• Biomass has stored chemical energy that comes from the sun.
• Biomass sources for energy include wood and wood processing wastes, farming crops and waste matter, biogenic matter in community solid waste, and sewage.

Biomass is renewable organic matter that originates from plants and animals. Biomass was the greatest source of U.S. energy use until the mid-1800s. It remains a crucial fuel in many developing countries, particularly for cooking and heating. Biomass fuel use for transportation and electricity production is growing in many developed countries as a way of steering clear of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels. In 2020, biomass supplied almost 5 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) and roughly 5 percent of the entire main energy use within the United States.

Biomass has stored chemical energy that comes from the sun. Plants make biomass through a process called photosynthesis. Biomass can be ignited directly for heat or changed into renewable liquid and gaseous fuels through different methods.

Biomass sources for energy include the following:

• Wood and wood processing wastes—firewood, pellets, wood chips, lumber and furniture mill sawdust and waste, and black liquor from pulp and paper mills
• Farming crops and waste matter—corn, soybeans, sugar cane, switchgrass, woody plants, algae, and food processing residues
• Biogenic matter in community solid waste—paper, cotton, wool goods, and food, yard, and wood wastes
• Animal dung and human sewage

Biomass is turned into energy through different methods, including the following:

• Direct burning to make heat
• Thermochemical transformation to create solid, gaseous, and liquid fuels
• Chemical transformation to create liquid fuels
• Biological transformation to create liquid and gaseous fuels