Biomass Energy: Heating Your Home With Corn

Biomass Energy
With fossil fuel prices expected to continue increasing, many people are nervous about future heating bills. Using biomass as an alternative is becoming particularly popular. As strange as it may sound, corn is a popular fuel.

Not Just For Movies Anymore

As mentioned by President Bush in his State of the Union speech, the United States has a bad oil addiction. Throw in the negative environmental impact of using fossil fuels, and it becomes apparent a change is needed. As we look around for alternative energy sources, biomass is becoming a popular choice. Biomass is simply energy derived from the burning of bio fuels such as animal waste and excessive crops.

As people starve around the world, it is sadly ironic that we have a major surplus of corn. Corn makes an excellent biomass power source. This is because corn packs a serious amount of energy in each kernel. When used with a heating system, they produce as much heat as traditional furnaces, but at a much lower cost.

Biomass corn energy is produced using dry shelled corn as the power source. Unlike the edible variety, the corn does not have to be of high quality stock. Pretty much any shelled corn will do so long as it is dry and free of husk fibers.

Corn is turned into heat for a home much the same way as wood. The process involves a fired stove with corn being used instead of wood. If you’re picturing standing in the snow with a shovel, you will be happily disappointed. These days, shelled corn is delivered to your home where it is stored in a tank. As the heating system requires additional fuel, a thermostat senses the loss in temperature and opens a door in the storage tank. A pre-set amount of corn falls into the furnace and, ta da, you have more fire and more heat. The heat is then piped into the home through the same duct system used with an electric heating system.

Generally, burning corn for heat will cost you half as much as oil produced energy, 30 percent less than coal produced heat and 70 percent less than heat produced with natural gas. If you’re buying energy to heat your house from a utility company, converting to a corn can save you as much as 75 percent.

At first mention, using corn as a fuel source might seem "out there." In truth, it is the most searched type of furnace on the Internet. That should tell you something about its popularity and viability.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies. Visit our biomass energy page to read more about corn burning furnaces.

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Biomass Energy: What is Co-Firing?

Biomass Energy
Definition
If we look at some of the definitions for co-firing, then usually most of the statements will refer to it as a process of combustion of two types of fuels. This kind of combustion, which is the burning of different materials at the same time, is related mainly to a biomass being burned with a fossil fuel. The most common fossil fuel used in co-firing is coal.

In simple terms, co-firing is a method of supplementing coal in a coal-fired boiler with a different type of fuel, such as biomass materials*.

Method

Presently, there are two different types of co-firing, direct and indirect.

For direct co-firing, two different methods have been developed. The first method is blending the biomass and coal in the fuel handling system and feeding the blend to the boiler. The second method is a separate fuel handling and separate special burners for the biomass, which thus have no impact to the conventional coal delivery system.

On the other hand, indirect co-firing is a process concept, which is based on thermal conversion of biomass or waste to gaseous or liquid fuel and the co-firing of these converted fuels together with the main fuel.

Three different types of indirect co-firing exist. These are "indirect co-combustion with pre-gasification", "indirect co-combustion in gas-fired power plants", and "parallel co-combustion (steam side coupling)".

Co-Firing Benefits

Co-firing can reduce the emission of a number of gases. It has already been established that these gases pollute the environment and can cause global warming. Co-firing, therefore, can be beneficial in a number of ways. The most important benefit we obtain from the co-firing system is CO2 reduction, usually associated with global warming. In addition to the above, we can benefit in the reduction of NOx as well as reduction in flame temperature. Also, co-firing with biomass can reduce the emission of SOx, due to the lower sulphur content in biomass materials.

Others important beneficial factors can be in cost saving, as a variety of biomass materials are much cheaper than fossil fuels and under no threat of exhausting the reserve, such as with fossil fuels. For this reason, co-firing can increase sustainability of energy supplies from power production, as well as producing less by-product than burning coal on its own (clearly that depend on the type of biomass being used in the co-firing system).

Finally, co-firing improves combustion due to the higher volatile content of biomass. In addition, increasing the use of biomass materials as a fuel may help in the creation of new jobs.

Challenges for Co-firing

There are a number of factors which can affect co-firing in one way or another. Some of these factors are purely technical, others are non-technical.

Many of these challenges do not apply to fossil fuels, and that is what makes co-firing with biomass a more challenging area, trying to establish itself in a more competitive environment where a number of systems and fuels are being tested and marketed at the present time. Co-firing, therefore, will need more support and more time to smooth out its various problems before it can compete commercially with fossil fuels.

