Welcome to the World of Biomass
Renewable Energy Source
“To many people, the most familiar forms of renewable energy are the wind and the sun. But biomass (plant material and animal waste) is the oldest source of renewable energy, used since our ancestors learned the secret of fire. ”
Biomass is a renewable energy source not only because the energy in it comes from the sun, but also because biomass can re-grow over a relatively short period of time compared with the hundreds of millions of years that it took for fossil fuels to form.
Through the process of photosynthesis, chlorophyll in plants captures the sun’s energy by converting carbon dioxide from the air and water from the ground into carbohydrates — complex compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. When these carbohy-drates are burned, they turn back into carbon dioxide and water and release the energy they captured from the sun.
According to Flavin and Lenssen of the Worldwatch Institute, “If the contribution of biomass to the world energy economy is to grow, technological innovations will be needed, so that biomass can be converted to usable energy in ways that are more efficient, less polluting, and at least as economical as today’s practices.”
Source: Adapted from The National Energy Education Project (public domain)
Bioenergy 101
Biomass energy, or “bioenergy” refers to energy source from plants and plant-derived materials. Today, wood is still the largest biomass energy resource, but it is also recognised that other sources of biomass can also be used as fuel. These include food crops, grassy and woody plants, residues from agriculture or forestry, oil-rich algae, and the organic component of municipal and industrial wastes.
Why Tamuwa’s energy solutions matter…
At Tamuwa, we are committed to taking a more open-minded approach in rethinking how existing agricultural waste can be optimised to provide clean, renewable and sustainable energy sources. We believe that there is much more to the traditional “take, make and dispose” view to the use of our planet’s natural resources.
We believe in the ability to supply a second generation biofuel that places no pressure on food crops but rather optimizes the inherent value of the whole plant. Biomass fuel such as those made from sugarcane bagasse, makes use of agriculture wastes as a secondary product, which then adds tangible value to agricultural crops.
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