Biomass As A Sustainable Energy Source

A method of accelerating the generation of a consumable energy from a biomass, the method comprising:

• decomposing a biomass to produce an gaseous effluent including methane;
• decomposing a portion of the gaseous effluent in the presence of catalysts to form a decomposed stream including hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide;
• converting substantially all of the carbon monoxide in the decomposed stream to carbon dioxide to produce a feed stream including hydrogen and carbon dioxide;
• mixing the feed stream with the biomass to facilitate decomposition of the biomass;
• feeding a portion of the gaseous effluent to a power plant;
• and
• generating a consumable energy with a portion of the gaseous effluent.

A system for accelerating the generation of methane from a biomass, the system comprising:

• a bioreactor for decomposing a biomass to produce a gaseous effluent including methane;
• a catalytic reforming reactor for decomposing a portion of the gaseous effluent in the presence of catalysts to form a decomposed stream including hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide;
• a shift reactor for converting substantially all of the carbon monoxide in the decomposed stream to carbon dioxide to produce a feed stream including hydrogen and carbon dioxide;
• and
• a conduit from the shift reactor to the bioreactor for directing the feed stream to the bioreactor to facilitate decomposition of the biomass.