Biomass#Energy
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Short description|Biological material from either living (see ecology) or recently living organisms (see bioenergy)}}
{{Renewable energy sources}}
{{Sustainable energy}}
Biomass is a term used in several contexts: in the context of ecology it means living organisms,{{Citation|last=Houghton|first=R. A.|title=Biomass|date=2008-01-01|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780080454054004626|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Ecology|pages=448–453|editor-last=Jørgensen|editor-first=Sven Erik|place=Oxford|publisher=Academic Press|language=en|isbn=978-0-08-045405-4|access-date=2023-01-13|editor2-last=Fath|editor2-first=Brian D.}} and in the context of bioenergy it means matter from recently living (but now dead) organisms. In the latter context, there are variations in how biomass is defined, e.g., only from plants,{{Cite web|title=Bioenergy – Analysis|url=https://www.iea.org/reports/bioenergy|access-date=2023-01-13|website=IEA|language=en-GB}} from plants and algae,{{Cite web|title=Bioenergy Basics|url=https://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/bioenergy-basics|access-date=2023-01-13|website=Energy.gov|language=en}} from plants and animals.{{Cite web|title=Biomass explained - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)|url=https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/biomass/|access-date=2023-01-13|website=www.eia.gov}} The vast majority of biomass used for bioenergy does come from plants and fecal matter. Bioenergy is a type of renewable energy that the bioenergy industry claims has the potential to assist with climate change mitigation.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation. Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change|url=https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/03/SRREN_Full_Report-1.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412093051/https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/03/SRREN_Full_Report-1.pdf|archive-date=2019-04-12|access-date=|website=IPCC}}
{{Quote box|width = 35%
|title = IUPAC definition
|quote = biomass: Material produced by the growth of microorganisms, plants or animals.
}}
Uses in different contexts
= Ecology =
- Biomass (ecology), the mass of living biological organisms in a given area or ecosystem at a given time. This can be the biomass of particular species or the biomass of a particular community or habitat.
= Energy =
- Biomass (energy), biomass used for energy production or in other words: biological mass used as a renewable energy source (usually produced through agriculture, forestry or aquaculture methods)
- Bioenergy, energy sources derived from biological material
- Solid fuel, forms of bioenergy that are solid
- Biofuel
- Energy crops
= Biotechnology =
Biomass is also used as a term for the mass of microorganisms that are used to produce industrial products like enzymes and medicines.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
== Bioproducts ==
Examples of emerging bioproducts or biobased products include biofuels, bioenergy, biochar, starch-based and cellulose-based ethanol, bio-based adhesives, biochemicals, bioplastics, etc.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
== Biological wastewater treatment ==
In biological wastewater treatment processes, such as the activated sludge process, the term "biomass" is used to denote the mass of bacteria and other microorganisms that break down pollutants in wastewater.{{Cite journal|last=Von Sperling|first=M.|date=2015|title=Wastewater Characteristics, Treatment and Disposal|url=https://iwaponline.com/ebooks/book/72/|journal=Water Intelligence Online|language=en|volume=6|pages=9781780402086|doi=10.2166/9781780402086|issn=1476-1777|doi-access=free}}{{rp|243}} The biomass forms part of sewage sludge.
= Others =
- Biomass (satellite) - an Earth observation satellite
- Waste biomass fibre - potential source for cleaner production of textile