Biomass & bioenergy
Turning organic matter into heat, power and gas. Unlike solar and wind, bioenergy is dispatchable and stores energy in the fuel itself, but its sustainability and carbon accounting are debated. The engineering must handle fuel logistics, combustion emissions and explosive dust.
The main families
Boilers, CHP, district heating
Biomass boilers, combined heat and power (CHP) producing heat and electricity, and district heating networks. Biomass covers industrial and residential thermal demand with a storable, dispatchable fuel.
Anaerobic digestion, injected biomethane
Anaerobic digestion of agricultural and organic waste produces biogas. Upgraded to biomethane, it is injected into the gas grid as a natural-gas substitute. A dispatchable process that valorizes waste.
Bioethanol, biodiesel, wood pellets
Bioethanol and biodiesel for transport, wood pellets for heating and power generation. Solid and liquid biomass-derived fuels, dense and transportable.
Key challenges
- Fuel supply & logistics — low energy density: large volumes must be transported and stored. Wood-pellet and dust handling is an ATEX explosion risk that sizes the entire silo.
- Combustion & emissions — particulates, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and ash: flue-gas treatment and ash management determine the plant's environmental compliance.
- Sustainability & carbon accounting — EU RED II criteria frame sustainability; biomass carbon-neutrality is debated, since the timing gap between combustion and regrowth is not neutral in the short term.
- Anaerobic digestion safety — digestate and biogas release toxic hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and flammable methane: ATEX zones, gas detection and ventilation are essential around digesters.
See also
Biomass-specific standards
- EN ISO 17225 — Specifications and classes of solid biofuels (pellets, chips, briquettes): moisture content, particle size, calorific value.
- EN ISO 16559 — Standardized vocabulary for solid biofuels: common definitions and terminology across the value chain.
- EU RED II 2018/2001 — Sustainability and greenhouse-gas reduction criteria for bioenergy in the European Union.
- IEC 61508 — Functional safety of burner and combustion control systems (flame detection, safe-shutdown sequences).
Related standard pages on IndustryHub
Major players
Boilers & CHP
Valmet, Andritz, BWSC, Sumitomo SHI FW.
Biogas & digestion
EnviTec Biogas, PlanET, Weltec Biopower.
Operators
Drax (wood pellets, UK), Engie, Veolia.
Pellets & fuel
Enviva, Drax Pellets.
Landmark facts
| Fact | Year | Location | Lesson |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drax conversion | 2013- | United Kingdom | Britain's largest power station converted several coal units to imported wood pellets, becoming a flagship case and a focal point of the biomass-sustainability debate. |
| Silo dust explosions | — | Biomass handling | Pellet and dust silos have caused dust explosions, which is why biomass handling falls squarely under ATEX zoning and dust-explosion prevention. |