Explain biomass as energy source.

Explanation

The source of fuels like fire wood, cow- dung cake, etc. is called biomass. These fuels are plant and animal products and hence called biomass energy.
Wood has been used as a fuel for a long time. A continuous supply of fire wood can be assured by plantation of enough trees is there and if only branches of trees are used.
Charcoal is left behind as the residue, when wood is burnt in a limited supply of oxygen. Water and volatile materials are removed.
Charcoal burns without flames and is comparatively smokeless having higher heat generation efficiency.
Cow-dung cakes are also used as a fuel. The large live-stock population in India can also assure a steady source of fuel.
However, wood and cow-dung cakes do not produce much heat on burning and a lot of smoke is given out when they are burnt. Therefore, technological inputs to improve the efficiency of these fuels are necessary.