QQ.1. Discuss how biomass differs from fossil fuels in terms of sustainability and carbon neutrality.
- Fossil fuels are non-renewable, depleting much faster than their geological formation rate.
- Biomass is renewable, replenishing within human timescales if managed sustainably.
- Fossil fuel combustion releases ancient, sequestered carbon, causing net CO₂ increase.
- Biomass combustion can be carbon neutral if CO₂ released equals CO₂ absorbed by new growth.
Answer: Biomass and fossil fuels represent fundamentally different energy sources, particularly concerning their sustainability and impact on the global carbon cycle. Biomass is organic matter, such as agricultural residues, dedicated energy crops, or forest waste, derived from recently living organisms. In contrast, fossil fuels like coal, petroleum, and natural gas are formed over millions of years from ancient organic material, trapping carbon from prehistoric atmospheric cycles. In terms of sustain...