Utilizing Biomass

Research and innovation is showing that the uses of woody biomass are only limited by our imagination (Bozell and Landucci 1993, Kaminsky 2004, Pearl 1968, Zerbe 2006). For thousands of years, wood has been the key resource for the production of heat. In 2003, biomass was the leading source of renewable energy in the United States accounting for 4 percent of the total energy produced (EIA 2005). However, the direct combustion of woody biomass for heat and energy is but one use of the resources. With over 87 million hectares of forestland in the southern United States (Weir and Greis 2002), the South is primed to be a leader in the utilization of woody biomass, not only for energy production but as a substitute for petroleum-based products. In 2004, the United States consumed 104 quadrillion BTUs of energy, with 6 quadrillion produced from renewable resources (EIA 2005). Energy produced from woody biomass accounted for a third of the renewable sources (EIA 2005).

Energy Flow Diagram 2004

At the turn of the 20^th century, most non-fuel industrial products were derived from biomass sources. These included dyes, medicines, chemicals, synthetic fibers, and plastics (Committee of Biobased Industrial Products 2000). Yet by the 1970s, chemicals from petroleum derivatives had largely replaced those from biomass sources, gaining more than 95 percent of the market as petroleum began to account for more than 70 percent of our fuels (Morris and Ahmed 1992). Recently, environmental and energy security concerns have increased the interest and awareness in using biomass feedstocks to meet our growing energy and fuel demands. According to researchers at the starch-based biorefinery Roquette, we only discover one new barrel of oil for every six that we use. Demand for alternative sources of fuel, energy, and petroleum-based substitutes increase as our global population increases. We can expect the demand to continue to increase and prices to continue to rise as China, eastern European countires, India, and African nations continue to advance economically and technologically.

Currently there are technologies being developed among American industries to improve the efficiency of using wood for such purposes. Transportation fuels, bio-based plastics and chemicals, and small scale biomass based power plants are increasing yearly across the nation.

This section of the encyclopedia will examine the products such as energy, fuels, and bio-based materials that can be generated from woody biomass. Other sections of the Encyclopdia of Southern Bioenergy address the importance of resource management and sustainability. Production methods and specifications are also addressed in this module.

Sections for this entry:

• Woody Biomass
• Bioenergy
• Biomass Industrial Products
• Production Methods
• Worldwide Utilization
• Units of Energy