The process of energy production utilizes several biomass-based processes, inclusive of direct combustion, gasification or fermentation. Amongst a number of technologies for energy production from biomass, the process of pyrolysis and gasification are considered to be the most promising ones. The production of natural gas or syngas indirectly or directly from biomass or organic mass can include both plant (waste derived from agriculture) and animal waste. The production of power or energy utilizing biomass in form of fuel involves the process of accessing a particular portion of biomass, referred to as the hydrocarbon part that can also be converted to heat energy. This type of energy generation can be considered to be renewable as sunlight can be used for the purpose of recycling the carbon present in the atmosphere through a process, collectively called as carbon fixation.
A majority of the present-day biofuel production is focused on liquid fuel production via fermentation for transportation purposes. However, electricity generation via biomass by way of empowering cell technology is proving to be more cost-effective and environment friendly. Since a shift towards electric vehicles is gaining popularity, the focus has shifted from liquid fuels to energy production from biomass. This option offers a great opportunity for the agriculture field to empower electric vehicles as part of the transportation energy, as many farms are presently making use of small-scale gasifiers for using waste from agriculture to produce energy.
Generating power from biomass
Energy can be generated from biomass in some important ways:
1. Pyrolysis: In this process, liquid fuels can be used to produce syngas.
2. Gasification: Gasification of biomass also leads to the production of syngas. Gasification of biomass on a small scale is being widely utilized for the conversion of agricultural waste to produce energy for the automobile industry.
The current biomass power production plants are based on directly combusting the available waste biomass, however, utilizing the process of fermentation for biogas production is also becoming increasingly common. Gasification of biomass is, on the other hand, a novel approach for the production of clean energy that needs further research and development. The interest in the concept of gasifiers for the production of energy, started approximately a century back and has continued to be researched to date.