Biomass Energy Quiz

Sugar cane, wood, animal waste, grasses, food crops, and algae.

Fuels made with biomass derivatives.

It grows and produces energy rapidly, requires less space than other feedstocks, and does not monopolize arable land.

The four processes used to convert biomass into energy are burning, gasification, co-firing, and pyrolysis.

Three advantages of biomass energy are carbon neutrality, abundance of sources, and renewability.

Two disadvantages of biomass energy are initial costs and transportation/storage challenges.

Existing energy plants must build massive storage units to hold wood pellets away from coal stores. Some countries depend on imported feedstocks, which increases costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

Farmers must still dedicate large tracts of arable land to energy crop production, reducing the acreage available for food crops and livestock.

Biomass energy harvesting requires careful management to remain renewable and carbon neutral. Clearing forests faster than they can regrow depletes resource availability, eventually making wood products nonrenewable. Young trees absorb and sequester carbon less efficiently than old-growth trees.

No, replanting does not guarantee a complete carbon offset as young trees absorb and sequester carbon less efficiently than old-growth trees.