Measuring biomass using a calorimeter

- Can estimate amount of chemical energy stored in biomass by burning the biomass in a calorimeter - The amount of heat given off tells you how much energy is in it - Energy measure in Joules (J) - A sample of dry biomass is burnt + energy released is used to heat a known vol. of water - The change in temp. of the water is used to calculate the chemical energy of the dry biomass