Biomass in North Dakota

What is Biomass?

Briefly put, Biomass is residue of living plant material. It is frequently material with cellulose available on a recurring basis. Simple examples include crop residue or wood materials. Biomass would include any organic matter including trees, plants and related residues, plant fiber, animal waste, industrial waste, and the paper component of municipal solid waste...

Scientifically, cellulose is defined as a polymer, or chain of 6-carbon sugars. Lignin is the substance, or "glue" that holds the cellulose chain together.

How Can Biomass Be Utilized?

Most commonly, biomass can be used as a fuel for combustion. The heat may be used to generate steam, which may be used to meet heating needs or run turbines to generate electricity. In North Dakota, research at the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) at UND has been completed on the possibility of co-firing using biomass fuel with traditional fuel sources such as lignite.

Why Bioenergy?

Bio-energy provides economic, environmental, and security benefits. The use of renewable biomass energy creates additional value in agriculture, forestry, and other industries. In the process it reduces waste streams. Significant savings are attributable to reducing landfill expenses by alternatively disposing of volume waste.

Outside of energy concerns, the utilization of biomass for bioenergy also reduces emissions of greenhouse gasses and other pollutants by reducing fossil fuel use. By drawing on more diverse domestic energy sources, we ensure reliability, since bioenergy can reduce dependence on imported energy. This ensures a greater level of energy security.

Information requests can be made either to DCS or directly to WRBEP.

Useful Biomass links:

Department of Energy's Biomass Program
www.eere.energy.gov/biomass.html

Oak Ridge National Laboratory
bioenergy.ornl.gov/faqs/index.html

Energy Information Administration
www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/biomass/biomass.html

Department of Agriculture
www.nal.usda.gov/ttic/biofuels.htm
www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/biomass/biomass.htm

Biomass Energy Research Association (BERA)
www.bera1.org

National Bioenergy Industries Association (NBIA)
www.bioenergy.org

Union of Concerned Scientists
www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/renewable_energy/page.cfm?pageID=78

More Biomass Links: (Biomass Research and Development Initiative)
www.bioproducts-bioenergy.gov/relatedlinks.asp

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