Biomass — page 2 of 3

Biomass terms

101. furfural An aldehyde derivative of certain biomass conversion processes; used as a solvent.
102. galactan The polymer of galactose with a repeating unit of C6H10O5. Found in hemicellulose it can be hydrolyzed to galactose.
103. galactose A six-carbon sugar with the formula C6H1206. A product of hydrolysis of galactan found in the hemicellulose fraction of biomass.
104. Gas turbine A type of turbine in which combusted, pressurized gas is directed against a series of blades connected to a shaft, which forces the shaft to turn to…
105. Gasification The process in which a solid fuel is converted into a gas; also known as pyrolitic distillation or pyrolysis.
106. Gasifier A device for converting a solid fuel to a gaseous fuel.
107. Global Warming A popular term used to describe the increase in average global temperatures due to the greenhouse effect.
108. glucan The polymer of glucose with a repeating unit of C6H10O5. Cellulose is a form of glucan. Can be hydrolyzed to glucose. (Source: Voet, D.; Voet, J. G.
109. glucose A type of sugar; the chief source of energy for living organisms.
110. glycerin (C3H8O3) A liquid by-product of biodiesel production. Glycerin is used in the manufacture of dynamite, cosmetics, liquid soaps, inks, and lubricants.
111. Greenhouse Effect A popular term used to describe the heating effect due to the trapping of long wave (length) radiation by greenhouse gases produced from natural and human…
112. Greenhouse Gas Some greenhouse gases, which contribute to the greenhouse effect, occur naturally in the atmosphere while others result from human activities such as the…
113. Grid A common term referring to an electricity transmission and distribution system.
114. gross heat of combustion see higher heating value
115. guaiacyl A chemical component of lignin. It has a six-carbon aromatic ring with one methoxyl group attached.
116. hardwood One of the botanical groups of dicotyledonous trees that have broad leaves in contrast to the conifers or softwoods.
117. Heating Value The amount of heat produced from the complete combustion of a unit of fuel. The higher (or gross) heating value is that when all products of combustion…
118. hemicellulose Any cellulose-like carbohydrate, but excluding cellulose itself. Together with pectin and lignin, hemicelluloses form the cell wall matrix.
119. herbaceous energy crops Perennial non-woody crops that are harvested annually, though they may take two to three years to reach full productivity.
120. herbaceous plants Non-woody species of vegetation, usually of low lignin content such as grasses.
121. hexose Any of various simple sugars that have six carbon atoms per molecule (e.g. glucose, mannose, and galactose.)
122. Higher Heating Value (HHV) (HHV) The maximum heating value of a fuel sample, which includes the calorific value of the fuel (bone dry) and the latent heat of vaporization of the water in…
123. holocellulose The total carbohydrate fraction of wood; cellulose plus hemicellulose.
124. Hybrid A class that is a mixture or combination of 2 or more classes. For example, a Druid can be viewed as a Warrior/Rogue/Priest hybrid.
125. Hydrocarbon Any chemical compound containing hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon.
126. hydrocracking A process in which hydrogen is added to organic molecules at high pressures and moderate temperatures; usually used as an adjunct to catalytic cracking.
127. hydrogenation Treatment of substances with hydrogen and suitable catalysts at high temperature and pressure to saturate double bonds.
128. Hydrolysis A chemical reaction that uses water to break down a compound.
129. Incremental energy costs The cost of producing and transporting the next available unit of electrical energy.
130. inoculum (pl.: inocula) 1. A small piece of tissue cut from callus, or an explant from a tissue or organ, or a small amount of cell material from a suspension…
131. Klason lignin Lignin obtained from wood after the non-lignin components of the wood have been removed with a prescribed sulfuric acid treatment.
132. kraft process Chemical pulping process in which lignin is dissolved by a solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide.
133. Landfill Gas Methane gas that forms in landfills from the decay of organic materials. The gas can be collected and used for power generation.
