Why is technology important?
To extract usable energy efficiently in an environmentally friendly way, it is crucially important to continue to develop bioenergy technology in Canada. The transformation of energy production towards renewable sources will require development of new and improved technologies over a wide range of disciplines including, genetics, ecology, biochemistry, chemical engineering, forestry management, equipment design, etc.
Some of the avenues currently being evaluated are:
Thermal and Thermochemical Technologies
* Combustion - converts forestry, agricultural and municipal
residues into heat and power under environmentally sound
conditions
* Gasification - converts forestry, agricultural and municipal
residues into syngas.
* Pyrolysis - converts forestry and agricultural residues into
bio-oils and value added products.
* Thermal and Catalytic Processing - converts a variety of new
and used vegetable oils; tall oils; waste greases and animal fats
into renewable diesel fuels and diesel blending stocks.
Biological and Biochemical Technologies
* Fermentation - converts the starch and cellulose components of biomass to bio-ethanol.
* Anaerobic Digestion - converts manures, food processing and municipal wastes into methane rich biogas.
Useful Links:
Government of Canada - Bioenergy Basics
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (USA)
Biomass Sustainability Analysis - Ontario Power Generation + The Pembina Institute April 2011