Working Group 1. Biomass availability and supply

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1 Working Group 1. Biomass availability and supply Background There is a considerable difference in the structure of the area dependent sector in Europe and consequently also in the base for biomass production. Managed forests dominate the landscape in the north and arable land in other parts. Several studies have been conducted at European and global level in order to assess the potentials of different biomass resources. The respective results present a wide variety of estimates based on the assumptions and hypotheses that underline them. Conservative results on the 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 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 The potential study of VIEWLS (2004) comes with a much higher estimate of million hectares of land available for biomass production only in EU-10. VIEWLS does however not take environmental considerations as a stating point. The same applies to the potential study of Yamamoto (2001) who comes to an estimate of 30 million hectares available for biomass cropping. Two other studies which do incorporate environmental considerations Thrän et al. (2006) and WBGU (2004) show land potentials of 22 and 29 million hectares respectively. Working Group 1 worked on a number of biomass feedstocks which can be categorised as follows: Agricultural residues deriving from field activities after harvesting the main product such as straw, prunings, 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) Biowaste streams Based on the categorisation used in the below-mentioned EEA Report 7/2006): 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. According to some studies in the Netherlands and Finland, the amount of renewal part of the MSW is about 60%. This means that for example 60% of biodiesel from MSW is renewable. 10/01/06 1/6

2 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 interesting (but were not considered in the EEA study). Gardening wastes grass cuttings, leaves and small branches The research question addressed in Working Group 1 is: How much resources we have available today and how we can increase them through research, pilot and demonstration actions? The main goal of the below described research priorities is to create favourable conditions in order to expand the feedstock potentials: i) in terms of optimising production systems (yields, system efficiency, etc.) and broaden the feedstock types ii) by making better use of existing bio-based resources through increasing their added value for fuel and products taking into account both demand and supply issues. Challenges The main challenges that the biomass supply sector is facing are: Supply diverse markets & consumer needs (bio-cascading solutions). Expand feedstock supplies incl. sustainable trade. Meet the quality requirements of the processes through improved certification. Maximize yield per unit area while minimizing negative environmental impacts. (harvesting window) The group conducted a SWOT analysis for the availability and supply of biomass. Some of the main points of which are described below: Strengths There is a highly competent RTD background in EU27 comprising both of human resources and the respective research infrastructures, methodologies and tools. Good partnerships within and outside EU borders exist and provide the basis for future research work, transfer of knowledge and technology, exchange of scientists, etc. (EU- USA, EU- LA, EU- China, etc.) The required critical mass is there and string collaborations exist in the research and industrial level. Demand is getting stronger for secure and sustainable biomass supply. Weaknesses There is a complex matrix of feedstocks with different characteristics & logistic/ handling requirements. Seasonality (harvest window). Biomass availability is hindered by short harvest window (harvest window is not critical, if storage of biomass is possible, which is the case for most systems). Therefore appropriate strategies should be created to avoid disruption in the supply. Large volume handling/ logistics is required to develop industrial scale of biofuels. So far the feedstock management systems are designed to meet small- medium scale requirements. An upgrade is considered essential. Opportunities Favourable political floor The Biofuels Directive (2003/30/EC) 10/01/06 2/6

3 The Biomass Action Plan (COM(2005) 628) A Strategy for Biofuels >> (COM(2006) 34) KB PDF Priority is given to biofuels research in the Seventh RTD Framework Programme (FP7) High oil prices enhance the competitive position of biomass and biofuels in the market. There is an increasing industrial interest in the field with substantial investment going on. Threats Time: Science Development / Implementation needs to speed up Myths: biotechnology & GM products Sustainability: environmental impacts Links: interfaces to target multi-functionality (food, fibre, fuel, feed) Difficulties to overcome Concerning biomass availability and supply the key issues affecting future development are land availability, climate change and agricultural lifestyle. The main challenge will be to reach max efficiency on all steps of the value added chain. Land availability and quality will define the amount and type of feedstocks produced in EU over the coming years. It has been acknowledged in recent studies (EEA- 2006, WWF- 2006) that increased bioenergy demand can affect both extensive farm areas and grasslands due to potential shifts from existing food and feed production to bioenergy, particularly to lignocellulosic crops. A moderate estimate by the EEA study states that the available land (arable, grassland and olive groves) which could be used for dedicated bioenergy production will increase from 14.7 million ha in 2010 to 25.1 million ha in 2030 (EEA, 2006). The use of low fertility, marginal land has also been modelled in a number of recent studies, indicating a substantial future potential. However, production in marginal lands has to meet both economic and sustainable criteria in order to become competitive. Therefore the development of new innovative concepts to explore these issues is highly recommended. Climate change is likely to have a significant impact on both the availability of biomass as well as on feedstock types produced and their regional distribution. For central and northern Europe, an extension of the growing season in spring and autumn is expected, coupled with higher temperatures during the growing period (EEA, 2004). This appears to enhance the productivity for both bioenergy crops and forests in these regions. On the other hand, in southern Europe, an increased risk of drought could lead to productivity losses and increase the risk of forest fires (EEA, 2006). Extreme weather conditions can significantly influence the supply of biomass feedstocks therefore a variety of biomass feedstocks should be supported to secure the viability of biomass conversion plants. Establishing infrastructure to allow mobilising the biomass (ownership issues, (small farms). Various scenarios and strategies should be developed for small and large scale biofuels concepts, as well as for forest, agro and waste based raw materials Improve the efficiency of agricultural lifestyle, () finding new development pathways that lead to optimised sustainable production will also be a key issue to securing the supply of biomass feedstocks. This includes aspects of optimised water management, cropping strategies, cooperation, etc. Difficulties encountered for reaching the objectives. Technical challenges Biomass cost- supply curves as function of the entire supply system (incl. pretreatment and storage), time and prices ( /MWh, /GJ) at national level. Maximise yield and crop resistance to biotic and abiotic factors (pests, diseases, water scarcity, rising temperatures, etc.). 10/01/06 3/6

