biomass

Noun

biomass (usually uncountable, plural biomasses)

1. (usually) The total mass of a living thing or a part thereof (such as a cell).
   • Since protein constitutes the majority of the biomass of a cell, building new protein is a major way that cells increase their size.2005, David A. Guertin, David M. Sabatini, “Cell Size Control”, in Encyclopedia of Life Sciences, volume IV, Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, →DOI, →ISBN
2. (usually) The total mass of all, or a specified category of, living things within a specific area, habitat, etc.
   • In the untouched Shangri-la-like Kingman Reef in the Line Islands in the central Pacific, sharks make up 75 per cent of the fish biomass.2012 August 2, Theo Tait, “Don’t Wear Yum-yum Yellow [review of Demon Fish: Travels through the Hidden World of Sharks (2012) by Juliet Eilperin]”, in London Review of Books, volume 34, number 15...
3. (usually) Organic matter derived from living things that were recently alive (especially vegetation) used as a fuel or source of energy, especially if cultivated for that purpose; also, fuel produced from such organic matter; biofuel.
   • Advanced technologies such as gasifier/gas turbine systems for electric power generation and fuel cells for transportation make it possible for biomass to provide a substantial share of world energy in the decades ahead, at competitive costs.1994, Robert Williams, “Roles for Biomass Energy in Sustainable Development”, in R[obert Harry] Socolow, C. Andrews, F. Berkhout, V. Thomas, editors, Industrial Ecology and Global Change, Cambridge...
   • Among the key contracts she works on is the supply of coal and biomass to Drax power station and extensive rail operations for British Steel.2020 April 22, Paul Stephen, “COVID-19: Meet the Railway Heroes”, in Rail, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 41