ABSTRACT
The material of plants and animals, including their wastes and residues, is called biomass. It is organic, carbonbased material that reacts with oxygen in natural metabolic processes and in combustion to release heat that, especially if at temperatures >400°C, may be used to generate work and electricity. The initial material may be transformed by chemical and biological processes to produce biofuels, i.e. biomass processed into a more convenient form, particularly liquid fuels for transport. Examples of biofuels include methane gas, liquid ethanol, methyl esters, oils and solid charcoal. The term bioenergy is used to describe both biomass and biofuels.
