Is Biomass Really a Clean Energy Resource?
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?