134. lignin A group of high-molecular-weight amorphous polymers of phenylpropanoid compounds, giving strength to certain tissues. A major component of wood.
135. lignin pseudo-molecule for modeling The lignin ratio of methoxy groups to phenylpropanoid groups (MeO:C9) is used to calculate an ultimate analysis for the lignin pseudo-molecule.
136. lignin ratio of MeO to C9 Lignin empirical formulae are based on ratios of methoxy groups to phenylpropanoid groups (MeO:C9).
137. lignocellulose The combination of lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose that forms the structural framework of plant cell walls.
138. lower heating value (LLV) (LLV) The heat produced by combusting one unit of a substance, at atmospheric pressure under conditions such that all water in the products remains in the form…
139. mannan The polymer of mannose with a repeating unit of C6H10O5. Can be hydrolyzed to mannose. (Source: Voet, D.; Voet, J. G. Biochemistry.
140. mannose A hexose component of many polysaccharides, occasionally used as a carbohydrate source in plant tissue culture media.
141. mash A mixture of grain and other ingredients with water to prepare wort for brewing operations.
142. mass closure (%) The percent by weight of the total samples extracted from the biomass sample compared to the weight of the original sample.
143. metabolism (meh-TA-boh-lih-zum) The total of all chemical changes that take place in a cell or an organism.
144. Methane A colorless, odorless, tasteless gas composed of one molecule of Carbon and four of hydrogen, which is highly flammable.
145. methanol (wood alcohol) (CH3OH) An alcohol formed by catalytically combining carbon monoxide with hydrogen in a 1:2 ratio under high temperature and pressure.
146. microorganism An organism that can be seen only through a microscope. Microorganisms include bacteria, protozoa, algae, and fungi.
147. Moisture The amount of water and other components present in the biomass sample that are volatilized at 105°C. (Source: Ehrman, T.
148. moisture free basis Biomass composition and chemical analysis data is typically reported on a moisture free or dry weight basis.
149. monosaccharide A simple sugar (e.g. glucose, fructose). See:.
150. municipal solid waste Any organic matter, including sewage, industrial, and commercial wastes, from municipal waste collection systems.
151. native lignin The lignin as it exists in the lignocellulosic complex before separation.
152. net heat of combustion see lower heating value
153. neutral detergent fiber Organic matter that is not solubilized after one hour of refluxing in a neutral detergent consisting of sodium lauryl sulfate and EDTA at pH 7.
154. nitrogen oxides (NOx) A product of photochemical reactions of nitric oxide in ambient air, and the major component of photochemical smog.
155. non-renewable resource A non-renewable energy resource is one that cannot be replaced as it is used. Although fossil fuels, like coal and oil, are in fact fossilized biomass…
156. NREL The National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
157. octane rating (octane number) A measure of a fuel’s resistance to self ignition, hence a measure as well of the antiknock properties of the fuel.
158. Organic compound An organic compound contains carbon chemically bound to hydrogen. Organic compounds often contain other elements (particularly O, N, halogens, or S).
159. oven dry ton An amount of wood that weighs 2000 lb at 0% moisture content.
160. Oxygenate A cleaner-burning additive in a fuel—usually containing hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. Examples are ethers and alchohols, such as ethanol and methanol.
161. Ozone Tropospheric ozone (ground-level ozone), or smog, is formed when volatile organic compounds, oxygen and nitrogen oxides react in the presence of sunlight.
162. Particulates The fine liquid or solid particles contained in combustion gases. The quantity and size of particulates emitted by cars, power and industrial plants, wood…
163. Petroleum Any petroleum-based substance composed of a complex blend of hydrocarbons derived from crude oil, including motor fuel, jet oil, lubricants, petroleum…
164. phloem Specialized vascular plant tissue for the transport of assimilates (generally sugars) from the point of synthesis (in the leaf) to other parts of the…
165. photoconversion Conversion of light into other forms of energy by chemical, biological, or physical processes.
