Biomass Energy

Hey, people of the world, I hope you guys are doing good! Last week, alunissage wrote an amazing post about hydropower. I hope you guys really enjoyed it. Today, we will be talking about the basics of biomass energy, the types of processes to convert biomass into energy, the advantages of biomass energy, how it could potentially help us tackle climate change, and some climate change-related news. Let's get started...

Let's dive into the basics of biomass energy... Biomass energy is energy that is generated from animals and plants. Only 4.9% of all energy used in the United States in 2020 was biomass energy. Biomass energy is used for transportation, electricity, and heating. It was the primary source of energy since the emergence of fossil fuels. Biomass that is produced by plants is generated in the process of photosynthesis. What is photosynthesis? According to National Geographic, "Photosynthesis is the process by which plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and energy in the form of sugar." Biomass can be turned into renewable energy or heat. The resources for biomass energy are wood, sewage, manure, waste, and crops.

Next, let's jump into the processes of producing energy from biomass. The processes to produce energy from biomass are thermochemical conversion, biological conversion, chemical conversion, and direct combustion. Direct combustion, the process of burning to generate heat, causes the biomass to be burnt for electricity and heating. This is the main method of generating energy from biomass. Thermochemical conversion has three important parts for producing biomass energy. The three important parts are combustion, pyrolysis, and gasification. They both decompose the biomass when the biomass is in an enclosed space with vessels that are pressurized at high temperatures. Chemical conversion converts biomass into liquid fuels, and biological conversion converts biomass into liquid and gaseous fuels.

Now, let's talk about the advantages of biomass energy and how it could potentially help us tackle climate change. Biomass energy is carbon neutral, which means that it does not emit or create any carbon, unlike fossil fuels, which emit tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Biomass energy is a renewable energy source, making it more reliable than fossil fuels because fossil fuels can be depleted, unlike biomass energy. Biomass energy also helps reduce the amount of trash in landfills because biomass energy is produced by this trash in landfills. So with the creation of biomass energy, we are creating energy that is carbon neutral but also reducing the amount of trash in landfills. In addition, biomass energy is more affordable than fossil fuels because of the new technology, specially made for biomass energy. This new technology helps the production of biomass energy less harmful and cheaper than the production of fossil fuels.

Finally, to wrap this post up, let's start with the climate change-related news. The Inflation Reduction Act, which was passed on August 12th, is a major step in combating climate change. THIS IS AMAZING NEWS ACCORDING TO MY OPINION. 369 billion dollars was put towards combating climate change and bringing a better and greener world in the Inflation Reduction Act. 25 billion dollars was set aside to conserve nature because nature is an essential part of combating climate change. Plants and trees can helps us by taking in the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which could essentially reduce climate change, but climate change is also destroying plants and trees when there are natural disasters, such as wildfires, and melting permafrost. This can release the carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. Forests, trees, and plants are most important and essential to combat climate change because they can take in a lot of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Also, in addition, Puerto Rico is also being extremely affected by climate change. Coastal erosion in Puerto Rico is making the island shrink and maybe soon disappear soon. This is a sign of what could happen in the future on the Atlantic Coast and the Pacific Coast. Do we really want this to happen again? Some other news is that the Arctic is warming four times faster than we actually thought. If the Arctic melts, even more, it could change weather patterns, and it has already shown some effects in North America. To make sure that we do not surpass 1.5 Celsius Degrees, all countries will have to completely stop adding carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. Climate change is already ruining the habitats for polar bears and also thawing permafrost, causing the greenhouse gases in permafrost to be released into the atmosphere, thus increasing climate change. All of this shows that we have to be more proactive on climate change so that we can save the Earth and ourselves. In order to save the Earth and ourselves, here are some ways to save the earth:

• You can recycle plastic water bottles and bags that have the recycle sign on them.

• You can also help with clean clean-ups. There are plenty of clean-ups for beaches, roads, and many more.

• You can also educate people.

• You can use less plastic.

• You can walk or bike. When you walk or bike, you don't release carbon emissions. In worst cases, use public transportation because many people use it, and it doesn't release more carbon dioxide.

• You can plant plants.

• You can conserve water to have water left, like taking 5-minute showers. You can buy reusable stuff, so you don't need to use too much plastic. You can participate in peaceful protests.

• You can also talk to people who have more knowledge about climate change so that you can tell other people.

• You can put a bucket in the shower when you shower, so you can use that water for your plants or clean something up.

• You can buy local produce.

• You can build a garden and grow fresh produce.

• You can buy organic produce.

Works Cited

“Coastal Erosion Is the Latest Battle for the U.S. Island Caught in the Crosshairs of Climate Change - CNN Video.” CNN, 14 Aug. 2022, https://www.cnn.com/videos/weather/2022/08/12/puerto-rico-climate-crisis-santiago.cnn.

Dennis, Brady. “Inflation Reduction Act Invests in a Key Part of Fighting Climate Change: Nature - The Washington Post.” Washington Post, The Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/08/14/nature-climate-solutions-inflation-reduction-act/.

Fountain, Henry. “Arctic Warming 4 Times as Fast as the Rest of the Planet, New Analyses Find - The New York Times.” The New York Times - Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos, 11 Aug. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/11/climate/arctic-global-warming.html.

Hiblen, Melanie. “Advantages and Disadvantages of Biomass Energy — Green Square.” Green Square, Green Square, 23 Oct. 2020, https://www.greensquare.co.uk/blog/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-biomass-energy.

“Photosynthesis | National Geographic Society.” National Geographic , National Geographic , 15 2022, https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/photosynthesis.

“Thermochemical Pathway and Processes for Conversion of Organic Materials to Energy – CalRecycle Home Page.” CalRecycle Home Page, Cal Recycle, https://calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/conversion/pathways/thermochem/. Accessed 20 Aug. 2022.