What are the environmental benefits of biomass?
The use of biomass energy provides a multitude of environmental benefits. It can help mitigate climate change; reduce acid rain; prevent soil erosion and water pollution; minimize pressure on landfills; provide wildlife habitat; and, help maintain forest health through better management. The use of biomass will greatly reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. Fossil fuels emit vast quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere upon combustion, carbon that would ordinarily remain trapped underground. Biomass also releases carbon dioxide as it burns, but the plants need CO2 to grow – thus creating a closed-carbon cycle. All the CO2 released during the combustion of biomass materials is recaptured by the growth of these same materials. Unlike fossil fuels, with biomass combustion there is no net increase in carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. In addition, substantial quantities of carbon can be captured in the soil through biomass root structures, creating a net carbon si
