Glossary

Liquid biofuels made from non-feed, non-food feedstocks. That is, these fuels do not use biomass^? that could have been used to feed animals or to provide food for humans.

Green house gases.

Energy derived from recently living plant material, or biomass^?; excludes fossil fuels; it is produced in a cycle that may reduce carbon emissions.

Liquid fuel & gas produced from two types of biomass^? - plant sugars or starches (e.g., grains), or cellulosic materials; it is produced through fermentation, gasification^?, or pyrolysis^?. Commercial-scale^? cellulosic biofuel^? technology not yet widely available.

Organic material that can be converted into useable energy; also called feedstock^? in bioenergy^? production; there are 2 kinds of biomass^? – lignocellulosic and sugars/starches.

The network of interconnected people and businesses involved in the provision of biomass^? for production of bioenergy^?.

A term used interchangeably with “bioenergy”.

Electricity, heat (steam) or both, produced from biomass^?; it is produced through gasification^?, fermentation, digestion, pyrolysis^? or combustion of biomass; it is typically produced from cellulosic biomass. Combustion can occur with biomass alone, or with biomass co-fired with coal or natural gas. Commercial scale^? cellulosic biomass markets are not yet widely developed.

Achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset, or buying enough carbon credits to make up the difference. It is used in the context of carbon dioxide releasing processes, associated with transportation, energy production and industrial processes.

A carbohydrate that is the principle component of wood. It is made of linked glucose molecules that strengthens the cell walls of most plants.

Perennial non-food plants grown for bioenergy^? feedstock^? using a cropping systems approach to production which may or may not include tillage, and application of inputs such as fertilizer and pesticides.

Ethanol derived from any lignocellulosic or hemicellulosic matter that is available on a renewable or recurring basis.

Refers to the creation and/or operation of a bioenergy^? project with members of a community as equal partners in decision-making and/or investments; also refers to bioenergy projects that deliver energy to a community, usually at the level of a town, small city or within a rural setting.

Annual or perennial crops that are used solely for bioenergy^? feedstock^?. For annual crops such as corn to be considered dedication bioenergy crops no substantial portion of the crop can be used for food or feed.

Services provided by ecosystems that benefit humans and are necessary for a healthy planet like oxygen production, water purification, pollination, soil formation and nutrient recycling.

A goal for reducing the amount of imported petroleum.

Energy security^? has two key dimensions, reliability and resilience. Reliability means users are able to access the energy services they require, when they require them. Resilience is the ability of the system to cope with shocks and change.

The benefits humans receive directly or indirectly from geophysical processes of natural systems, such as precipitation; and of managed systems, such as erosion prevention by conservation tillage.

Biomass^? materials processed into a suitable form for conversion into bioenergy^?.

The process that converts biomass^? feedstocks into biofuel^? by reacting the feedstock at high temperatures with a controlled amount of oxygen and/or steam. The resulting mixture is call synthesis gas, or syngas, which is itself a fuel.

A large and widespread family of herbaceous plants having narrow sheath-forming and simple leaves, and a stem or stems that are jointed and tubular.

Areas dominated by grasses^? or other herbaceous vegetation; with no or few trees.

A fast-growing hybrid tree currently used for both wood and paper pulp; hybrid poplar^? has also been explored for use as a dedicated energy crop using such applications as gasification^? and conversion to bio-oil.

A fast-growing perennial crop from Asia being explored for use in cellulosic ethanol^? production; miscanthus^? produces a high volume of biomass^? within a small land-use footprint and requires little or no fertilizer.

Involving a mixture of small-, medium, and large-scale^? pre-processing, conversion, and distribution operations; may also involve a combination of ownership and management arrangements including cooperatives, local investors, and non-local investors.

The agricultural practice of producing or growing one single crop over a wide area. It is widely used in modern industrial agriculture and its implementation has allowed for large harvests from minimal labor.

The agricultural practice of using multiple crops in the same space, in imitation of the diversity of natural ecosystems, and avoiding large stands of single crops, or monoculture^?. It includes crop rotation, multi-cropping, intercropping, companion planting, beneficial weeds, and alley cropping.

A thermochemical process for converting biomass^? feedstock^? to biofuel^? requiring low temperatures and the absence of oxygen. Biocoal, char, and syngas are products of pyrolysis^? conversion technologies.

The inability of a nutrient to be degraded or transformed by a cell. Possible reasons for recalcitrance^? include the lack of necessary membrane transport mechanisms for the chemical or lack of enzymes that facilitate its transformation or degradation.

Used to describe energy sources that are replenished by natural processes on a sufficiently rapid time-scale^? so that they can be used by humans more or less indefinitely, provided the quantity taken per unit of time is not too great.

May be used to refer to materials left over after forest harvest activities, or the materials left after harvest of agricultural crops. Agricultural residues include stalks and stubble, and shattered leaves and stems.

Refers to the size and economic organization of an industry or a particular facility; a small-scale^? operation would typically produce much less bioenergy^? with a smaller facility and likely fewer owners/investors than a large-scale facility.

Also known as advanced biofuels^?; liquid biofuels made from non-feed, non-food feedstocks. That is, these fuels do not use biomass^? that could have been used to feed animals or to provide food for humans.

Refers to an approach to widespread energy distribution involving many small-scale^? production facilities spread out over a region, state, or states.

The residues of grain crops but most often refers to the residue of corn.

A perennial forage crop being explored for the production of cellulosic ethanol^?. Due to a deep and extensive root system, switchgrass^? is currently used to provide erosion control, and has also proven highly productive in terms of terrestrial carbon sequestration.

A situation involving the balancing of reduction in one benefit with the increase of another.