4 Develop innovative cropping systems to allow efficient, bulk material production for food, feed, fibre and fuel (4F agricultural systems). Exploit marginal land options. Overall strategic issues Link biomass production as an adaptation strategy to climate change by tackling key issues such as water management, rising temperatures, soil erosion, etc. Sustainable land strategies should be created covering the above factors along with being compatible with the climatic, environmental and socio-economic profiles in each region. Biomass trade flows are a rapidly increasing reality and as such they should be highly considered under a sustainable framework of both production practices and product quality standards. R&D priorities Future biomass feedstocks should meet a full range of sustainability criteria irrespective to being indigenous or imported: GHG balance Land use competition Compliance with environmental targets for water, soil quality, biodiversity, agroemissions, etc. The main R&D priorities for WG1 have been categorised in order to cover the spectrum or existing and future feedstock as well as the different issues affecting availability and supply. Resource assessment Resource assessment forecasts in relation to spatial distribution, availability factors and climate. Develop biomass cost- supply curves in relation to availability factors, costs and life cycle analysis. Additional wood biomass availability under 15, 20 and 25 /MWh at national level. Additional biomass availability (wood residues, agro-biomass, peat, etc.) Feedstock production Develop plant/ tree varieties by innovative plant breeding approaches and optimise management practices to meet conversion requirements (integrated solutions for fibre and energy). New biomass production system concepts on arable and forest land to optimise yielding potentials under sustainable management practices. Improve knowledge of breeding tools and apply existing biochemistry techniques to relevant species. Harvesting/ Collection/ Storage- Pre-treatment Develop harvesting and collection systems (new equipment, new chains) to maximise supply by minimizing costs per unit. Develop feedstock quality and monitoring systems both for wet and for dry storage. Transport systems Biomass feedstock properties Develop feedstock quality data. Safety and standardisation issues covering the full supply chain. 10/01/06 4/6

5 System analysis System analysis on the supply and demand of biomass feedstocks and the impacts of policy and legislative mechanisms (national, EU27, global level). The above can be further analysed to short, medium and long term research priorities as follows: 1. Improvement and optimisation of technologies already commercial (Short Term) Coordination-Support Actions: Develop integrated approaches for regional forecasts by combining top- down and bottom- up approaches, including externalities (potential reductions in GHG emissions, land use changes imports, interactions of different markets, policies, etc.). Coordination-Support Actions: Identify and benchmark supply system tools taking into account various land use and market interdependencies, transport, international trade, etc. RTD: Optimise production and management practices and associated equipment to meet conversion requirements (integrated solutions for energy and products). Feedstock coverage should be broad (including agriculture and forestry options). Field and lab experiments are foreseen. RTD: Develop feedstock quality data (biochemical, physical and chemical) both for dry and wet biomass in relation to diverse end use options and post harvest operations such as size reduction, densification, blending, etc. Demonstration of a portfolio of systems, based on Best Available Technologies (BAT), (subject to regional ecology and climate) with high potential for feedstock supply including benchmarking of agro-biomass and forestry chains. 2. Innovative technologies needed for achieving the Vision: R&D priorities (Medium Term -2020) RTD. Plant Breeding: The overall goal is efficiency (minimal input / maximal output), yield stability in different environments and adopted energy plant rotation systems. RTD Demo. New & innovative cropping systems: The aim is to increase land use options thus minimising the negative impacts from climate change and current intensive land use systems. Double cropping and multifunctional land use. Innovative concepts exploring issues such as marginal land exploitation potentials, low input systems (water, chemicals, etc.) Forest management systems optimised for simultaneous production of biomass for bioenergy and round wood for traditional forest industry. RTD Optimise production & management practices (low input, etc.). Feedstocks coverage should be broad (forestry, agriculture and wastes; dedicated crops as miscanthus, cardoon, giant reed, switchgrass and SRC, etc.). RTD Demo. Biomass supply systems (incl. residual and waste feedstocks) covering the issues of biomass production, harvesting/ collection/ sorting and logistics to meet the conversion requirements. 3. Longer-term research for preparing future breakthroughs (Long Term- 2030) Coordination-Support Actions: Define & evaluate the synergies/ conflicts of bioenergy production and environmental protection management. RTD Demo. Develop plant/ tree varieties (breeding and physiology) and optimise management practices. Research efforts should cover both conventional and new crops (from cereals, to non- food crops like grasses, SRC, annual species as well as new species) and include EU collaboration with other regions (e.g. USA; Latin, America; etc.). Field and lab experiments are foreseen. 10/01/06 5/6

6 Tools General conditions required for reaching the stated goals (large R&D tools or facilities, European and international cooperation, links with other platforms, education and communication) Knowledge transfer (farmers, policy officers, politicians) Communication platforms (supply and demand side, different policy sectors, ie. Agriculture, environment, energy, etc) Better Networking (whole value chain approaches) Demonstration of the whole value chain (portfolio of systems based on sector/ regional specificities, benchmarking forestry- agriculture solutions) 10/01/06 6/6