Factors which may give rise to problems are usually related to fuel preparation, storage, delivery and fuel flexibility (quality and quantity) [2]. Also, ash deposition (increased need for soot blowing, more intensive cleaning of heat transfer surfaces in revisions may be required etc.), remains a problem [3].

In addition to the above, other issues such as pollutant formation, increased corrosion rates of high temperature components, the number of bed material changes per day increases (in Fluidised Bed combustion), fly ash utilization (un-burnt carbon, contamination) [4], higher in-house power consumption, difficulty for complete combustion as well as the difficulties in mixing coal and biomass in the boiler, remain [5].

Fouling and corrosion of the boiler (alkalis, chlorine) are other negative aspects of co-firing. Finally and as part of the technical challenges, the negative impact on flue gas cleaning (SCR DeNOx).

Concerning non-technical factors, these may range from economic aspects (lack of financial incentives, uncertain fuel prices, open market) to legislative aspects (utilization of fly ash in cement, determining green share, emission legislation), as well as the public perception of co-firing of biomass/waste.

Conclusion

Co-firing is one of the methods used in power generating companies as a way to reduce unwanted gaseous emissions, which can be the cause of global warming, as well as a health risk to humans, plus polluting the environment.

In addition to the above, co-firing is one of the methods used to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels.

Generally speaking, co-firing can be used to reduce the cost of energy production, as the use of biomass materials for generating energy tend to be cheaper than the use of fossil fuels.

References

1. Perry M., Rosillo-Calle F. "Co-firing Report - United Kingdom" International Energy Agency (IEA) Bioenergy Task40 - Imperial College 2006.

2. "Biomass Energy Data Book" US Dept. of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 2006.

3. "Biomass Research" NREL National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA, 2006.

4. "Biomass Management - Fuel Removal and Mulching" - Hills Emergency Forum, Biomass Management Working Paper, 2007.

5. "Engineering Report" Guidance document on biomass co-firing on coal fired power stations " DTI Projet 324-2, 2007

*Co-firing should not be confused with multiple fuel boilers. Multiple fuel boilers are designed to burn a wide range of fuels. Co-firing on the other hand is carried out in a boiler specifically designed to burn only a specific type of coal [1].

Najib Altawell

N. Altawell © 2008

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Biomass Energy: Alternative Energy Sources Overview

Biomass Energy
If we say that alternative energy comprises everything that is not based on fossil fuel consumption, the number of optional resources is impressive. This chapter will provide an overview only of the ones in use or development now, with each being further explored in subsequent chapters. There are, no doubt, alternative energy sources not included here, either because they are not yet at anything beyond a theoretical stage or simply because no one has thought of them yet.

Solar

This is the original energy source. Before humans learned to make fire, we were dependent-as were all the plants and animals with whom we shared the planet-on the sun for heat and light. In fact, although there were likely many factors responsible, the radiant output of the sun (which may have been affected by variations in the Earth's orbital path or by the Sun's orbital path within the galaxy, as well as by activity taking place on the sun or in space) contributed to the first global energy crises: the ice age(s), when large portions of the Earth were covered with thick sheets of ice and sea level dropped precipitously. There are two types of solar energy: passive and active. The former involves simply making use of the position, duration, and intensity of the sun's rays to best advantage, using it to heat an area or induce air flow from one area to another, without the use of extra technology beyond what's needed to store the energy. The latter involves using mechanical and electrical technology such as collection panels to capture, convert and store the energy for later use.

Wind

Wind has been used for many centuries as a source of power. It has fueled many a sailing ship and made possible the exploration of and trade with distant lands. Single windmills have powered a family's needs for crop irrigation, electric lights and water pumping. These days, however, most of the discussions concerning wind power involve not one or two windmills dedicated to a specific consumer but many, many wind turbines arranged to capture large amount of power at once and feed it to the grid. These are known as "wind farms," and have been in use around the world for many years, with the United States one of the few industrialized nations to be slow to accept the concept.

Biomass/Biofuel

Biomass energy production involves converting biological material or wastes into substances that can be used as fuel for heating, transportation or power generation. Carbon-based materials that have been converted over time into fossil fuels are not considered "biomass" (although in their original states they would have been) for the simple reason that the carbon they contain has been isolated from the current carbon cycle and would therefore figure differently in their effect on the carbon dioxide levels found in the atmosphere.

Hydrogen & Electric

Hydrogen is not, in fact, an alternative producer of energy. Rather it is a means for storing energy produced by other methods and is thus considered by many to be a safer, easier and more efficient way to deliver energy. Since weaning ourselves from a steady diet of fossil fuels will involve many direct and indirect changes in the ways we think about and do things, we include it here, along with discussions of storage and transmission in general, and an important part of energy planning. Likewise, electricity is not an energy producer but a form in which energy can be stored and delivered.

