What is Bioenergy?

By: Mariam Sillah

Bioenergy is one of many diverse resources available to help meet our demand for energy. It is a “form of renewable energy that is derived from recently living organic materials known as biomass, which can be used to produce transportation fuels, heat, electricity, and products” (Bioenergy Technologies Office). Biomass is a “biological material derived from living or recently living organisms,” and in the context of producing bioenergy, “it typically refers to agricultural byproducts and residues, woody waste products, and crops and microbes grown specifically for fuel” (Oregon State University).  

Bioenergy is used for many things. To achieve our carbon reduction targets, we must burn fewer fossil fuels. For this, we need a renewable source: Bioenergy. It’s a low-carbon renewable energy that we can use to replace carbon intensive fossil fuels. 

Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels are used to produce energy. Fossil fuels are non-renewable, which means their supply is limited and they will eventually run out. “Fossil fuels formed from the decomposition of plants and animals from millions of years ago this is why they are called fossil fuels” (Geological Survey Ireland). Fossil fuels are burned in homes to produce heat, and burned in larger power stations to produce electricity, as well as power engines. 

Limited Amount 

Currently, we’re running out of fossil fuels. They take up to millions of years to form within the Earth, and once we use up our reserves of fossil fuels, we will be out in the cold. That’s where bioenergy comes into play. Bioenergy is an alternative to fossil fuels, and enables the reuse of carbon from biomass and waste streams into reduced emissions fuels.

Production of Bioenergy  

Biopower technologies use similar procedures to those used with fossil fuels to transform renewable biomass fuels into heat and electricity. The energy contained in biomass can be extracted in three different methods to create biopower: burning, bacterial decomposition, and conversion into a liquid or gas.

The carbon intensity of the process of generating electricity can be reduced by using biopower to replace the carbon fuels that are used in power plants. In contrast to certain types of intermittent renewable energy, biopower can improve the grid's dependability and generate electricity with more flexibility. 

Bioproducts: Everyday Uses

Biomass is a flexible source of energy. Not only can biomass be converted into biofuels for use in vehicles, but it may also be used as a renewable substitute for fossil fuels in the production of bioproducts like industrial chemicals, plastics, lubricants, and many other items that are now made from natural gas or petroleum.