glossary
anaerobic digestion - Decomposition of biological wastes by micro-organisms, usually under wet conditions, in the absence of air (oxygen), to produce a gas comprising mostly methane and carbon dioxide.
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barrel of oil equivalent (BOE)
- The amount of energy contained in a barrel of crude oil, i.e. approximately 5.8 million Btu
which is equivalent to 1.700 kilowatt hours of energy.
biodiesel - A fuel derived from biological sources that can be used in diesel engines instead of petroleum-derived diesel.
bioenergy - Useful, renewable energy produced from organic matter. the conversion of the complex carbohydrates in organic matter to energy.
biomass
- Plant material such as wood, grains, agricultural waste and vegetation that can be used as an energy source.
Btu (British Thermal Unit) —
A non-metric unit of heat equivalent to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit
at one atmosphere pressure; equal to 252 calories.
butanol
- Though generally produced from fossil fuels, this four-carbon alcohol can also be produced through bacterial fermentation of alcohol.
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carbon dioxide (CO2)
— A product of combustion that acts as a greenhouse gas in the Earth's
atmosphere, trapping heat and contributing to global warming.
carbon monoxide (CO) — A lethal gas produced by incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels in
internal combustion engines. It is colorless, odorless, and tasteless.
carbon sink — A geographical area whose vegetation and/or soil soaks up significant carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
catalytic combustor — A device used on some wood burning stoves to reduce the temperature at which smoke is ignited.
cellulose — the principal chemical constituent of cell walls of plants; a long chain of simple sugar molecules.
char — The remains of solid biomass that has been incompletely combusted, such as charcoal if wood is incompletely burned.
combustion — Burning. The transformation of biomass fuel into heat, chemicals and gases through chemical combination of hydrogen and carbon in the fuel with oxygen in the air.
combustion efficiency — the actual heat produced by combustion divided by the total heat potential of the fuel consumed.
cord — a stack of wood consisting of 128 cubic feet. A cord has standard dimensions of 4 x 4 x8 feet.
creosote — A very flammable byproduct of combustion that can build up within the smoke pipe and chimney and then ignite causing a chimney fire.
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damper — A valve, usually a moveable metal plate, for controlling the flow of air or smoke and draft. Found in wood stoves and fireplaces.
diesel engine — An internal combustion engine named for German engineer Rudolph Diesel. This type of engine works by igniting fuel through a process of compression rather than ignition from a spark. This type of engine can use either petroleum or bio-derived fuel.
diesel fuel — A distillate of fuel oil that has been historically derived from petroleum for use in internal combustion engines.
digester — An airtight vessel or enclosure in which bacteria decomposes biomass in water to produce biogas.
direct vent appliance — An appliance that draws combustion air from outdoors and exhausts the combustions products to the outdoors eliminating the need for a standard chimney system.
direct-injection engine — A diesel engine in which fuel is injected directly into the cylinder.
draft — The difference in air pressure at the same elevation between the inside and the outside of a chimney, chimney connector, or appliance. The term draft is sometimes used to denote the rate of combustion airflow into a fuel burning appliance, or the rate of flue gas flow. Draft is a critical component of stove or fireplace performance.
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E85 — An alcohol fuel mixture containing 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline by volume. This is a common alternative fuel mixture.
effluent — the liquid or gas discharged from a process or chemical reactor, usually containing residues from that process.
emissions — Substances discharged into the air by a combustion engine.
energy balance — The difference between the energy produced by a fuel and the energy required to obtain it through agricultural processes.
energy crops — Crops grown specifically for their fuel value.
energy efficiency ratio — A number which represents the energy stored in a fuel as compared to the energy required to produce, process, transport and distribute that fuel.
ethanol — A fuel produced from the fermentation of sugars in carbohydrates, derived from agricultural crops like corn and grains, wood, or animal wastes.
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feedstock — The biomass used in the creation of a particular biofuel (e.g., corn or sugarcane for ethanol, soybeans or rapeseed for biodiesel.)
feller-buncher — A self-propelled machine that cuts trees with giant shears near ground level and then stacks the trees into piles to await transportation.
fermentation — conversion of carbon-containing compounds by micro-organisms for production of fuels and chemicals such as alcohols, acids or energy-rich gases.
fireback — A barrier in a stove which protects the fireplace masonry and mortar from the extreme heat of the flames.
fireplace insert — Heating units that retrofit into an existing fireplace. They burn wood, gas or wood pellets and provide greater efficiency than a conventional fireplace.
lexible-fuel vehicle (or flex-fuel vehicle) — A vehicle that can run alternately on two or more sources of fuel. This includes cars capable of running on gasoline and gasoline/ethanol mixtures, as well as cars that can run on both gasoline and natural gas.
fly ash — Small ash particles carried in suspension in combustion products.
fossil-fuel — A fuel derived from the remains of organic life on Earth that is generally considered non-renewable.
free-standing fireplace — A 2ood or gas heating appliance normally on legs or a pedestal.
fuel cycle — The series of steps required to fully produce electricity from fuel.
