April 8, 2024 Addressing Common Biomass Myths, Debunking Biomass Misconceptions
Biomass Myths
Biomass is a renewable source of energy and heat, but it’s often misrepresented and misunderstood. It’s easy to get the wrong idea about biomass fuel and what its effects are, but it’s a hugely important renewable energy source, and it’s a vital part of the journey to sustainable heating and net zero.
Here are some of the myths about biomass, and the realities about why it’s so important as a source of renewable fuel.
Myth 1: Biomass emits more carbon dioxide than coal
This mistake is easy to make, because wood is indeed less energy-dense than coal. Wood pellets with a 10% moisture content contain 3,100 kWh/m3, whereas coal has 6,400-7,300 kWh/m3.
| Fuel | Net CV by mass | Bulk density | Energy density by volume | ||
| GJ/tonne | kWh/kg | kg/m3 | MJ/m3 | kWh/m3 | |
| Wood chips (30% MC) | 12.5 | 3.5 | 250 | 3,100 | 870 |
| Log wood (stacked – air dry: 20% MC) | 14.7 | 4.1 | 350-500 | 5,200-7,400 | 1,400-2,000 |
| Wood (solid – oven dry) | 19 | 5.3 | 400-600 | 7,600-11,400 | 2,100-3,200 |
| Wood pellets (10% MC) | 17 | 4.8 | 650 | 11,000 | 3,100 |
| Miscanthus (bale – 25% MC) | 13 | 3.6 | 140-180 | 1,800-2,300 | 500-650 |
| House coal | 27-31 | 7.5-8.6 | 850 | 23,000-26,000 | 6,400-7,300 |
| Anthracite | 33 | 9.2 | 1,100 | 36,300 | 10,100 |
| Heating oil | 42.5 | 11.8 | 845 | 36,000 | 10,000 |
| Natural gas (NTP) | 38.1 | 10.6 | 0.9 | 35.2 | 9.8 |
| LPG | 46.3 | 12.9 | 510 | 23,600 | 6,600 |
So, to get the same amount of energy from wood as coal, you would have to burn more material. However, that doesn’t automatically mean more carbon emissions.
While wood is less energy-dense than coal, it also contains far less carbon, so you get more carbon emissions from less coal. If you were to burn enough wood chips to get 20 MWh of heating power (roughly what the average house uses in a year) you emit 300kg of CO2. To generate the same amount of power, burning coal produces over 7.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide. That’s 24 times the amount of CO2 that biomass fuel produces.
Myth 2: Biomass contributes to climate change
Heating contributes 37% of the UK’s carbon emissions, so biomass heating is a vital part of the picture when it comes to reaching Net Zero.
Unlike fossil fuels, biomass is a renewable energy source. Fossil fuels contain carbon that wasn’t circulating in the atmosphere. The trees that make biomass have absorbed the carbon dioxide from the air, so burning their wood only releases what was already absorbed.
Using sustainable forestry, we can make sure that healthy forests and new trees are there to replace the felled ones. New trees then absorb the carbon, so effectively biomass is carbon neutral.
However, carbon isn’t the only thing that trees absorb. ‘Carbon neutral’ refers to carbon gases specifically. ‘Net Zero’ is about the emissions of all harmful chemicals.
Emissions from carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is about 75% of greenhouse gases. The rest includes other carbons like carbon monoxide (CO) and methane (CH4), and additional compounds like nitrous oxide (N2O), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
Not all emissions are from fossil fuels, but 89% are. Fossil fuels don’t just emit CO2, but they also release N2O and CH4. It’s true that wood also releases compounds like methane and nitrogen oxides, but just as with carbon, it absorbs those things in its lifetime.
We can keep the number of trees steady, and they can absorb the gases that biomass releases. Then biomass is a net zero contributor. We can’t replace the fossil fuels we burn, which don’t absorb any additional gases.
In many cases, biomass boilers are the best renewable heating solution. Sometimes, they’re the only solution. A lot of businesses and some homes are large and poorly insulated. Insulation is always a good idea, but it’s not always practical, especially not in farms or large older buildings like stately homes.
Premises like those have a significant heat requirement, which needs to be reliable. Other renewable heating methods aren’t suitable for those buildings. Because it’s sustainable and reliable, it’s the perfect renewable commercial heating solution.
– Read more about finding the right renewable heating method that is suited to your home or building.
Myth 3: Biomass destroys forests
A high-profile story broke in October 2022 about a Drax power station in Yorkshire. Drax was meant to burn only poor-quality wood that the timber industry couldn’t use, and by-products like sawdust which would otherwise be thrown away. Instead, it was using wood pellets made from primary wood from environmentally important forests in Canada.
Poor headlines and deceptive business practices don’t help the important progress of biomass, but they don’t change how important it is to our reaching net zero. The careless practices of Drax don’t mean that biomass isn’t a sustainable heating solution.
The whole point of choosing biomass is that it’s renewable, and it’s supposed to be paired with managed forestry. In sustainable forestry, humans cultivate and manage woodland so that it can yield timber and other products without harming the forest or reducing the tree population.
How managed forests fits biomass
Larger, older trees need to be felled routinely so that more light can reach younger growth, and there’s less competition for resources. Managed forests also plant trees to replace them, so tree numbers stay steady or increase.
Reading the Drax story, it’s easy to see why it would taint the image of biomass. However, it doesn’t make sense to say that because someone has used biomass irresponsibly, we should not use it at all. In the same way, some people drive irresponsibly, but that’s not to say we should stop using cars.
– Read more about how managed forests work. They provide a sustained biomass fuel source for thousands of homes and businesses throughout the UK.
How to get renewable heating
If your business or your home is off the gas grid, then your options for heating are limited. You have the choice of oil boilers, liquid petroleum gas, or biomass. Of those, biomass is the only environmentally friendly solution. Using fossil fuel heating means emitting tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year.
If you want to reduce your net heating emissions to zero, contact Innasol for a no-obligation chat. Our team of expets about your circumstances or the options for renewable commercial energy or sustainable heat for your home.
Innasol is the only UK distributor of ETA biomass boilers (the nation’s leading brand for biomass heating systems). Our network of installers work across the country to fit the very best sustainable heating systems and technology. Our pellet fuel comes from sustainably managed forests, and comes densely packed with low moisture content for maximum efficiency.
Call 01621 892613 to speak to our expert team or arrange a time to talk.
