Biomass Glossary
Alternative fuels
- Fuels that can be used in place of fossil fuels, such as ethanol, biodiesel, biogas, hydrogen. In motor transportation, compressed natural gas is an alternative to gasoline.
- Decomposition of organic wastes by bacteria, in the absence of air (oxygen), to produce a gas, consisting mostly of methane and carbon dioxide.
Biodiesel
- Biodegradable transportation fuel for use in diesel engines that is produced from biomass (organically derived vegetable oils or animal fats). The oil or fat is reacted with alcohol to produce a fuel that can be used on its own or mixed with petrodiesel.
- Refers to the variety of ecosystems and animal, bird, fish and plant species.
- Useful renewable energy produced from organic matter. Organic matter may be directly used as a fuel or processed into liquids and gases.
- Liquid fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, made from biomass. These fuels can be used in their pure form or blended with gasoline or petrodiesel.
- Combustible gas produced from decomposing biological wastes. Biogas consists of 50 per cent to 60 per cent methane.
- Organic materials containing stored chemical energy. Includes forest residues, agricultural crops and wastes, wood and wood wastes, livestock wastes, animal wastes, fast-growing trees and plants, and municipal and industrial wastes.
- Liquid, solid or gaseous fuel produced by conversion of biomass.
- Use of biomass to generate electricity or industrial heat and steam.
- A large furnace that burns fuel to produce steam for power, processing or heating
Char
- Remains of solid biomass that have been incompletely combusted, such as charcoal from wood.
- Term used to describe the view that the Earth’s temperature and climate will change, in part, due to the buildup of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities.
-
The process of burning natural gas in conjunction with another fuel. Cogeneration: The simultaneous production of electricity and steam from one energy source (e.g., natural gas, oil, biomass).
Also the practice of burning biomass along with coal in coal-fired boilers
- Technology that simultaneously produces power and thermal energy (heat and steam) from a single fuel source such as natural gas. An example is using steam generated for injection into reservoirs to also generate electricity.
- Two or more generation processes operating in parallel, so as to increase the energy output from a power system. In a combined-cycle power plant, the waste heat from a gas turbine provides heat for a steam turbine.
- Changes to the environment caused by an activity in combination with other past, present and reasonably foreseeable human activities.
District heating
- A type of direct energy use in which a utility system supplies multiple users with hot water or steam from a central plant or well field.
Energy crops
- Crops that are grown specifically for energy (electricity or liquid fuels). Examples of plants and trees that are cultivated as energy crops include corn, sugar cane, willow, alfalfa, poplar, switchgrass and eucalyptus.
- Colourless, flammable liquid produced by fermentation of sugars.
Feedstock
- Any material converted to another form or product.
Gasifier
- Device for converting solid biomass into gaseous fuels.
-
The warming of the Earth’s surface caused by the presence of carbon dioxide and other gases, known as greenhouse gases, in the atmosphere that trap the heat of the sun.
- Gases that trap heat near the Earth’s surface. These include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapor. These gases occur through natural processes (such as ocean currents, cloud cover, volcanoes) and human activities (such as the burning of fossil fuels).
- Network of high-voltage transmission lines for distributing power to customers.
Landfill
- Site designed for disposal of solid or chemical wastes by burial. It may be an open pit or an engineered facility that includes special linings to prevent wastes from leaking into water supplies.
- Biogas generated by the decomposition of organic material in landfills. This gas is about 50 per cent methane.
Methane (CH4)
- Methane consists of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms and is the largest component of natural gas. Methane remains in a gaseous state at relatively low temperatures and pressures. Methane is also produced when organic matter decomposes
- Solid wastes, including sewage, industrial and commercial wastes, from municipal sewage treatment systems and landfill sites.
National Energy Board (NEB)
- The federal regulatory agency in Canada that authorizes oil, natural gas, and electricity exports; certifies interprovincial and international pipelines, and designated interprovincial and international power lines; and sets tolls and tariffs for oil and gas pipelines under federal jurisdiction.
- Natural resources that cannot be replaced after they have been consumed. This term applies particularly to fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, but also applies to other mineral resources found in the Earth's crust.
Oxygenate
- Compound containing oxygen in its molecular structure. Ethanol and biodiesel act as oxygenates when blended with conventional fuels. Oxygenated fuel improves combustion efficiency and lowers tailpipe emissions.
Particulate matter
- Dust, ash, soot, metals and other solid or liquid particles released into the air. Particulate matter comes from natural sources (such as forest fires and volcanoes) and human sources (such as burning of fossil fuels, dust from mining operations, road dust and wood stoves). Particulate matter can cause eye, nose and throat irritation and other health problems.
- Heat used in an industrial process for other rtan space heating.
- Usually intended to mean the interest of the public generally as opposed to the interest of an individual or company.
- Thermal decomposition of biomass at high temperatures (greater than 200 degrees Celsius) in the absence of air. The end product is mixture of liquids (bio-oil), solids (a charcoal-substance called “char”) and gases (methane, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide).
Renewable energy
- Naturally occurring energy sources that are continually replenished. Examples of renewable energy are wind, solar and water.
- Materials left over from industrial, forestry or agricultural operations.
Stakeholders
- People with an interest in industry activities that affect them. They may include nearby landowners, Aboriginal communities, recreational land users, other industries, environmental groups, governments and regulators.
- Ecosystem condition in which biodiversity, renewability and resource productivity are maintained over time.
- Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (as defined by United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development).
Thermal electricity
- Electricity generated from burning fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and refined petroleum products; biomass such as wood, wood waste, pulping liquors and landfill methane; or other waste materials such as used tires.