Biomass Energy in a Future Global Sustainable Energy System - Research Paper Example

? Prospects and Problems of Biomass Energy in a Future Global Sustainable Energy System Contents Biomass Energy 3 Problems of biomass energy 3 Prospects of biomass energy 5 References 10 Biomass Energy Research is in progress around the world to explore new paths that will bring out solutions to the environmental hazards that human beings have to face in the present world. All scientists are of the opinion that increased use of renewable sources of energy can be one potent solution to this problem. Sustainable development and renewable energy use share an intimate connection. The changes in climate are the topic of the time. The primary and major emission gas for Greenhouse Gases is carbon dioxide (CO2). When the carbon dioxide goes into atmosphere and changes the weather conditions, the bio-diversity will decrease through increase in temperature. Researchers suggest that biomass has the potential to become one of the major primary sources of energy in the centuries to come. It is believed that bio-energy systems would come out as the important contributors to future sustainable development in industrialized and developing countries. Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen are the basis of biomass. The energy sources that act in the derivation of biomass energy are garbage and wood. The other sources include landfill gases and alcohol fuels. One can convert biomass into some other forms of energy like methane gas or fuels for transportation. The other utilities from biomass include production of electricity. Sugarcane and corn are some of the resources of biomass energy. The raw material for biomass is much cheaper than other fuels. Probably the oldest source of energy after the sun is biomass. Sun is the source of energy for biomass. Almost half of the biomass used in the present times comes from burning of wood and wood scraps. The biggest user of biomass is industry followed by transportation (National Energy Education Development Project, 2009). Problems of biomass energy Biomass power can have its impact on the environment. Air pollution can be caused in using biomass as a fuel. Carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and some other particulates can be the forms of pollutants. A pollutant that is created by incomplete combustion of fossil fuel is black carbon which is held as the second largest contributor to cause global warming. The carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. When a carbon is released into the atmosphere it acts as a contributor in climate change. Even though there are some advantages accrued in using biomass fuels, yet it had not been the major source of energy in everyday life. The traditional biomass energy was dependent upon combustion of woods and leaves. This sort of activity generated carbon into the atmosphere. Recent advancements in technology has reduced the cost of the process and increased the production of ethanol yield of switch grass. This will drive more profits as well as protect the environment. The production of biomass is possible only when crop is raised to serve the purpose of producing the fuels only. The process will use up land which could have been used for other purposes like the normal agricultural process. Scientists opined that these production processes will insert its tool in the ecosystem. This can also result in climate crisis. The production of biomass energy uses a lot of energy to harvest the crops. It requires more water and other fossil fuels to make the fertilizers for the plantation and harvesting processes. It is also difficult to collect biomass. There is also constraint on the availability of biomass all round the year. The major constituents of biomass energy production are wheat, barley and corn and they are seasonal crops. Their availability is limited in certain seasons of the year. The source of producing biomass is expensive. Although the fuels of biomass are renewable sources but one cannot find a reduction in the levels of emission. Some amounts of pollutants that are harmful are produced by bio-fuels. This is known as fossil fuels. The chance of pollution actually increases in this case as there is incomplete combustion of biomass. The incomplete combustion produces black carbon which is a major contributor to global warming. The production of biomass also puts strain on the limited resources and it gave rise to the food verses fuel debate. The initial set up costs for the processing to take place is very high. The cost of maintaining the infrastructure and operating at the efficiency level is expensive. The process is long and consumes a lot of time. The process involves setting up infrastructures for collection of processing and the purification process. Sometimes it is not enough to produce the biomass and requires transportation. This is the problem which occurs when the area where it is produced is not close to the area where the processing will take place. The fuel produced from biomass generally tends to have lower efficiency level in utilization than the normal fuel from fossils. The time has come to increase the net energy gains from using biomass fuels which will improve the overall gain. The use of biomass is a largely debated issue and no conclusion is reached at the moment since there are an equal number of supporters and detractors. Prospects of biomass energy Emerging wood bio energy industries will provide new markets for forest resources, producing net benefits for forest health, local economies and the forest and wood products industries. Negative effects will vary by region, and they will be offset by good harvesting practices and more stable wood fiber supplies and markets over the long term. Various investigations are on the process of utilizing biomass energy on the process of wasteland colonization (the development of distinctive ecologies along route ways, e.g. roads and railways). The methods include utilization of plants that yield hydrocarbon, plants that yield hydrocarbon on high molecular weight, plants that yield non edible oil, energy plants that are fast growing. The producers of energy must meet the targets of the environment in the twenty first century. This will require shifting from fossil fuel to the usage of renewable sources of energy. The world will witness the conversion of biomass into electricity in the coming decade. This will act as a catalyst towards the growth prospects of new global industry of bio-power. Nowadays, coal-fired