The biodegradable fraction of products, waste and residues from biological origin from agriculture, including vegetal and animal substances, from forestry and related industries, fisheries and aquaculture, as well as the biodegradable fraction of waste, including industrial and municipal waste of biological origin. (source: EU 2009)

EU, 2009c, Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and amending and subsequently repealing Directives 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/EC,OJ L 140/16, 05.06.2009.

Source category: EU Legislation

Biomass is organic, non-fossil material of biological origin that can be used for heat production or electricity generation. It includes: wood and wood waste; agricultural crops; biogas; municipal solid waste; biofuels.

Eurostat b, Glossary, accessed 14 October 2016

Source category: EC Technical Documents

Renewable energy from living (or recently living) plants and animals; e.g. wood chippings, crops and manure. Plants store energy from the sun while animals get their energy from the plants they eat.

IEA, International Energy Agency, Glossary of term, accessed 27/06/2018.

Source category: International Organisation

Organic material both above ground and below ground and both living and dead, e.g., trees, crops, grasses, tree litter, roots etc. Biomass includes the pool definition for above – and below –ground biomass.

FAO, 2007, Forests and Climate Change Working Paper. Definitional issues related to reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy.

Source category: International Organisation

All organic matter that derives from the photosynthetic conversion of solar energy.

EEA, European Environment Agency, Glossary, accessed 15 June 2018.

Source category: Agency Documents

Any organic matter that is available on a renewable or recurring basis, including agricultural crops and trees, wood and wood wastes and residues, plants (including aquatics plants), grasses, residues, fibers, and animal wastes, municipal wastes, and other waste materials.

USITC, 2008, Industrial Biotechnology: Development and Adoption by the U.S. Chemical and Biofuels Industry. United States Industry and Trade Commission, July 2008. http://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/pub4020.pdf

Source category: Agency Documents

Living systems and collection of organic substances produced by living systems that are exploitable as materials, including recent post-mortem residues.

Vert, M., Y. Doi, et al. (IUPAC Polymer Division) 2012, 'Terminology for biorelated polymers and applications (IUPAC Recommendations 2012)', Pure Applied Chemistry 84 (2), pp. 377-410.

Source category: Scientific & Technical Literature

Material of biological origin excluding material embedded in geological formations and/or fossilized. Examples: (whole or parts of) plants, trees, algae, marine organisms, micro-organisms, animals, etc.

EN 16575:2014, European Committee for Standardisation, Technical Committee 411 (CEN TC/411) , Bio-based products – Vocabulary , Mandate M/492, August 2014.

Source category: Standards