Biomass is
organic matter derived from living, or recently living organisms. Biomass can be used as a source of energy and it most often refers to plants or plant-based materials which are not used for food or feed, and are specifically called
lignocellulosic biomass . As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly via combustion to produce heat, or indirectly after converting it to various forms of
biofuel. Conversion of biomass to biofuel can be achieved by different methods which are broadly classified into:
thermal,
chemical, and
biochemical methods.