Nuclear

Nuclear power creates energy when its atomic structure changes. All the nuclear power plants in operation today are based on fission, in which the radioactive decay process is accelerated in a controlled chain reaction that splits an atom into two or more byproducts, including energy. Nuclear fusion involves the opposite-combining elements-for the same purpose. While fusion has enormous potential for energy production, the technology does not yet exist to instigate a controlled fusion reaction. Nuclear power has remained controversial worldwide for many reasons (discussed later), but its continued appeal lies in its ability to produce millions of times more energy than any fossil fuel of similar mass.

Ocean and Earth Power

The Earth itself offers many promising sources of power. Like solar energy, geothermal resources have long provided humans with a source of heat, although harnessing the heat of the Earth to generate electricity dates back only to the turn of the last century. Tidal power involves capturing the kinetic energy of the incoming and outgoing tides, as well as the local difference between high tide and low tide. Similarly, there is energy in the wave action in the oceans. One alternate form of energy production for heating is already relatively common: the heat pump. They come in two basic forms: geothermal (see above) and air-source. Geothermal heat pumps use the ground temperature, and are 40 to 60 percent more efficient than air source heat pumps, which use the temperature difference between the indoor and outdoor air for heating and cooling. There are also systems for ocean thermal conversion.

Alternative Energy is a crucial link in our energy future if we are to cut the oil cord. We present thoughts, ideas, info and news about alternative energy at Alternative Energy HQ. Get a copy of our FREE BOOK "Cutting the Oil Cord - Using Alternative Energy in Your Life" at - http://alternativeenergyhq.com

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Biomass Energy: Bio Pyramid

Biomass Energy
In the ongoing energy debate, biomass energy is getting a lot of play among politicians. To understand the concept, it first helps to understand the bio pyramid.

Bio Pyramid

All of the organisms in the world follow orders of classification. Whether you choose to put them into groups of plants and animals, herbivores and carnivores, or any other of the many different types of classification systems, organisms can be put into many groups in order to understand their relationship to one another. One way to classify organisms is to put them into their order, or hierarchy, in the food chain. In this way, we can see how animals and other organisms relate to each other based on what they consume.

There are several different ways to look at the food chain, and one important and useful tool in this area is the bio pyramid. A bio pyramid is a graphical chart that shows the comparative mass of the consumers to the producers in the food chain. This can be helpful in determining how energy is transferred to the top levels of the pyramid from the bottom levels.

Each level in a bio pyramid is composed of a trophic level. Trophic levels are groupings of different “consumer” groups, such as primary producers (usually just plants or other photosynthetic organisms) rising all the way up to carnivores (such as humans). While a typical biological pyramid might group these consumers in order of energy produced, a bio pyramid shows them in order of total mass from highest to lowest. This often means that the primary consumers, such as the plants, are at the bottom because they are more numerous and take up more mass. The levels are built upon then by how many upper level organisms could survive based on the level below. An example can be seen in this sea bio pyramid:

It would take 1,000,000 kg of phytoplankton (1st level), to feed 100,000 kg of zooplankton (2nd level), to feed 10,000 kg of shrimp (3rd level), to finally feed 1,000 kg of large fish. The final level, the 5th, would only be able to have 100 kg of shark supported by the levels below.

In this way, a bio pyramid shows the inefficiency of the food chain, and lets researchers know that if a level was able to be skipped (such as a shark dipping down and eating shrimp instead of fish), more energy would be conserved and the food chain would lose less energy along the way. Given this fact, a bio pyramid is an important tool when looking at the laws of conservation of energy among different classes of organisms.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com. Visit us for more biomass energy articles.

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Biomass Energy: Why Use Biomass for Our Energy Needs

Biomass Energy
The last five years has seen a revolution in how governments, people and industry view energy. The positive aspects of biomass energy have come to the forefront in this discussion.

Why Use Biomass for Our Energy Needs: The Pros

The primary positive aspect of biomass is it is part of the biocycle of life. This means it isn’t toxic to the environment because it is more or less the environment. An additional benefit is the fact biomass almost always breaks down relatively quickly to its natural elements. This means a biomass fuel spill would be far less damaging than an oil spill, particularly in the long run.

The burning of biomass does kick out carbon dioxide among other gases. Carbon dioxide, of course, is a greenhouse gas. Proponents of biomass energy, however, argue that the gases produced are not really a problem because they are part of the current biocycle. By this, they are arguing that carbon dioxide is a natural element produced in nature and they are correct.

