Biomass: a promising source of energy and industrial products.Biomass has been humanity's primary energy source throughout most of history. Even today, traditional types of biomass like wood, charcoal and dung DUNG. Manure. Sometimes it is real estate, and at other times personal property. When collected in a heap, it is personal estate; when spread out on the land, it becomes incorporated in it, and it is then real estate. Vide Manure. are the main fuels for up to one-third of the world's population. Biomass, or non-fossilized organic material, is also a major source of building products, cloth and paper. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Processing biomass to increase its value as an economical, sustainable and environmentally friendly Environmentally friendly, also referred to as nature friendly, is a term used to refer to goods and services considered to inflict minimal harm on the environment.[1] energy source is attracting interest around the world and in Saskatchewan. Most of the attention here is currently on ethanol production from grain, but there are a variety of ways to derive energy from biomass. Brazil, for example, is a world leader in producing ethanol from sugarcane, which supplies about 40 per cent of the country's vehicle fuel. Since its inception, Brazil's ethanol program has displaced imported oil worth $135 billion. Brazil also produces about 500 MW of biopower electricity from its ethanol production processes and is beginning to develop biodiesel using vegetable oils <onlyinclude> This list of vegetable oils includes all vegetable oils that are extracted from plants by placing the relevant part of the plant under pressure to extract the oil. . [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Several northern European nations are using biomass from forestry and agricultural residues and municipal waste to produce heat and biopower. Finland is the leader, with 26 per cent of its primary energy coming from wood and peat. A number of municipalities use biomass, including municipal wastes, to produce heat for district heating District heating (less commonly called teleheating) is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location for residential and commercial heating requirements. systems and electricity for residential and industrial use. Biomass is a renewable resource Noun 1. renewable resource - any natural resource (as wood or solar energy) that can be replenished naturally with the passage of time natural resource, natural resources - resources (actual and potential) supplied by nature that has the potential to lower the emission of carbon dioxide carbon dioxide, chemical compound, CO2, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is about one and one-half times as dense as air under ordinary conditions of temperature and pressure. (C[O.sub.2]) associated with climate change. Although burning biomass releases about the same amount of C[O.sub.2] as burning fossil fuels, the C[O.sub.2] emitted is largely balanced by the C[O.sub.2] captured as the plant biomass grows. Saskatchewan companies are involved in several projects involving biomass. The province's grain ethanol industry, for example, is expected to increase production from 33 million litres to 168 million litres in 2007. A Nipawin company is investigating opportunities to produce non-grain ethanol from agricultural and forestry byproducts. Two pilot projects are looking at the small-scale production of electricity from biomass, and a project to produce energy from decomposing biomass is underway at the City of Regina landfill. Biomass is more than an energy source and Saskatchewan researchers, farmers and entrepreneurs are looking at a number of products that can be made from organic material. Hemp, for example, is a versatile, multi-use crop. Its seeds can be used to make high-quality oil for cooking or cosmetic products or to make biodiesel. Its fibre can be used to produce cloth, rope and paper. The Town of Craik is currently working with a clothing manufacturer to locate a hemp processing facility near the community. Biomass can also be used to produce plastics, chemicals and other products currently produced from non-renewable fossil fuels by the petrochemical industry. Biomass has chemical components similar to those in fossil fuels, so it is possible to make comparable products from both feedstocks. Biofuel bi·o·fuel n. Fuel such as methane produced from renewable resources, especially plant biomass and treated municipal and industrial wastes. bi technology chemically or biologically converts biomass into liquid fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel; biopower technology transforms biomass into gaseous gas·e·ous adj. 1. Of, relating to, or existing as a gas. 2. Full of or containing gas; gassy. fuels suitable for electrical and heat generation. Other processes such as fermentation and chemical catalysis catalysis Modification (usually acceleration) of a chemical reaction rate by addition of a catalyst, which combines with the reactants but is ultimately regenerated so that its amount remains unchanged and the chemical equilibrium of the conditions of the reaction is not can be used in addition to these conversion steps to create new, high-value products. The wide range of biomass types should also make it possible to provide alternative products to those made from petrochemicals. In the future, the potential exists to build biorefineries that produce high-volume/low-value fuels as well as low-volume/high-value bioproducts. Saskatchewan has a large amount of undervalued Undervalued A stock or other security that is trading below its true value. Notes: The difficulty is knowing what the "true" value actually is. Analysts will usually recommend an undervalued stock with a strong buy rating. agricultural and forestry biomass. Finding ways to tap into its potential would expand the market for agricultural and forestry products, provide jobs and contribute to a more sustainable economy. Doug Soveran is Manager of the Pipe Flow Technology Centre--Production and Processing, Energy Division at Saskatchewan Research Council The Saskatchewan Research Council is a Saskatchewan, Canada technology corporation, owned by the province. It provides contract research, technology transfer and analytical services to companies in Saskatchewan and around the world. . |
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