Pedro Emmanuel Loyola de Siqueira

High Intermediate / Advanced

Lindsey Reed
October 26, 2016
Oil energy x Biomass energy
Oil has been the worlds major commercial energy source for many decades and the consensus
view is that it will maintain this leading role well into the 21st century. Biomass energy has
rapidly become a vital part of global renewable energy and accounts for an ever-growing share
of electric capacity added worldwide. Biomass and Oil are important sources of energy for the
planet, however should be taken into consideration financial, environmental and power energy
issues.
Oil involves an important part in the plantes economy and produce high energy power. Oil
is one of the most important commodities in the world playing an important part in some of the
biggest industries like chemicals, transport, power, petrochemicals etc. Exploration and
production generates business activity across a spectrum of industries. In the States, where the
energy segment is well developed, ripple effects are even larger as the network of suppliers and
support industries are able to meet the needs of oil and gas companies. Personal income of the
people can increase with develop of the area where oil company has worked. Oil is widely
distributed in almost all parts of the world. Also there exists massive infrastructure to transport
oil to other places through ships, pipelines and tankers. This means that oil is available
throughout the world.
When it comes to the environment, oil presents some issues. Oil releases carbon dioxide which
has been sequestered for millions of years in the dead bodies of plant and animals. This transfers

the carbon from the Earth to the environment leading to the global warming effect. Global
treaties have failed in putting a cost on this, though individual countries are tying to account for
this through carbon taxes and cap and trade. Also an other issue is leak oil spills which have
caused massive pollution bodies of water as massive oil supertankers lead oil. This leads to the
death of thousands of animals and fishes every year as well as devastating the local ecology. In
terms of energy power oil has high energy density which means that a small amount of oil can
produce a large amount of energy. This makes it very useful as its high energy density has made
it the preferred choice for use as fuel in automobiles. Oil can produce power 24/7 and is highly
reliable. Oil engines are a mature technology and highly reliable to work with.
Meanwhile, biomass energy is a new alternative that is emerging to substitute oil. Biomass is
abundant and also a clean energy. The cost of producing biomass for use as fuels and energy
sources is very cheap compared to the cost of finding and extracting oil. The cost of finding oil is
eliminated when one deliberately plants certain types of plants to be used in the production of
biomass fuels. Extraction is generally no more expensive than harvesting crops for food. Inactive
areas of land can be put to use as sources of biomass crops and the growing of such crops can
create new jobs in rural areas, reducing the unemployment rates. The development of efficient
biomass handling technology, improvement of agro-forestry systems and establishment of small
and large-scale biomass-based power plants can play a major role in rural development. Biomass
energy could also aid in modernizing the agricultural economy.
In the aspect of environment biomass is one of the most clean energy sources on the planet.
Biomass energy systems offer significant possibilities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions due
to their immense potential to replace oil in energy production. Biomass reduces emissions and
enhances carbon sequestration since short-rotation crops or forests established on abandoned

agricultural land accumulate carbon in the soil. Biomass is a part of the carbon cycle. Carbon
from the atmosphere is absorbed into plants during photosynthesis and when the plant decays or
is burnt that carbon goes back into the atmosphere. Because it is a cycle, the next crop of plants
absorb that carbon over again, so there is a balance between the amount of carbon that the
biomass fuel release into the atmosphere and the amount that they extract from it. This is why
biomass fuels do not contribute to global warming.
About energy power, biomass can be used in many forms. It can be compressed into briquettes
that are burned to produce heat, electricity, or other forms of energy. It can be processed and
refined to produce alcohols and methane gas, both of which make clean burning sources of
energy. Biomass products are abundant and renewable. Since they come from living sources,
these products potentially never run out, so long as there is something living on earth and there is
someone there to turn that living things components and waste products into energy. For
example, in Brazil biomass is made from sugar cane.
In conclusion, oil and biomass have pros and cons in financial, environmental and power
energy issue. The importance of each mus be observed to build the world, to run the economy .
On one hand we have the oil and its importance to build the world in which we live today with
powerful industries. The other hand, this kind of energy is having an effect on climate change.
Biomass is a clean and abundant energy. Also it can replace oil but it will be able to be used
worldwide? The decision of which is the most relevant and realistic source will need to be made.

References:
https://www.scribd.com/document/113579860/Biomass
www.biomass.net

http://www.greenworldinvestor.com/2011/07/07/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-oil-consdisregarded-by-powerful-lobbies/