Disadvantages Agricultural wastes, such as bagasse, will not be available if the basic crop is no longer grown. Additional work is needed in areas such as harvesting methods. Land used for energy crops may be in demand for other purposes, such as farming, conservation, watersheds, housing, resort or industrial use. Some biomass conversion projects from animal wastes are relatively small and therefore limited to on-site power production only. Some liquid fuels, such as ethanol and methanol, contain less energy per gallon than gasoline.
Research is needed to reduce the costs of production of biomass-based fuels.
The Basic Process Plants use sunlight for growth in a process called photosynthesis. In this process, the plant combines carbon dioxide from the air and water from the ground to produce oxygen and energy. Energy is stored in the plant in the form of carbohydrates. This energy is released when the plant is burned or converted into a fuel. Biomass can also be treated with chemicals, converted by microorganisms, or put under high pressures and temperatures to produce liquids, gases, and solids which offer the possibility of replacing petroleum-based fuels.