ISSN: 2161-0398
Marcia JS, Clara MML
Energy is one of the main socioeconomic development inputs worldwide. It is estimated that in 2050, the global demand for energy and associated services will increase approximately 10 times (IEA, 2016). The best alternative to reduce the use of non-renewable resources is to introduce the biomass as a source of renewable energy, which currently accounts for almost 14% of world consumption. To give you an idea, about 146 billion tons of biomass are produced per year. If 10% of this biomass - considering forest harvesting, wood and agricultural waste - is used to generate energy at 50% of efficiency, more than 3.1 trillion toe (tonne of oil equivalent), which represents a significant energy value (World Energy Council, 2016).