Biomass waste
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Biomass waste refers to the parts of food crops that humans can't eat. This material is mostly fibre (cellulose).
Examples:
- banana leaves
- peanut shells
- coconut shells
- empty corn cobs with no kernels.
- straw
Abundance:
- Production is roughly equal to food production, because about half of the average food crop is biomass waste (the other half is food).
- This page needs more precise numbers.
Uses:
- All biomass waste can be burned for energy.
- Some kinds of biomass waste can be converted into packaging.
- Some kinds of biomass waste can be fed to ruminants (cows).
- Some kinds of biomass waste can be used for cultivating mushrooms.
- If there's no other use, biomass waste can be composted back into the soil.
3 and 4 are both ways to convert fiber into human-edible protein & calories. Help figure out which of these processes is more efficient overall. This page doesn't have enough information yet - join the discussion.