Biomass, a renewable energy source that generates a low level of CO2

Used since man’s discovery of fire, biomass refers to all organic matter of plant or animal origin that can become an energy source, mainly through combustion or methanisation.

Lecture

Biomass through direct combustion

With this technology, fuel (mainly wood, waste from wood processing industries and agricultural plant waste) is fed directly into heating systems capable of producing either heat alone or electricity and heat simultaneously (co-generation). It has many environmental advantages. Dalkia, a subsidiary of the EDF Group, is France’s leading operator of wood-energy plants.

Discover a biomass heating system [in French]

Biomass through methanisation

With this technology, organic waste (household waste, sludge from sewage treatment plants, agricultural effluents, etc.) is first transformed into biogas, through biological degradation or fermentation. This biogas is then burned to produce heat and/or electricity. Within the EDF Group, Dalkia Biogaz [in French] is the subsidiary in charge of the development of the agricultural, industrial and tertiary biogas recovery sector, with the exception of household waste biogas, which is operated by Dalkia Wastenergy [in French].

Better understanding biogas