How will biomass energy be used in the future?

Question

How will biomass energy be used in the future?

Answer 1

In the near future, I see biodiesel playing a huge role. Farther out, perhaps biobutanol for internal combustion engines. I really don't like ethanol until they can create it from algae sources, as anything else just doesn't work mathematically, and the same goes to a lesser extent for biodiesel.

Answer 2

It will be used to kill us all................If it can kill, it will by some mans hand.

Answer 3

In the near term (10 years or so), biomass is going to be used to fuel our cars, although we'll still mainly be using oil.  I think further down the road it won't really be used that much as other technologies will over take it's place.  It's just too inefficient and wasteful.

Wind, solar, geothermal, tidal and wave power, and nuclear power will hopefully make up our electrical grid in the future!  Hydro will always be around too, but we've already dammed every river that can realistically be dammed.

Answer 4

I think we'll mostly use it to make electricity, because electricity is a "universal medium of exchange" and can also be made from other zero-carbon energy sources like wind, solar and nuclear.

The recent energy bill puts the emphasis on ethanol from biomass.  I think this plays well politically, but it's a mistake in the long term:

1.  We don't have any cheap ways of producing ethanol from biomass (meaning cellulose).  Lignocellulose is a very tough fiber evolved to be hard for things to digest (plants which were too easy to eat became extinct); we are up against millions of years of development here.

2.  The efficiency of producing ethanol from lignocellulose is on the order of 35-50%.  That's a lot of energy to throw away before you even get fuel out of it.

3.  The main reason to make ethanol is for motor fuel.  The net efficiency of gasoline powertrains is about 15%, so as little as 5% of the energy from the field winds up doing useful work.

Electricity looks much better.  We can convert raw biomass to combustible gas and charcoal by heating it (even using recycled heat to avoid wasting energy by burning anything).  The gas can run solid-oxide fuel cells (up to 60% efficient) and the charcoal can run direct-carbon fuel cells (up to 80% efficient).  The losses in wires and batteries are much smaller than in engines.

I wrote a big essay about this last year, link below.

Answer 5

It will be converted to hydrogen using fermentation, and used to created hydrogen fuel cells.

Answer 6

don't listen to the d**n supporter.  Building a d**n destroys and landscape and many ecosystsems within there.  It's irreversible dammage!  Wind power is the way to go.

But in regard sot your question - biodiesal and dried home heating prodcuts (pellets).

Answer 7

It is used now, its called fire.

Answer 8

Hydroelectric is the way to go. Biomass produces methane which is bad. It can also be expensive. HE on the otherhand has little cost after the intial dam build.