp mills are an important source of biomass. The viability of fuel wood as a green energy source depends on the availability of waste from sawmills and pulp mills. The energy potential of wood will be more than that of pulp. The heat and power generated from these industries can be used for various heating purposes in- house. This will reduce the need for other fuel sources like coal and oil.
Agricultural Residues
The agricultural residues from various annual and biennial plants can be used as a source for energy production. The common crops used for energy production are
- Maize leaves, stalk and husk
- The straw of wheat
- Leaves , head and stalk of sunflower plant
- Leaves of sugar cane
- Sorghum plants
- Jatropha plants
Most of the countries will have any of these agricultural residues to provide biomass for bio fuel production. The quantity of energy produced will depend on the yield per area and the energy potential of the various plant residues. Among the agricultural residues sugar cane has high energy potential values. Energy crops like Jatropha are also a good source of green energy. The seeds of sunflower and nuts of jatropha can be processed to yield bio- fuel.
Grass And Litter
Another biomass source for power production includes the grass from the grassland areas and litter from livestock. With the use of biogas plants it is possible to produce methane gas by the anaerobic fermentation of litter and bio -degradable wastes. Though biomass is a good option for energy production, it should not produce a conflict with food crop production.