166. Photosynthesis A chemical process by which green plants synthesize organic compounds from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of sunlight.
167. polymer (PAH-lih-mer) A molecule made up of small identical molecules called monomers. The monomers are joined together in a repeating pattern.
168. polysaccharide (PAH-lee-SA-kuh-ride) A large carbohydrate molecule. It contains many small sugar molecules that are joined chemically. Also called glycan.
169. process development unit An experimental facility that establishes proof of concept, preliminary process economics, and engineering feasibility for a pilot or demonstration plant.
170. Process Heat Thermal energy that is used in agricultural and industrial operations.
171. Proof A measure of ethanol content. 1-percent ethanol content equals 2 proof.
172. protein (PRO-teen) A molecule made up of amino acids that are needed for the body to function properly.
173. Proximate Analysis A commonly used analysis for reporting fuel properties; may be on a dry (moisture free) basis, as "fired", or on an ash and moisture free basis.
174. Pyrolysis The transformation on a compound or material into one or more substances by heat alone (without oxidation). Often called destructive distillation.
175. reaction A chemical reaction is a dissociation, recombination, or rearrangement of atoms.
176. recombinant DNA The process of cutting and recombining DNA fragments from different sources as a means to isolate genes or to alter their structure and function.
177. renewable energy resource An energy resource that can be replaced as it is used. Renewable energy resources include solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, and biomass.
178. residues, biomass Byproducts from processing all forms of biomass that have significant energy potential.
179. saccharide A simple sugar or a more complex compound that can be hydrolyzed to simple sugar units.
180. saccharification A conversion process using acids, bases, or enzymes in which long-chain carbohydrates are broken down into their component fermentable sugars.
181. screen analysis Method for measuring a proportion of variously sized particles in solid fuels. The sample is passed through a series of screens of known size openings.
182. Scrubber A device to clean combustible gas or stack gas by the spraying of water.
183. Slow pyrolysis Thermal conversion of biomass to fuel by slow heating to less than 450°C in the absence of oxygen.
184. softwood Generally, one of the botanical groups of trees that in most cases have needle-like or scale-like leaves; the conifers; also the wood produced by such…
185. Steam Turbine A device that converts high-pressure steam, produced in a boiler, into mechanical energy that can then be used to produce electricity by forcing blades in…
186. stover The dried stalks and leaves of a crop remaining after the grain has been harvested.
187. structural chemical analysis The composition of biomass reported by the proportions of the major structural components; cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin.
188. Substrate 1. A compound that is altered by an enzyme. 2. Food source for growing cells or micro-organisms. 3. Material on which a sedentary organism lives and grows.
189. syringyl A component of lignin, normally only found in hardwood lignins. It has a six-carbon aromatic ring with two methoxyl groups attached.
190. TAR A liquid product of thermal processing of carbonaceous materials.
191. thermochemical conversion The use of heat to change substances chemically to produce energy products.
192. total lignin The sum of the acid soluble lignin and acid insoluble lignin fractions.
193. total solids The amount of solids remaining after all volatile matter has been removed from a biomass sample by heating at 105°C to constant weight.
194. toxics As defined in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, toxics include benzene, 1,3 butadiene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and polycyclic organic matter.
195. transesterification A chemical process which reacts an alcohol with the triglycerides contained in vegetable oils and animal fats to produce biodiesel and glycerin.
196. triglyceride A triglyceride is an ester of glycerol and three fatty acids. Most animal fats are composed primarily of triglycerides.
197. Ultimate Analysis A procedure for determining the primary elements in a substance (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and ash).
198. uronic acid A simple sugar whose terminal -CH2OH group has been oxidized to an acid, COOH group.
199. vacuum distillation The separation of two or more liquids under reduced vapor pressure; reduces the boiling points of the liquids being separated.
200. volatile A solid or liquid material that easily vaporizes.