Biomass & Biofuel Plant

Biomass is the general term for natural or organic fuel source. It is produced from organic materials derived from recently living plant organisms or from metabolic by-products such as organic or food waste products. All these materials can be converted into an energy form useful for heat, power and transport fuel.

Biomass is sustainable and generally carbon neutral because the carbon released in the combustion process is offset by the carbon trapped in the organic matter by photosynthesis during its growth.

Biofuels are liquid fuels derived from Biomass and mainly used for transport, produced by a variety of thermochemical and biochemical processes. These fuels can come from a wide range of plant and animal materials, and can be burnt to produce heat and power, used to run vehicles or powering fuel cells.

The predominant forms today are bioethanol (derived from fermentation of sugars) and biodiesel (from esterification of plant and animal oils) with increasing amounts of the oils being treated with hydrogen to create hydro-treated vegetable oils (HVO) suitable for diesel use.

At OSL our engineers apply Clever Thinking ® to understand and deliver innovative solutions to challenges associated with biomass and biofuels.