Renewable energies: the return of biomass

For thousands of years biomass (organic matter) was the primary source of energy. Since the industrial revolution, the combustion of fossil fuels, accounting for 87% of today’s global energy package, has replaced biomass as the primary source. Yet issues surrounding energy and food production and sustainable development engender new perspectives on the production of bio-fuels, especially from by-products of agro-industry and forestry.