Biomass is organic material of plant or animal origin. At the molecular level, it consists of a complex structure of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. In fact, biomass is a natural battery : through photosynthesis, plants capture solar energy and store it in their cells. Because the sun (our natural nuclear fusion reactor) is an inexhaustible source and plants grow again and again, biomass is essentially a renewable resource.
The crucial difference with fossil
Although fossil fuels such as oil and gas are essentially also “old biomass”, there is one key difference: the time scale.
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Fossil fuels add carbon to the atmosphere that was stored deep underground for millions of years (the long carbon cycle).
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Fresh biomass operates within the short carbon cycle; the CO2 released during use was absorbed from the air by the plant shortly before. Provided it is managed responsibly, biomass is therefore climate-neutral or even climate-positive.
A versatile raw material
Biomass is unique because, unlike solar or wind, it can be directly converted into various forms:
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Solid fuel: For direct heat generation.
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Liquid biofuels: For heavy transport and aviation.
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Biogas: For heating homes or industrial processes.
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Biobased materials: For construction and chemistry.
No “one size fits all”
It is important to understand that the term 'biomass' is a collective name. There is a significant difference between a pruning branch, a residual stream from the food industry, or a specially cultivated crop. To avoid misunderstandings, nowadays we look not only at the source , but primarily at the value of the application (cascading) and the impact on biodiversity.
