Biomass

Introduction

Biomass is feted to play one of the most important roles in reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, meeting the UK’s transport needs and providing the greatest contribution to Kyoto targets.

PPS 22 defines biomass as “the biodegradable fraction of products, wastes and residues from agriculture (including plant and animal substances), forestry and related industries, as well as the biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal waste.”

Some examples of biomass use in the UK include:

• Power stations taking advantage of locally available biomass feedstocks such as straw, wood and chicken litter
• Farm slurry, sewage sludge and food waste being anaerobically digested to produce biogas for heat and electricity production
• Landfill gas being captured for power generation
• Housing developments and town regeneration projects making use of communal woodchip boilers
• Individual homes installing automated wood pellet and log boilers to provide most, if not all, of their space and hot water needs
• Waste vegetable oil and virgin rape oil undergoing trans-esterification for biodiesel production
• Bioethanol being produced from biomass by the hydrolysis and sugar fermentation processes, and then used as a renewable petrol substitute.

South west focus

Biomass energy, of all the renewable resources, provides possibly the greatest opportunities in the south west for both reducing carbon and producing local economic benefit.  The region is particularly well placed to take advantage of this exciting and emerging sector. South West England currently has some 10 MW of biomass heat installed and almost 3 MW of biomass plant (dealing with advanced treatment of waste) generating electricity. The region has the highest number of biomass boilers in England and has the second largest amount of woodland resources after the South East.

• A 7 MW pyrolosis scheme in Somerset  was approved in 2006 by Mendip District Council.
• There are 30 biomass focused businesses working on projects from Anaerobic Digestion through to woodfuel (including the UK’s two largest woodfuel technology installers).
•  South West England is home to “Green Energy Award” winning Bical, or Biomass Industrial Crops Ltd, which is the largest cultivator in the UK of the renewable energy crop, miscanthus.
•  South West England is home to the innovative, and award winning, Holsworthy Biogas Plant which produces renewable electricity for the national grid from local farm slurry and organic food waste.