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=//**About us** //=   BioFoilum© is a company dedicated to biomass. It was started and located in the beautiful suburban area of King of Prussia. BioFolium© is made up of 5 outstanding workers; Molly Cooke, Margaret Shih, Daniel Jacobs, Jessica Melck, and Eric Palmer. "Folium" is the Latin for leaf, and "bios" is Latin for life. So BioFolium© means Life Leaf.  

**Biomass? What's that?**
Biomass is the energy that is obtained by the burning or fermentation of organic material such as plants and animal waste. Biomass is a constantly renewable resource. This is because it comes from waste and other organic material such as plants. There will always be waste and the gases that come from biomass fuels like ethanol help new plants to grow.
 * Why is Biomass so Amazing? **

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=<span style="color: rgb(35,185,34); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">//**Sponsors**// = BioFolium supports the [|Upper Merion School District] and the local Milky Way Farm and Creamery. **Why is Biomass Good for UM?** Since biomass relies on waste, it is very good for places with a high population like Upper Merion. It also uses waste and unbought plants from local farms so it is a great way to support local agriculture.

**Be Informed About Your Town's New Energy Source!** Biomass is made from corn and trees. However, it replenishes itself so you will never run out of energy! Biomass is eco friendly because it doesn't pollute like greenhouse gases. Biomass also supports local agriculture because whatever you don't use, we do! Biomass disposes of waste; it doesn't store it.

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=//<span style="font-size: 130%; color: rgb(66,174,88); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">FAQ //=

**How was Biomass Used in the Past?** Burning wood is an example of biomass. //**It's so easy a caveman could do it!**// Along with the sun biomass is an original heat source.

**How Do We Use Biomass?** We still sit by our fireplaces to keep warm on those cold, cold nights.

**How Will We Use Biomass?** We will still use biomass for heat, but we will also use ethanol (a fuel made from corn) and biodiesel (made from soybeans) to power our cars, and use the steam from burning to turn turbines, create electricity, and hence power our town from more advanced technology, like making plastic.

**But... Biomass Energy Doesn't Just Appear, Right?** Right! A source of biomass is wood, of course. However, many people don't know that municipal solid waste (MSW) and landfill gases are also used (methane gas or biogas).

**Pros and Cons of Biomass** Biomass, as we have said before, is consistently renewable. However, it is probably the stinkiest form of alternative energy. Building a facility to both house the smell and perform the chemical changes needed for energy is the most costly requirement. We propose using money that would otherwise be being used to pay for storing waste. Another disadvantage is that only certain cars can run on more than 10% of fuel like ethanol combined with regular gasoline. We have researchers looking for ways to build cars that can run more reliably on biomass fuels. When the fuel is used, carbon dioxide or CO2, a harmful gas is released into the atmosphpere, but it is reabsorbed by plants that can be used to create more fuel. (See the Carbon Cycle diagram below). This makes biomass even more renewable.

We would like to thank the following websites for providing us with our outside images: http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/images/BIOMASSTYPES1.gif http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/images/carboncycle2.gif http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/images/wintersolstice/yulelog-fire_lg.jpg http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Open%20Spaces/forest.jpg http://www.milkywayfarm.com/images/Farm%20View%20from%20Hill.jpg All other images were created by BioFolium employees.
 * Citations**

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