La biomass includes organic vegetable and animal materials that can be transformed into energy. This can be food residues, wood, leaves, animal corpses, living beings in the ground, etc. These materials are burned in a biomass power plant to produce electricity. This form of energy is one of the oldest forms used by humans since the discovery of fire.

Article L211-2 of the Energy Code defines biomass as being the biodegradable fraction of products, waste and residues from agriculture, household waste, plant and animal substances from the sea and land, forestry and related industries.

There are different forms of biomass with various physical characteristics: solids (straws, chips, logs), liquids (bioalcohols, vegetable oils) and gaseous ones (biogas). Although she was born from The action of the Sun thanks to photosynthesis, plant or animal biomass is not considered as a renewable energy source only if its regeneration is greater than or equivalent to its consumption.

Different methods of valorization can be implemented to: the extraction of biomass-energy in animal and vegetable organic matter.

The dry process refers to various combustion, gasification and pyrolysis processes. Combustion consists of burning waste such as wood, waste from wood processing industries and agricultural plants in incineration plants. The water vapor released by this process is then used to activate a turbine connected to an alternator that produces electricity. This steam can also used in the production of mechanical energy or be intended for heating networks.

The operating principle of gasification, for its part, is based on the interaction between biomass carbon and reactant gases. The combustible gas obtained as a result of this reaction will then go into a combustion engine to produce mechanical energy or electricity.

Finally, the objective of pyrolysis is to decompose carbonaceous matter under the effect of heat and produce coal, pyrolytic oil, or combustible gas.

The wet process focuses on methanization. It is a process based on the degradation of organic matter by bacteria. This phenomenon will then give rise to biogas. It is a mixture of biomethane and carbon dioxide.

Methanization has the advantage of creating a gas similar to fossil natural gas. It can be transformed into heat or electricity as required.

This process is based on the oil sector (raw vegetable oils or processed into diester) for diesel engine power, the alcohol sector using the fermentation of vegetable sugars to create fuel additives and the gas sector. The latter transforms syngas (synthetic gas) and biogas into liquid hydrocarbons.

According to The International Energy Agency or IEA, biomass ensures around 12% of global energy needs. That's equivalent to 90.2 GW of energy.

Two-thirds of this consumption is dedicated to cooking and heating. There are many reasons for this. Biomass energy has considerable advantages.

Choosing a biomass boiler is more advantageous economically, because it offers better efficiency and allows access, under certain conditions, to the tax credit, the energy bonus, the eco PTZ, ANAH subsidies, etc.

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In fact, wood fuel is one of the cheapest resources on the market. The use of biomass is also a ecological solution that makes it possible to fight against pollution. In addition to helping with solid waste management, it contributes to the reduction of dependence on oil and gas.

Using biomass energy also contributes to the fight against emissions of greenhouse gases, provided that the CO2 released into the atmosphere by the combustion of bioenergies is equivalent to The quantity of CO2 absorbed by plants during their growth.

Produced from the combustion of organic materials of animal or vegetable origin, biomass energy has everything to please. Its use makes it possible to contribute to the preservation of the planet by promoting the fight against greenhouse gas emissions and the fight against dependence on fossil fuels. However, its impact on the environment can be negative if used too intensively. Indeed, phenomena of deforestation, erosion or even soil pollution can occur.
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