What is BIOMASS?

Biomass is biological matter derived from living or recently living organisms. Biomass gained significance in energy sector when environmentally friendly energy has been produced by the combustion of woody and herbaceous products in coal-burning power plants.

Biomass – for energetic purposes – derived from agriculture of forestry can be divided into the following groups:

Plant (vegetable) based biomass:

• By-products and wastes of traditional agricultural products (straw, corn-stalk, rape, sunflower, etc.)
• Wastes of forestry and wood-working (wood chips and trimmings, sawdust, etc.)
• Plants grown for energetic purposes (grasses, trees: robinia, poplar, willow, fodder plants: sugar-beet, millet, rye, rape, etc.

Animal based biomass:

• By-products of animal husbandry (silage, fodder, litter, manure, etc.)

Biomass of mixed origin:

Plant and animal based biomass too can be found in biomass of mixed origin (manure, compost, etc.)

Based on its position in production and utilization chain biomass can be primary, secondary and tertiary.

• Primary biomass: natural vegetation, field plants, forest, meadow, pasture, horicultural plants, aquatic vegetation.
• Secondary biomass: fauna and livestock on the whole, main and by-products, wastes of animal husbandry.
• Tertiary biomass: products, by-products, wastes of industries utilising raw materials of biologic origin, various products produced by settlements.