power plants use steam turbine engine which enhances efficiency levels significantly. Many of the Asian countries have taken the initiative to introduce improved stoves for the purpose of cooking. Traditional stoves are characterized by inefficient use of biomass. The new modern stoves use the biomass more efficiently and save energy proving itself as a good alternative to fossil fuel. Researchers have concluded that if implemented, improved biomass energy technologies have vast energy generating potential particularly in developing countries. China, India, Latin America and Africa are the major gainers from the energy saved by improved cook stoves. China has saved 40 to 59 percent of its energy consumption by bringing 20 to 30 percent improvements in fuel efficiency. Energy is needed for poverty alleviation in the developing countries. Biomass gasification plays a major role in hydrogen supply which, in turn, plays a major role in generation of power. It will play its part in the synthesis of chemicals and fuels (Balat & Kirtey, 2010, p. 7422). Most households at modern times prefer to use biomass fuels as they are available at lower cost or the other substitute fuels are not accessible to them. However, with the rise in income levels, a shift in trend of preferences has been noticed. Modernized biomass energy usage will reduce air pollution. It has been estimated that the technical potential of biomass is much larger than the consumption of energy in the present globe. Modernization of agriculture will provide spaces for biomass energy production. (Herzog, Lipman, & Kammen, n.d., p. 12) The demand of energy, particularly in the developing countries, has increased manifold. By bringing change in the infrastructure of energy supply, biomass fuel can turn out to be a good substitute for fossil fuel. As estimated by researchers, the potential of this resource is huge. These countries are not only experiencing growth in population but also a rise in the living standard. A switch in the fuel preference will lead to increased demand for biomass energy fuels. The case will be similar to that of charcoal. A consensus has grown that energy policies are now diverted in the use of bio-fuels and also support the ways on the usage of the fuels in an efficient manner. Research is going on to find out ways to hydrolyze biomass, to wipe out the contaminants from the synthesis of gases on fermentation of organisms and various cost effective ways involving the methods of drying and transportation. There is hope for significant promises in the field of designing natural processes like artificial photosynthesis (Erice, n.d.). United States has experienced a rise of 7 percent usage in electricity generated from biomass. Biomass has the ability to generate electricity that is in use in the burning of fossil fuel. Innovation in the generation of power will also adapt with the use of biomass fuels. The applications using biomass energy is increasing rapidly. Bio-fuels can be used in transportation services. This type of usage is more common in France. Micro organisms are in use in research activities to facilitate the production of bio-fuel. Techniques are on the verge that will contribute to enabling usage of organic matter. Biomass energy will evolve as the substitute for wood fuel. There are mainly two driving forces that will drive the use of bi-fuel in the developing countries. The first one is the price of the bio-fuel which is relatively low compared with the other sources of energy and the second is disruption in the supply of fossil fuel. The use of bio-fuel will guarantee steady supply of fuel with more and more advanced processes are undertaken. Half of the world’s pollution is on the regions of Asia Pacific and so, these regions’ priority is in innovating energy resources for sustained development in the region. They will look for the correct mix of resources in energy. These will pave the way for them to reach the foot prints of zero carbon. Alternative sources of energy including biomass will get explored and empower the poor in the urban area because stress is laid on urbanization. These sources will be the core strategy that will show the path to achieve the global carbon emission (2050). As the demand for energy has increased, the levels need to be similar as in 2000. The consumption of energy will become more efficient by using alternative sources of energy. The intensity of carbon will get lowered by this process. All this concludes that bio-energy will be the alternative source that will be highly viable and will definitely contribute to obtaining the path of sustainable development for any region (Press Release Distribution, 2010). Wood bio energy capacity is growing slowly. As a result, increases in demand will also be gradual. Bio energy facilities take 3-5 years to move from announcement to production. 10 to 15 years will elapse before multiple bio energy companies become operational and add significant demand to the system. As a result, other consumers of wood fiber will have multiple years to plan for changes in the wood fiber supply chain and for any subsequent increases in wood fiber prices. References National Energy Education Development Project. (2009). What is biomass? Biomass. Retrieved on 22nd March, 2012. http://www.need.org/needpdf/infobook_activities/SecInfo/BiomassS.pdf. Balat, H., & Kirtey, E.(2010). Role of hydrogen in the future hydrogen supply. Retrieved 23rd March, 2012. http://www.ourenergypolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/2010_03_Elsevier_InterJourHydrogenEnergy_Balat_HydrogenFromBiomass.pdf. Herzog, A., Lipman, T., & Kammen, D. (n.d.). The future role of biomass. Renewable Energy Sources. Retrieved 23rd March, 2012. http://www-fa.upc.es/personals/fluids/oriol/ale/eolss.pdf. Erice, S. (n.d.). Role of renewable energy in 21st century. Retrieved 23rd March, 2012. http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=12&ved=0CEwQFjABOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww-fa.upc.es%2Fpersonals%2Ffluids%2Foriol%2Fale%2Feolss.pdf&ei=vk1sT-jVHIyurAfMwK2ZAg&usg=AFQjCNGvFQOmX16lMe7bCEzeGnTibck0yw. Press Release Distribution. (2010). The future of biomass: Technology developments, key costs and the future outlook. Retrieved 23rd March, 2012. http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=12&ved=0CEwQFjABOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww-fa.upc.es%2Fpersonals%2Ffluids%2Foriol%2Fale%2Feolss.pdf&ei=vk1sT-jVHIyurAfMwK2ZAg&usg=AFQjCNGvFQOmX16lMe7bCEzeGnTibck0yw. Read More