| Ever since humans first huddled around a | | | | "Electricity generation is the single |
| fire for warmth, people have burned | | | | largest industrial polluter in the |
| logs, straw, wood and animal | | | | United States," says Alan Nogee, energy |
| waste--otherwise known as biomass--to | | | | program director at the Union of |
| create energy. Indeed, throughout most | | | | Concerned Scientists. "One-fourth of the |
| of history, these crude forms of fuel | | | | primary emissions that lead to smog, |
| answered the world's energy needs. Only | | | | one-third of the emissions that cause |
| after the industrial age matured did | | | | global warming and two-thirds of the |
| people abandon biomass for the modern | | | | emissions that contribute to acid rain |
| conveniences and the relatively low | | | | can be attributed directly to electric |
| costs of power provided by fossil fuels | | | | power plants." |
| and electricity. Today, with 82 percent | | | | By 2020, the Union of Concerned |
| of U. S. energy supplied by fossil | | | | Scientists would like to see 13 to 20 |
| fuels, biomass appears to be coming back | | | | percent of this country's electricity |
| into vogue as one of the top contenders | | | | produced from biomass power plants, says |
| for replacing these finite and polluting | | | | Nogee. Currently, bioenergy resources |
| resources. | | | | supply only three percent of U.S. |
| "Global warming issues have forced | | | | heating and electric power needs. |
| exploration of bioenergy as an | | | | Transportation fuels offer another |
| alternative to oil and coal," says | | | | application for biomass technology. |
| Anders Evald, a research technologist at | | | | "Consumers used 100 billion gallons of |
| the Centre for Biomass Technology in | | | | gas in their vehicles last year" says |
| Denmark. The center is a national | | | | Gerson Santos-Lyon, program manager of |
| organization that works with other | | | | the BioEthanol Program at the Department |
| European institutions and companies to | | | | of Energy. Vehicle emissions cause 60 |
| research and develop bioenergy products. | | | | percent of the urban air pollution. |
| "Biomass can also include biofuels, | | | | Biofuels, such as ethanol, can reduce |
| gaseous fuels for engines and turbine | | | | carbon dioxide, ozone formation and |
| applications," says Evald. "The | | | | carbon monoxide by as much as 90 |
| framework under which all this takes | | | | percent. |
| place is very, very different from one | | | | "The use of ethanol is both a cost and a |
| region of the world to another. Biomass | | | | supply issue," says Santos-Lyon. Most |
| is used in everything from the | | | | ethanol is made from corn, an energy- |
| fireplaces of third world nations to | | | | and labor-intensive row crop. With only |
| modern steam cycle systems that create | | | | 1.6 billion gallons of ethanol |
| both heat and power in industrial | | | | manufactured last year, this fuel |
| countries," he adds. | | | | accounted for just over one percent of |
| Biomass energy is considered a renewable | | | | total U.S. fuel consumption. Researchers |
| or sustainable energy because of its | | | | at the National Renewable Energy |
| dosed carbon cycle. Since trees use as | | | | Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, are |
| much carbon dioxide during their growth | | | | investigating ways to use more of the |
| as they add to the atmosphere when | | | | corn plant in the manufacture of |
| burned, there is no net gain in carbon | | | | ethanol, as well as experimenting with |
| dioxide--the leading offender of the | | | | genetically engineered microorganisms to |
| greenhouse gases. | | | | create a pollution-saving fuel from |
| President Clinton's 2001 budget includes | | | | agricultural wastes. The goal of |
| a new initiative aimed at tripling the | | | | National Renewable Energy Laboratory is |
| use of bio-based products and bioenergy | | | | to reduce the cost of ethanol from $1.22 |
| by 2010. For these purposes, the | | | | per gallon to 60 or 70 cents within a |
| Department of Energy would receive $49 | | | | decade, while increasing the fuel's |
| million, and $194 million is slated for | | | | availability. |
| the U.S. Department of Agriculture in | | | | Every biomass source has critics and |
| the President's proposed legislation. | | | | supporters. Even within the scientific |
| The U.S. Department of Agriculture has | | | | community, experts debate the qualities |
| already begun investigating energy | | | | of various biofuels, the consequences |
| crops--such as alfalfa--as a way to | | | | and benefits of a managed forest, and |
| increase the nation's biomass inventory. | | | | the ethics of genetically modified |
| "Energy crops require less fertilizer | | | | crops. Ethanol has become a political |
| and prevent erosion," says Roger Conway, | | | | football, the subsidies for which are |
| director of the Office of Energy Policy | | | | fiercely defended by Midwestern farmers |
| and New Uses at the U.S. Department of | | | | and farm-state politicians. |
| Agriculture. "As a possible income | | | | "There is a potential for abuse in |
| source, these crops can buttress the | | | | creating energy from biomass," says |
| farm economy, promote rural development | | | | Wenonah Hauter, president of Public |
| and add employment opportunities. And, | | | | Citizen's Critical Mass Energy Project. |
| by using subsidized land for these | | | | The project, founded by Ralph Nader, |
| plants, the resulting crops will reduce | | | | works to protect America's natural |
| the $22 billion the government pays to | | | | resources by promoting renewable and |
| property owners." | | | | energy-efficient technologies. "Logging |
| Farmers in Chariton Valley, Iowa, are | | | | old-growth forests would be |
| growing and harvesting switchgrass on | | | | unacceptable, as is burning municipal |
| marginal land. The switchgrass will be | | | | solid waste," says Hauter. |
| burned with coal to produce electricity. | | | | |