The key difference between biomass and biofuel is that the biomass is anything that is alive and anything that was alive a short time ago whereas the biofuel is the energy extracted from biomass.
The energy crisis is a major problem in the present world. Therefore, energy production has become the topic that we most commonly discuss lately. Energy sources are of two types; they are the renewable energy sources and non-renewable energy sources. Renewable energy sources are continuously replenishable, and they are natural. For example, wind, water, sunlight and tides are some of the renewable energy sources. Non-renewable energy sources exist only for a certain period. Coal and petroleum (fossil fuels) are examples. Scientists are looking for various energy sources as alternatives for the non-renewable energy sources we are using now.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Biomass
3. What is Biofuel
4. Side by Side Comparison – Biomass vs Biofuel in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Biomass?
Biomass is the organic matter that we can use as a fuel, especially in a power station for the generation of electricity. Anything that is alive and anything that was alive a short time ago comes under biomass. Therefore, trees, crops, animal and plant waste, their dead matters are all biomass. It is a major energy source, which had uses even before human civilization.
Wood is the earliest energy source we used to get heat. The biomass derives its energy from the sunlight. When plants photosynthesize, they convert the energy of sunlight into the energy of organic food. Therefore, biomass mainly depends on carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. When animals eat plants, they get the stored energy and through food chains, this energy passes onto animals at all levels.
Biomass produces energy, which plants and animals need. Since we can grow more plants, biomass is renewable. We can convert the energy stored within this material into heat energy or electrical energy. Biomass is useful in large-scale power plants to produce energy, and it has reduced the consumption of oil by a significant amount.
Figure 01: Wood is a source of Biomass
Moreover, when using this material as a fuel, it can cause air pollution due to the production of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, etc. On the other hand, combustion of biomass to produce energy saves the land space, and it does not pollute the air as much as coal burning does. Further, we can use biomass to produce biogas, which is useful in our homes or farms.
What is Biofuel?
Biofuel is a type of fuel that forms through contemporary biological processes, rather than geological processes. Therefore, these fuels form via bio-processes such as agriculture and anaerobic digestion. Bio-fuel mainly derives from biomass.
Figure 02: A Biofuel Power Station
Further, we use the energy from biofuels mainly for transportation. Ethanol and biodiesel are examples, which we can use instead of gasoline. Fossil fuel burning releases a massive amount of greenhouse gases. However, biofuels have less greenhouse emission and thus make a cleaner alternative fuel for vehicles.
What is the Difference Between Biomass and Biofuel?
Biomass is the organic matter that we can use as a fuel, especially in a power station for the generation of electricity. Biofuel is a type of fuel that forms through contemporary biological processes, rather than geological processes. Therefore the key difference between biomass and biofuel is that biomass is anything that is alive and anything that was alive a short time ago whereas biofuel is the energy extracted from biomass.
Furthermore, we can identify another difference between biomass and biofuel in their formation. That is; biomass forms either via consumption of food by animals followed by digestion and excretion processes or consumption of matter by microorganisms, or via burning plants, but biofuel forms through contemporary biological processes.
Below is an infographic of the difference between biomass and biofuel.
Summary – Biomass vs Biofuel
Bio-fuels are derived from biomass. Hence, the key difference between biomass and biofuel is that the biomass is anything that is alive and anything that was alive a short time ago whereas biofuel is the energy extracted from biomass.
Reference:
1. “How Is Biomass Formed?” Reference, IAC Publishing. Available here
2. “What Is Biomass? Definition, Example and Uses.” ECO Globe, 17 June 2017. Available here
Image Courtesy:
1.”825792″ by recyclind (CC0) via pixabay
2.”2362512″ (CC0) via Max Pixel