Chapter 07 · Materials & footprintsCircular Economy & Materials
Biomass
Definition
Material of biological origin. Definitions vary by context: EU renewable energy law defines it as the biodegradable fraction of products, waste and residues from agriculture, forestry, fisheries and biologically-derived waste; the IEA describes it as material produced directly or indirectly by photosynthesis, converted to solid, liquid or gaseous fuels; in ecology, it denotes the mass of living and dead organic matter above and below ground.
References
Multiple authoritative definitions (RED II, IEA, FAO, EEA); feedstock examples; carbon-neutrality convention and sustainability concerns.
Overview
What it means
Biomass is the raw material base of both the bioenergy system and the bioeconomy: wood and pellets, energy crops, agricultural and forestry residues, animal waste, sewage sludge, algae and the organic fraction of municipal waste.
Its use as fuel is conventionally treated as carbon-neutral in energy accounting because the carbon was absorbed from the atmosphere during growth — a convention whose validity depends entirely on sourcing and regrowth.
How it is used
As feedstock for heat, power, biofuels and biogas; as a material input (biochemicals, bio-based polymers); and as a sustainability flashpoint — land-use change, food competition, biodiversity and carbon-payback timing are all contested. Sustainability criteria in instruments such as the EU Renewable Energy Directive govern eligible sourcing.
Why it matters
Biomass sits at the intersection of energy, land and materials policy: how it is defined and governed determines whether bio-based substitution relieves or intensifies pressure on ecosystems.
Definitions and controversy
No single definition spans energy law, industry and ecology; the carbon-neutrality assumption is contested (see biogenic emissions).