• Agricultural crops and residues, such as corn stalks, sugarcane bagasse, and rice husks

• Organic municipal solid waste, such as food scraps and yard waste
• Dedicated energy crops, such as switchgrass and miscanthus, grown specifically for
biomass energy production
Conversion process
Biomass energy can be converted into heat, electricity, or biofuels through different processes:

• Combustion: Biomass materials can be burned directly to produce heat, which can be used
for heating buildings or generating steam for electricity generation.
• Anaerobic Digestion: Organic materials can be broken down by microorganisms in the
absence of oxygen to produce biogas, which can be used for heat or electricity generation.
• Biochemical Conversion: Biomass materials can be converted into biofuels such as
ethanol and biodiesel through fermentation or other biochemical processes.
Environmental Benefits
Biomass energy is often considered a renewable and carbon-neutral energy source because the
carbon dioxide emitted during combustion or conversion is offset by the carbon dioxide absorbed
during the growth of the biomass feedstock. However, the environmental impact can vary
depending on factors such as land use, cultivation practices, and the efficiency of conversion
technologies.

Applications
Biomass energy has a wide range of applications, including:

• Providing heat for residential, commercial, and industrial buildings

• Generating electricity in biomass power plants
• Producing transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel
• Supplying process heat in industries such as pulp and paper manufacturing and food
processing
Biomass is the most primitive idea of energy conversion and has its own positive and negative
impacts on the environment. The environmentalists never like the idea and want a least of use of
biomass as energy resource. However, biomass energy plays a significant role in the transition to
renewable energy sources and reducing reliance on fossil fuels, particularly in sectors where direct
electrification or other renewable options may be challenging to implement.

Most of the energy transformation from its basic resources are achieved using the process
COMBUSTION.