Sustainable Feedstocks for Biofuels Production in Europe
EU Supported Research, Development and Demonstration activities and Related Studies
The Energy Crop Premium (Common Agricutlural Policy reform)
Sustainable Feedstocks for Biofuel Production
Agricultural residues
Derived from field activities after harvesting the main product such as straw,
prunings, corn stover, etc. as well as animal manure.
Forest biomass
a) Residues from harvest operations that are left in the forest
after stem wood removal, such as branches, foliage, roots, etc., and
b) Complementary fellings which describe the difference between the maximum sustainable harvest level and the actual harvest needed to satisfy round wood demand.
In northern Europe (e.g. Sweden, Finland) it has been demonstrated in long-term
experiments that the potential sustainable harvest level can be drastically
increased by means of fertilisation, which will increase the amount of biomass
available for bioenergy and round wood for the industry.
Energy crops
“Energy crops” may be defined as crops specifically
bred and cultivated:
- To produce biomass which, for specific traits to serve as an energy vector to release energy either by direct combustion or by conversion to other vectors such as biogas or liquid biofuels, or
- To be used in biorefinery concepts (to produce the 4F)
- Municipal solid waste - the component of municipal solid waste which is of biological origin (mainly kitchen and garden waste, paper and cardboard, but including the proportion of other waste fractions which are of biological origin.
- Construction/Demolition wood – wood offcuts from building construction and wood recovered during demolition
- Packaging waste wood - from the packaging and palettes industry (palettes, crates, etc)
- Household waste wood – items such as old furniture, fencing
- Market waste – such as green tops and unsold vegetables from markets
- Sewage sludge
- Food processing wastes – wastes from the dairy and sugar industry and wine and beer production. Waste streams with less volumes involved (e.g. orange rests from orange juice production) can also be of interest.
- Gardening wastes – grass cuttings, leaves and small branches
Availability Assessments and Mapping of Biomass
Three FP7 projects are (among others) currently addressing the availability, mapping and valorisation of biomass resources across Europe:
AquaTerrE - Integrated European Network for biomass and waste reutilisation for Bioproducts aims to promote the cooperation between research centres, business and other stakeholders in Europe devoted to the research, development and application of biomass and biofuel production and valorisation. The main goal of AquaTerrE is to make an inventory of existing biomass feedstocks in Europe and quantify the potential and identify of the best ones. In addition, to study the best possibilities for implementing different biomass sources in different environments to improve their utilisation. Pursuing this target, literature and data survey and current research review will be carried out. AquaTerrE will also mapo European biomass feedstocks using different tools, such as Geographical Information Systems (GIS).
BEE - Biomass Energy Europe (FP7 - 213417) aims to harmonise biomass resource assessments, focusing on the availability of biomass for energy in Europe and its neighbouring regions. This harmonisation will improve the consistency, accuracy and reliability of biomass assessments, which can serve the planning of a transition to renewable energy in the European Union.
Biomass Futures (IEE) The Biomass Futures Project will assess the role that biomass can play in meeting EU energy policy targets. It will develop tailored information packages for stakeholders, as well as inform and support policy makers at both the European and national levels. The project will define the key factors likely to influence biomass supply, demand and uptake over the next twenty years (meeting the RED targets). Among other factors, partners will examine the EU heat, electricity-CHP and transport markets; supply and demand dynamics; the effects of indirect land use change, water use and social aspects on future biomass supply, etc.
CEUBIOM - Classification of European Biomass Potential for Using Terrestrial and Earth Observations (FP7 - 213634) aims to develop a common methodology for gathering information on biomass potential using terrestrial and earth observations. This objective will be achieved by the implementation of a systematic assessment work plan and will result in the establishment of a harmonised approach and an e-training tool for dissemination. The e-training environment will be an important tool for reaching the much needed European harmonisation, whereas a Stakeholder Platform will facilitate access to reliable and common datasets on biomass potential and as such it will offer a more efficient use of the available European biomass feedstock.
Previously, several studies have been conducted at European and global level in order to assess the potentials of different biomass resources for production of bifouels. The respective results present a wide variety of estimates based on various assumptions and hypotheses. Conservative results on total biomass potential come from the EEA study: How much bioenergy can Europe produce without harming the environment? It estimates a total bioenergy potential from agriculture, forestry and waste of almost 300 MtOE in 2030. Of this 142 MTOE will come from agriculture only which is obtained from 19 million hectares of agricultural land. This is equivalent to 12 % of the utilised agricultural area in 2030.
The potential study of VIEWLS (2004) comes with a much higher estimate of 35-44 million hectares of land available for biomass production only in EU-10. VIEWLS does however not take environmental considerations as a stating point. Shift gear to Biofuels - Results and Reccomendations from the VIEWLS Project
In 2007, REFUEL and IIASA
Land Use Change and Agriculture Programme produced the report: Assessment
of biomass potentials for biofuel
feedstock production in Europe.
More recently the JRC Action on Sustainability of Bioenergy has been initiated to look at availability and sustainability of bioenergy feedstocks in Europe and other countries (e.g. the tropics).
The JEC Biofuels Programme (JRC, EUCAR, CONCAWE) also covers availability of biofuels feedstocks. Further activities on availability and sustainability of biofuels are covered by the JRC Biofuels Thematic Programme.
The BeCoTeps project is also addressing availability and sustainability of biomass for a range of non-food uses, through a series of workshops and associated activities.
