Basing on the etymology, the term ‘bio’ refers to living organisms while ‘mass’ is the amount of matter in an object. From that alone, one can identify biomass as any material that comes from living matter.

Biomass energy revisits the concept of potential energy. In every organic matter, the heavier is its mass, the greater is its potential energy. The difference between biomass and fossil fuels, which also comes from dead living organisms, is that biomass utilizes the whole material for combustion while fossil fuels are just the flammable remnants of the carcasses of organisms.

Since biomass energy is derived from combustion or decomposition of living matter, all plant products that are made into furniture and other objects can be considered as sources for biomass energy. Biogas is a byproduct of extracting bioenergy from the resources and can be used as flammable gas.

Is Biomass Considered Renewable?

If you think about it, instead of just leaving unused organic matter to decompose naturally, why not utilize what’s left of it, right? Biomass is renewable since the cycle of life and death, or production and waste, will always stand true in this physical world.