Burning Biomass

Ever since humans first huddled around a fire for warmth, people have burned logs, straw, wood and animal waste--otherwise known as biomass--to create energy. Indeed, throughout most of history, these crude forms of fuel answered the world's energy needs. Only after the industrial age matured did people abandon biomass for the modern conveniences and the relatively low costs of power provided by fossil fuels and electricity. Today, with 82 percent of U.S. energy supplied by fossil fuels, biomass appears to be coming back into vogue as one of the top contenders for replacing these finite and polluting resources.

"Global warming issues have forced exploration of bioenergy as an alternative to oil and coal," says Anders Evald, a research technologist at the Centre for Biomass Technology in Denmark. The center is a national organization that works with other European institutions and companies to research and develop bioenergy products. "Biomass can also include biofuels, gaseous fuels for engines and turbine applications," says Evald. "The framework under which all this takes place is very, very different from one region of the world to another. Biomass is used in everything from the fireplaces of third world nations to modern steam cycle systems that create both heat and power in industrial countries," he adds.

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