If you have ever heard of the term biomass, you may not know exactly what this means, especially in terms of producing energy. It is simply mass that is created by living organisms, and this material can be used for different purposes including heating. As the world continues to search for ways to lower global warming, whether or not this is a natural cycle or if it is caused by man, these attempts are moving us forward toward finding more sustainable forms of energy, and using these sources to a higher level of efficiency. One of the best ways that biomass can be utilized in a way that can help both people and the environment is through the use of biomass boilers installers. This article will present a brief overview of how these units work, what they are designed to do, and how this can affect the way that we will use different types of fuel to provide heat and other types of energy.
What Is Biomass?
To understand how a biomass boiler works, you must first of a better understanding of the material that is used within these systems. Biomass is simply biological material, that which originates from living creatures or plants, or even recently living organisms. This plant-based material, in particular, is the biomass that is used in most situations. It is due to the structure of the organic molecules that it is made of, specifically carbon and other materials including nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen. If it has been recent, chlorophyll will also be part of the mix which can contain trace minerals including magnesium. When looking at plant material, there will always be a byproduct of CO2 which is used by the plants in order to grow. This is one of the challenges related to using this type of fuel source as global warming is related to an increase in carbon dioxide levels. Whether this is naturally decomposing, or if it is burned, CO2 will be produced and released into the atmosphere.
The Difference Between Fossil Fuels And Biomass
Following the mainstream theory that fossil fuels, as the name seems to indicate, is the result of the decomposition of ancient animals that have now provided us with the oil that we have today, this is a type of fuel that is limited, and therefore different from biomass. On a positive note, the creation of biomass is sustainable, and while this material is alive and growing, it actually does take CO2 out of the air. The negative aspect of using this sustainable renewable energy source is that it can take away from the food supply such as when wheat or corn is used to make certain types of fuel, and it is also less dense which means you will need considerably more fuel derived from biomass to produce the same amount of output as the highly dense fossil fuels such as gas, oil and coal.
Categorizing Biomass Materials
One final thing to consider before looking at the functionality of biomass boilers is to look at the different categories that certain biomass materials fall under which can play a large role in the economics of using this material in boilers, as well as how abundant the source is for the biomass that must be used to produce energy. There are only five categories for this type of material which include Virgin wood obtained from locations where tree harvesting has occurred. You can also get it from what are called energy crops, which would include wheat, barley, corn, and many other crops that are grown today. Agricultural residues are the third category which has to do with the harvesting and processing of agriculture. Food waste can actually be a source for this material and finally industrial waste, material derived from industrial processes and the manufacturing of the products that are sold in stores. So how does a biomass boiler work and how will it utilize these biomass materials? Let’s take a look at what a biomass boiler is able to do.
Overview Of The Biomass Boiler
These are products that are developed by a green thinking companies, ones that are very intense in using biofuels as a way of transitioning from fossil fuels and our dependency upon foreign nations for oil. It is actually possible to use these biomass machines that can process a significant amount of agricultural biomass in the form of chicken manure, bark, would from trees, sugarcane, nuts, shells, sawdust, and even sludge that is produced at certain facilities. The benefits of using this type of machine to produce energy is that you are eliminating biomass from the forest, or even your backyard, that you would otherwise have to pay to have removed once a job is complete. There is also the small dent that is made in the dependency that we have in getting foreign oil. Best of all, these units have become so efficient that many companies are producing them at very high rates, marketing them all across the country. The efficiency levels, and the type of biomass materials that they can use in these boilers, makes it a very easy product to sell all over the country. The more that people use these machines, the less electricity and gas they will have to use which could be much more expensive. At the same time, you are also doing your part to help the environment by producing this very popular type of green energy.
Biomass boilers are simply another step in the right direction toward helping to improve our world. It is also a great financial move on the part of countries that have all of this biomass surrounding them, which is simply going to waste by not being converted into usable energy. The more that we begin to focus upon ways to utilize what we have, instead of depending upon foreign oil, it is likely that we will soon have networks of biomass boilers working round-the-clock to produce the energy that we need in a completely environmentally safe manner.