The fuel cycle includes mining or otherwise acquiring the raw fuel
source, processing and cleaning the fuel, transport, electricity
generation, waste management and plant decommissioning.
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gasification — A chemical or heat process used to convert carbonaceous material such as coal or petroleum into its gaseous components, carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
gas to liquid (GTL) — The process of refining natural gas and other hydrocarbons into longer-chain hydrocarbons, which can be used to convert gaseous waste products into fuels.
gel point — The point at which a liquid fuel cools to the consistency of petroleum jelly.
genetically modified organism (GMO) — An organism whose genetic material has been modified through recombinant DNA technology.
greasecar — A diesel-powered automobile rigged post-production to run on used vegetable oil.
greenhouse effect - The effect in which greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap heat
from the sun and raise the atmospheric temperature.
greenhouse gases — The two major greenhouse gases are water vapor and carbon dioxide. Other greenhouse gases include methane, ozone, chlorofluorocarbons and nitrous oxide.
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heat exchanger - A device often incorporated in the upper parts of a stove or fireplace, it absorbs and radiates additional heat from either a wood or gas fire.
heat rate — The amount of fuel energy required by a power plant to produce one kilowatt-hour of electrical output. It is computed by dividing the total Btu content of fuel burned for electric generation by the resulting kilowatt hour generation.
heat transfer efficiency — The useful heat output released from a firebox or fireplace divided the actual heat produced in the firebox itself.
heating value — The maximum amount of energy that is available from burning a substance.
hydrocarbon — A chemical compound that contains a carbon backbone with hydrogen atoms attached to that backbone.
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indirect injection engine — An older model of diesel engine in which fuel is injected into a pre-chamber, partly combusted, and then sent to the fuel-injection chamber.
island fireplace — A fireplace that has four sides of glass for viewing from any angle.
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landfill gas — A type of biogas that is generated by decomposition of organic material at a landfill disposal site. landfill gas is approximately 50 percent methane.
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M85 — An alcohol fuel mixture containing 85 percent methanol and 15 percent gasoline by volume. Methanol is typically made from natural gas but can also be derived from the fermentation of biomass.
masonry stove — A stove which is designed to store thermal mass in the bricks or stone masonry. Masonry stoves are highly efficient.
methanol — a fuel derived from natural gas, but which can also be derived from the fermentation of biomass.
modified diesel engine — A diesel engine which has been modified to heat the oil before it reaches the fuel injectors in order to handle straight vegetable oil.
moisture content — The moisture content of wood expressed as a percentage of the weight of wood as received.
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nitrogen fixation — The transformation of atmospheric nitrogen into nitrogen compound that can be used by growing plants.
nitrogen oxides — Products of combustion that contribute to the formation of smog and ozone.
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oxygen depletion sensor — A device used with all vent free stoves, fireplaces and logs that shuts the heater off if the oxygen level in the room drops to 18%.
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particulate emissions — Tiny particles of a solid or liquid suspended in a gas which are discharged into the air by an internal combustion engine.
pellet stove — A kind of stove that burns wood fibers that are compressed into the size of a pencil eraser.
pyrolysis — The thermal decomposition of biomass at high temperatures (greater than 400 degrees
Fahrenheit) in the absence of air.
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refuse-derived fuel (RDF) — Fuel prepared from municipal solid waste. Noncombustible materials such as rocks, glass and metals are removed and the remaining combustible portion of the solid waste is chopped or shredded.
rotation — Period of years between establishment of a stand of timber and the time when it is considered ready for final harvest and regeneration.
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straight vegetable oil (STO) — Any vegetable oil that has not been optimized through the process of transesterification. using this type of veggie oil in your diesel automobile requires an
engine modification that heats the oil before it reaches the fuel injectors.
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therm — A unit of energy equal to 100,000
Btu's. This is a common unit of measure for natural gas.
transesterification — The chemical process in which an alcohol reacts with the triglycerides in vegetable oil or animal fats, separating the glycerin and producing biodiesel.
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viscosity — The ability of a liquid to flow. The higher the viscosity the slower the liquid flows.
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waste vegetable oil (WGO) — Grease taken from a fryer which is filtered and used in modified diesel engines.
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