Fossil fuels, on the other hand, are outside of the natural biocycle in the world because they are buried in the ground, which effectively means they are not part of naturally occurring phases. As we dig and drill fossil fuels out of the ground, we are adding the harmful elements found in them to a system that cannot withstand the massive influx.

We already use many biomass fuels in our daily lives. The first cavemen used them to light fires for warmth, protection and cooking. Today, we use them to power our automobiles in the form of biodiesal and bioethanol. Whether you realize it or not, these two fuels have been going into our cars at gas stations since 1990 in parts of the country. The reason is they are used as additives in gasoline for the purpose of cutting harmful carbon dioxide emissions. In fact, federal law mandates their use in certain cities such as Los Angeles as well as in most government vehicles.

Carbon dioxide produced from vehicles makes up over a third of all the greenhouse gases produced in our country. Bioethanol made from corn cuts these emissions by over 20 percent compared to your basic gasoline. Biodiesel made from soybeans cuts emissions by as much as 80 percent. Any way you cut it, using biomass fuel is a step in the right direction.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies. Visit our biomass energy page to read more about biofuels.

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Biomass Energy: Is Biomass Really a Clean Energy Resource?

Biomass Energy
As we strive to find alternative energy resources, many potential solutions are on the table. Biomass energy is one such solution or is it?

Biomass energy is unique in that it has existed in primitive forms since the early days of mankind. Burning wood in a cave is a form of biomass energy, which is simply the conversion of an organic material in a manner that produces heat. For example, a fire converts the organic wood into heat. Therein, however, lays the problem.

Global warming is a much debated issue with everyone having a strong opinion and no one seemingly willing to listen to the other side. Whatever your view on this subject, what is clear is we are producing an absolute ton of carbon-based gases in our modern civilization. This is a key issue since the amount of carbon in the atmosphere is a key factor in climate regulation on our planet.

To understand the problems of biomass as an energy form, one has to understand the biomass cycle that occurs on the planet. Simplified, the biomass cycle regulates the amount of carbon in our atmosphere. The biomass, primarily in the form of plants, uses carbon to grow and the biosphere effectively acts as a sponge for carbon. This sponge effect, however, has limits. As with a sponge in your kitchen, the biomass can only suck up so much carbon at one time. When there is too much carbon in the atmosphere or we shrink our “sponge” with deforestation and such, we run the risk of overwhelming the atmosphere with carbon gases. If our atmosphere has excessive carbon, heat is trapped and all hell begins to break loose. From a practical standpoint, this means our relatively mild climate on Earth will start becoming more chaotic. After the most recent hurricane season, that definitely is not a good thing.

Taking the biomass cycle into consideration, the negatives of all biomass energy production are that they create more carbon gases. A caveman sitting next to a fire in a cave is using biomass energy to produce heat, but the black smoke is a very nasty carbon pollutant. In modern terms, biomass energy doesn’t really resolve the amount of carbon we are putting into the atmosphere. Yet, there is an argument on the other side of the biomass coin.

Proponents of biomass argue it is a better energy source than fossil fuels. The basis of this argument is that plants [biomass] have taken in much smaller amounts of carbon gases over a shorter period of time than fossil fuels. Thus, burning them is a carbon neutral situation. The problem, of course, is that even if this concept is correct, we are not cutting down our carbon emissions. At this point in time, we need to be reducing carbon gasses, not maintaining our current output.

It is undisputable biomass has its problems. It is a better alternative than fossil fuels, but how much so?

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies. Visit us to read more articles on solar power and renewable energy.

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Biomass Energy: An Overview of Biomass Energy

Biomass Energy
As fuel prices skyrocket, personal financial situations and entire economies are threatened. Biomass energy has been offered up as a possible solution.

An Overview of Biomass Energy

Energy can be produced in a number of ways. We can burn fossil fuels, use the sun's light for solar energy, use water for hydroelectric generators or even the heat of the Earth's core in geothermal energy. One often overlooked source of energy that belongs among all these others is biomass energy. Indeed, President Bush seems particular keen on the subject.

Biomass is biological (natural) material that was once living, or still is living, that can be used to produce energy. For example, lawn clippings, dead trees, unused crops, wood chips and other wood byproducts are all biomass. Even household trash can be considered biomass, as can “landfill gas”, produced when garbage decomposes in landfills.

Biomass energy is produced when these materials are burned as fuel to produce energy. Some biomass materials are burned to produce steam, which is then used with generators to produce energy and heat. Other biomass materials, such as landfill gas, ethanol (produced from corn and other leftover crops) and biodiesel (this fuel is made from leftover animal fats and vegetable oils) can be used to create biomass energy that can even power transportation vehicles.

