Biomass Feedstock Composition and Property Database
This Web site is designed to make data on chemical composition and physical properties of various biomass resources available to energy professionals in the scientific and engineering community.
Biomass for Energy
Biomass is a very heterogeneous and chemically complex renewable resource. Understanding this natural variability and range of chemical compositions is essential for scientists and engineers conducting research and developing energy technologies using biomass resources. The term biomass means any plant-derived organic matter. Biomass available for energy on a sustainable basis includes herbaceous and woody energy crops, agricultural food and feed crops, agricultural crop wastes and residues, wood wastes and residues, aquatic plants, and other waste materials including some municipal wastes. The Department of Energy sponsors research, development, and demonstration efforts aimed at using renewable biomass resources as a feedstock to produce an array of energy-related products, including liquid, solid, and gaseous fuels; electricity; heat; chemicals, and other materials.
Database Contents
The database is a compilation of results from analytical tests conducted on biomass samples by Biomass Program scientists according to standard test methods. Nearly all are American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) methods. Information includes compositional analysis, structural chemical analysis, elemental analysis, proximate analysis, heating values, and lignin properties. Not all analytical methods were applied to all samples, however. All chemical analysis data are on a moisture-free basis. We've included references for data when available, as well as references for test methods employed. Values for individual samples included in this database are "as-reported" data. This means that any additional testing using the identified method on similar samples may result in somewhat different values. These differences result from a combination of the natural variability in biomass as well as analytical precision and repeatability. Samples included in the database are not necessarily representative of that biomass type.
Standard Biomass Analytical Procedures
Glossary
Search Guidance
You can search the database in various ways, depending on what you're interested in. Because there are so many individual biomass samples included in the database, the first step allows you to narrow your search to a specific group or classification of biomass sample types. The next step allows you to pick from all the samples that meet the classifications selected. If you just want the numbers, highlight the biomass sample type and the property type and highlight "No" on all the other options. For specific notes on the sample, choose "Display Biomass Sample Notes." For a brief description on the source of the biomass sample analyzed, you may want to try "Display Biomass Source Information." If you'd like to know where the information came from, choose "Display Data References."