7 ENERGY FROM BIOMASS

7.1 Introduction

7.1.1 Scope

Biomass in a solid burnable form is treated in this section. It does not include derived liquid or gaseous biofuels, or municipal waste, both of which are covered on other INTUSER web pages.

7.1.2 History

The use of biomass for energy has a long history, and was the only controllable source of heat for primitive man, who used fire without any conscience or awareness of its energy or environmental impact. Wood and woody residues provided most of the biomass burned. In the early and middle periods of industrialization, so-called firewood was the most frequently used source of energy in houses as well as in industry. Technological progress and the accompanying growth of civilization has led to a drastic decline in the use of firewood, which has been almost exclusively replaced by fossil fuels. It was a long and continuous process, which was first interrupted by the energy crisis in the 1970s. The energy crisis is a social, economical and political phenomenon in which the demand for energy exceeds the available supply. It has interactions with other problems such as the environmental crisis, the overpopulation crisis and the social crisis. Hence the development of alternative or renewable energy sources in general, and bioenergy in particular, must be pursued not only as a scientific or technological challenge for a viable and profitable business, but also with social and environmental responsibility.