Biomass-renewable energy from plant and animal matter

Biomass is organic material made from plants and animals. Biomass contains stored energy from the sun. Plants ab­sorb the sun's energy in a process called photosynthesis. The chemical energy in plants gets passed on to animals and peo­ple that eat them. Biomass is a renewable energy source because we can always grow more trees and crops, and waste will always exist.
When burned, the chemical energy in biomass is released as heat. If you have a fireplace, the wood you burn in it is a biomass fuel. Wood waste or garbage can be burned to produce steam for making electricity, or to provide heat to industries and homes.
Biomass can be converted to other usable forms of energy like methane gas or transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel. Methane gas is the main ingredient of natural gas. Smelly stuff, like rotting garbage, and agricultural and human waste, release methane gas - also called 'landfill gas' or 'biogas.' Crops like corn and sugar cane can be fermented to produce the transportation fuel, ethanol. Biodiesel, another transportation fuel, can be pro­duced from left-over food products like vegetable oils and animal fats.
The most common form of biomass is wood. Biomass contin­ues to be a major source of energy in much of the developing world. Many manufacturing plants use wood waste to produce their own steam and electricity. This saves these companies mon­ey because they don't have to dispose of their waste products and they don't have to buy as much electricity.

Municipal Solid Waste,Landfill Gas,And Biogas

Another source of biomass is our garbage, also called municipal solid waste (MSW). Trash that comes from plant or animal prod­ucts is biomass. Food scraps, lawn Clippings, and leaves are all ex­amples of biomass trash. MSW can be a source of energy by either burning MSW in waste-to-energy plants, or by capturing biogas. In waste-to-energy plants, trash is burned to produce steam that can be used either to heat buildings or to generate electricity.

biofuels-Ethanol and Biodiesel

Biofuels are transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel that are made from biomass materials. Ethanol is an alcohol fuel made from the sugars found in various plants.
Biodiesel is a fuel made with vegetable oils, fats, or gre'ases ­such as recycled restaurant grease. Biodiesel fuels can be used in diesel engines without changing them. It is the fastest growing alternative fuel in the United States. Biodiesel, a renewable fuel, is safe, biodegradable, and reduces the emissions of most air pol­lutants.