Other EU Supported Research, Development and Demonstration activities and Related Studies
ENFA European Non-Food Agriculture (FP6 – 006581)
Website
Further information
This
project will establish a dynamic agricultural and forest sector model for
the integrated economic and environmental assessment of non-food alternatives
in European agriculture and forestry. This tool will be used to analyze market
and environmental impacts from the adoption of non-food strategies. Market
impacts include supply potentials for agricultural non-food product lines
under alternative policy and technology scenarios, supply, price, and trade
effects for traditional agricultural and forestry products, and measures
of rural community change such as changes in farm welfare, labor demand,
and land values.
EPOBIO - Realising the economic potential of sustainable
resources - bioproducts from non-food crops (FP6 – 022681) Website Further
information
This project
is carrying out an integrated analysis of the European agricultural industrial
and market potential requires in terms of technical and non-technical barriers
facing non-food applications so that further RTD effort can be is focused
on those areas with a high possibility of success. It reviews scientific
and technical challenges in the context of societal expectations and economic,
environmental legislative and regulatory parameters. It will result in recommendations
of key activities (Flagship Programmes) that are most likely to result in
development of products/ applications that can be developed from agriculture
and forestry and provide tangible societal benefit by 2020. One of the first
Flagship Reports includes an analysis of plant cell wall utilisation.
BIOCARD - Global Process To Improve Cynara cardunculus
Exploitation for Energy Applications. (FP6 - 19829 )
Further information
The
proposal aims at demonstrating technical and economical feasibility of
a global process for cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.) exploitation for energy
applications. This energy crop is appropriated for Mediterranean Area,
where high problems about water insufficient exist. A combined process
to produce a low-cost liquid biofuel from seeds and energy from lignocellulosic
biomass is proposed. Different technologies for biomass energy conversion
will be researched and compared in order to increase competitiveness and
improve the costs. New heterogeneous catalysis for liquid biofuel production
will be tested.
CROPGEN - Renewable energy from crops and agrowastes (FP6 - 502824)
Website Further
information
The overall objective of this project is to produce from
biomass a sustainable fuel source that can be integrated into the existing
energy infrastructure in the medium term, and in the longer term will also
provide a safe and economical means of supplying the needs of a developing
hydrogen fuel economy. The concept is based on the use of anaerobic digestion
(AD) as a means of producing methane from biomass, including energy crops
and agricultural residues. The technology of biochemical methane generation
is well established: the breakthrough to a cost-effective and competitive
energy supply will come from engineering and technical improvements to increase
conversion efficiencies, and from reductions in the cost of biomass. The
research will determine how the technology can best be applied to provide
a versatile, low-cost, carbon-neutral biofuel in an environmentally sound
and sustainable agricultural framework.
European Energy Crops Processing and Utilisation in
Europe (FAIR-CT95-0512)
Further information
The objective of this concerted action was to to improve the access
to existing information on the production, processing and utilisation of
energy crops as well as to enhance the integration of research, development
and implementation activities on energy crops.
SWEETFUEL - Sweet sorghum: an alternative energy crop (FP7 - 227422)
Sweet sorghum, as a source of either fermentable free sugars or lignocellulosics, has many potential advantages, including: high water, nitrogen and radiation use efficiency; broad agro-ecological adaptation; rich genetic diversity for useful traits; and the potential to produce fuel feedstock, food and feed in various combinations. Fuel-food crops can thereby help reconciling energy and food security issues. This project will breed for improved cultivars and hybrids of sorghum for temperate, tropical semi-arid and tropical acid-soil environments by pyramiding in various combinations, depending on region and ideotype, tolerance to cold, drought and acid (Al-toxic) soils; and high production of stalk sugars, easily digestible biomass and grain. SweetFuel aims also to identify and recommend the best cultural and harvest practices to make the system more sustainable and to provide for integrated technology and impact assessments including economics, dissemination and coordination. Research involves structured participation of stake holders, including policy makers. Project outcomes will be new germplasm, sustainable practices and commodity chain concepts adapted to each target region. (Source: EPSO)
SORGHUM: Environmental studies on sweet and fibre sorghum
sustainable crops for biomass and energy (FAIR-CT96-1913)
Further information
The general objective of this project
was to study the environmental impacts of sweet and fibre sorghum within
real cropping systems with particular reference to nitrogen balance. The
aim was to provide information that was lacking in order to introduce these
crops in crop rotations and establish the environmental impact under field
conditions on existing cropping systems.
Sweet Sorghum, A Sustainable Crop for Energy Production
in Europe (AIR1-CT92-0041)
Further information
This project aimed to optimize the production of this crop in various pedoclimatic
situations from north to south Europe using previous data and reliable references
in order to propose a model for agro-industry systems (technical, economic
and environmental) in different European scenarios as well as solve or reduce
the limitations of this crop identified in previous studies.
Energy crop premium (abolished in 2009)
In September 2006 the European Commission proposed to extend the energy crop premium introduced by the 2003 Common Agricultural Policy reform to the eight Member States which currently did not benefit from it. In a further push to encourage the production of feedstocks for renewable energy production, the Commission also proposed allowing the Member States to grant national aid of up to 50 percent of the costs of establishing multi-annual crops on areas on which an application for the energy crop aid has been made. In the interests of simplifying the management of the CAP, the Commission also proposed to allow eight Member States which joined the EU in 2004 to continue operating the Single Area Payment Scheme for a further two years until 2010. The countries affected were Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. However, in 2009 it was announced that the energy crop premium would be abolished, along with mandatory set aside.