Bioenergy

thumb|upright|A sample of biodiesel

Bioenergy is a type of renewable energy that is derived from plants and animals. The biomass that is used as input materials consists of recently living (but now dead) organisms, mainly plants. Thus, fossil fuels are not regarded as biomass under this definition. Types of biomass commonly used for bioenergy include wood, food crops such as corn, energy crops and waste from forests, yards, or farms. Bioenergy can also refer to electricity generated from the photosynthesis of living organisms, typically using microbial fuel cells and biological photovoltaics.

biofuels made from compressed organic matter or biomass

thumb|right|250px|Sugarcane bagasse in Hainan, China Bagasse ( ) is the dry pulpy fibrous material that remains after crushing sugarcane or sorghum stalks to extract their juice. It is used as a biofuel for the production of heat, energy, and electricity, and in the manufacture of pulp and building materials. Agave bagasse is similar, but is the material remnants after extracting blue agave sap.

animal feces that has been dried in order to be used as a fuel source

thumb|right|upright=1.5|, with its distinct Friedensreich Hundertwasser|Hundertwasser facade, is providing [[combined heat and power in Vienna.]]

type of heating unit for heating a room or house

removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by growing plants, and then putting it permanently underground

methane-enriched biogas

system

fuels produced from renewable resources

Bioconversion, also known as biotransformation, is the conversion of organic materials, such as plant or animal waste, into usable products or energy sources by biological processes or agents, such as certain microorganisms. One example is the industrial production of cortisone, which one step is the bioconversion of progesterone to 11-alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone by Rhizopus nigricans. Another example is the bioconversion of glycerol to 1,3-propanediol, which is part of scientific research for many decades.

generates heat from biomass