While biomass energy should be used as frequently as possible, as the biomass fuels are readily available, this type of energy is often overlooked. Biomass energy only accounts for about three percent of the energy used yearly in the United States. Some people feel that using biomass for energy is not safe for the environment, or that they do not want a “garbage” burning power plant in their area. In fact, biomass energy is actually very safe for the environment – the only byproduct is carbon dioxide, which comes from the burning of any fuel. This greenhouse gas does have some harmful properties, but not near as many as the pollutants that are released with the burning of fossil fuels.

In order to see just what biomass energy can do for our world, society needs to become more open to the use of biomass as an energy source. Using discarded and waste products can help to reduce the amount of trash going into our landfills, as well as cut down on our need to use fossil fuels. This, in turn, will not only help the environment but also the world's economy. Biomass energy is an under-utilized energy source that needs to be fully researched and used in the years to come.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com - information on biomass energy.

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Biomass Energy: What is Biomass Energy?

Biomass Energy
Biomass sources comprise a wide variety of materials such as forest and mill residues, agricultural crops and wastes, wood and wood wastes, animal wastes, livestock operation residues, aquatic plants, fast-growing trees & other types of plants e.g. grasses, as well as municipal and industrial wastes. These biomass materials can be burned or converted into a gas and used as fuel.

A source of energy such as biomass is one of the ways forward in reducing our dependency on fossil fuels, plus stabilizing (and/or reducing) the CO2 in the atmosphere. The term "biomass" refers to organic matter which can be converted to energy; the name "biomass" being invented in approximately 1975 to describe natural materials used as energy sources.

Commercial bio-refinery usually produces large quantities of waste, mostly sold as animal feed. This kind of waste can be used as a source of energy, such as for electricity, heating or as a fertiliser.

Despite huge increases in the price of crude oil during 2006 and 2007, as well as an increase in the coal prices, the production cost of various bio-energy fuels still do not match the production prices of fossil fuels, such as coal. This means that the present scenario for the commercially produced bio-fuel is still far from being realistic for the international market in general.

Therefore, there is an urgent need for a change in the production cost to make bio-energy "affordable". That means if the cost can be brought down further, may be even lower than the present prices of fossil fuels, then that will be a great achievement for everyone concerned.

This kind of energy source transformation can be achieved successfully by following basic but important technical and business rules. It is important that this kind of transformation should happen with the appropriate support of the governments concerned and their local authorities.

General, as well as specialised, comprehensive investigations related to scientific, technical and commercial matters should be considered and analysed, as well as the conditions required for this kind of business, on a long term basis.

Economic analysis forms an important part of any new type of research, in particular when it comes to the energy issue. Biomass energy research and applications, therefore, should concentrate not just on the technical and scientific issues, but most importantly on the wider commercial market, through which the biomass fuels can be selected for various types of commercial applications.

The aims for various types of renewable sources of energy are very similar to each other, in that they all have one target: Energy that can be economical, sustainable, and environmentally acceptable.

In comparison with other types of renewable source of energy, biomass research and development, as well as applications are taking the lead in a number of countries across the globe (Biomass Energy report, ODE, USA 2002). USA and Europe provide good examples when it comes to biomass energy utilization. As a consequence, various methods have been created to establish certain facts concerning biomass materials as a reliable source of energy.

"By 2020, the United States is estimated to have a maximum of 7.1 quadrillion Btu of biomass available at prices of $5 per million Btu or lower." (Haq Z. "Biomass for Electricity Generation", 2004).

As the need arises with every passing day for an alternative source of energy, where environmental issues, long term supply/availability and economical reasons form the paramount factors, reliable methods, therefore, will be vital in helping to find the right biomass materials for the ever increasing need for environmentally friendly, renewable, sources of energy.

"Without technological and/or behavioural intervention, atmospheric concentration of GHGs will continue to increase...." (dti Project report 2005).

References

1. "Biomass Energy" Report, Oregon Department of Energy, USA 2002.

2. Kartha S., Larson E.D. "Bioenergy Primer: Modernised Biomass Energy for Sustainable Development" United Nations Development Programme 2000.2. 3. "Securing a place for Biomass in the northeast United State: a review of renewable energy and related policies", 2003. 4. Bauen A., Woods J., Hailes R. "Biopowerswitch!" Imperial College London, Centre for Energy Policy and Technology and E4tech (UK) Ltd., 2004. 5. Haq Z. "Biomass for Electricity Generation" US Department of Agriculture, (Agricultural Statistics 2001) - 2004.

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