I had heard of biomass technology but didn't know much about it. I was surprised to learn that burning biomass is not the only way energy is produced, and ethanol is also considered a part of biomass technology. I researched the positive aspects, such as how renewable biomass is as a fuel, its positive impact on forest fire prevention and the opportunity to turn "waste" into energy. I also researched the negatives, such as the release of high levels of CO2 especially in plants with older technology, and the fact that transporting biomass (which is a lot of mass, after all) can contribute to fossil fuel burning and additional CO2 production. The practice of burning wood, manure and biomass waste in developing countries has had profound long-term negative effects when the technology to burn it cleanly is not implemented and deforestation has occurred. In the end, it looks to me that if money can be invested in advanced biomass technologies with carbon neutral outcomes and better systems can be developed to transport it, then biomass can be a positive addition to our toolkit of drawdown strategies. I learned a lot in my first Eco Challenge!
