Bioenergy – Chances and Limits

This paper gives an overview of the current state, recent developments and future prospects of bioenergy use in Central Europe with a special focus on the European Union's targets in the field of renewable energy sources. Currently, the share of biomass and wastes in the total gross inland energy consumption ranges from 2.4% in Italy to 14.2% in Denmark (2007). Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the share of renewable energy sources as well as EU directives and according promotion schemes have led to notable progress in the use of biomass in some Central European countries. Especially in the field of biofuels for transport and electricity generation, high growth rates could be observed in recent years. There are considerable unused biomass resource potentials in some Central European countries. However, if serious efforts are put in fulfilling EU- and national energy policy targets, the biomass potentials in Central Europe need to be tapped to a large exten...

Energy, Sustainability and Society, 2011

In 2009 the German funding programme for "Promoting Projects to Optimise the Use of Biomass for Energy Production" ("Biomass for Energy") has started and fostered a wide range of projects to combine sustainable energy supply and climatic protection. Certain projects are described to give an idea of the wide range of projects and the different aspects of sustainability which are addressed. Additionally a first product for the planned quality assurance of the results via a dedicated method handbook is given.

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2012

Introduction In the last years, the use of biomass for energy purposes has been seen as a promising option to reduce the use of nonrenewable energy sources and the emissions of fossil carbon. However, LCA studies have shown that the energetic use of biomass also causes impacts on climate change and, furthermore, that different environmental issues arise, such as land use and agricultural emissions. While biomass is renewable, it is not an unlimited resource. Its use, to whatever purpose, must therefore be well studied to promote the most efficient option with the least environmental impacts. The 47th LCA Discussion Forum gathered several national and international speakers who provided a broad and qualified view on the topic. Summary of the topics presented in DF 47 Several aspects of energetic biomass use from a range of projects financed by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) were presented in this Discussion Forum. The first session focused on important aspects of the agricultural biogas production like the use of high energy crops or catch crops as well as the influence of plant size on the environmental performance of biogas. In the second session, other possibilities of biomass treatment like direct combustion, composting, and incineration with municipal waste were presented. Topic of the first afternoon session was the update and harmonization of biomass inventories and the resulting new assessment of biofuels. The short presentations investigated some further aspects of the LCA of bioenergy like the assessment of spatial variation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from bioenergy production in a country, the importance of indirect land use change emissions on the overall results, the assessment of alternative technologies to direct spreading of digestate or the updates of the car operation datasets in ecoinvent. Conclusions One main outcome of this Discussion Forum is that bioenergy is not environmentally friendly per se. In many cases, energetic use of biomass allows a reduction of GHG and fossil energy use. However, there is often a tradeoff with other environmental impacts linked to agricultural production like eutrophication or ecotoxicity. Methodological challenges still exist, like the assessment of direct and indirect land use change emissions and their attribution to the bioenergy production, or the influence of heavy metal flows on the bioenergy assessment. Another challenge is the implementation of a life cycle approach in certification or legislation schemes, as shown by the example of the Renewable Energy Directive of the European Union.

Biotechnology for Biofuels, 2012

This paper reviews recent literature on bioenergy potentials in conjunction with available biomass conversion technologies. The geographical scope is the European Union, which has set a course for long term development of its energy supply from the current dependence on fossil resources to a dominance of renewable resources. A cornerstone in European energy policies and strategies is biomass and bioenergy. The annual demand for biomass for energy is estimated to increase from the current level of 5.7 EJ to 10.0 EJ in 2020. Assessments of bioenergy potentials vary substantially due to methodological inconsistency and assumptions applied by individual authors. Forest biomass, agricultural residues and energy crops constitute the three major sources of biomass for energy, with the latter probably developing into the most important source over the 21 st century. Land use and the changes thereof is a key issue in sustainable bioenergy production as land availability is an ultimately limiting factor.

The Biochemist, 2011

Traditionally, biomass such as wood has been used for cooking and heating purposes. The oil crises of the 1970s, however, prompted interest in biomass to produce liquid biofuels and replace fossilbased transport fuels. Subsequent falls in oil prices evaporated much of the incentive and stalled the momentum to expand biofuel production in most countries, but recent years have seen a resurgence of interest, this time prompted by energy supply security, oil price volatility and the new driver: climate change mitigation. As a result, biofuel programmes have proliferated around the world, driven by mandates, targets and subsidies, whilst investment in the development of advanced biofuel technologies has racked up. And, as before, biofuels as an alternative to fossil-based transport fuel, gaseous or liquid, has been emphasized. The 2003 EU Biofuels Directive, for example, targets a 5.75% share of biofuels in transport energy by 2010 and 10% by 2020. However, biofuels can also be used to e...

Ecological Engineering, 2000

As a result of growing visible damage to the environment connected with the use of fossil fuels, biomass is increasingly becoming a topic in energy economical and political discussions. Also, the limitation of fossil fuels and the associated dependency on international energy markets make a change of view to the direction of an energy supply based on biomass increasingly necessary. Solid biomass from agriculture and forestry that is not used in industrial production, such as food production, as well as non-contaminated or even contaminated solid biogenic waste-products and residue that have to be reused after the new commercial and industrial waste management act, is suitable for energy production to cover the existing heat and power consumption of single projects, like swimming pools, schools, or even for municipalities. Against this background an analysis will be made of the technical possibilities of the application, ecological aspects, existing potential of biomass, and the economic viability of energy supply based on biomass, especially on wood.

Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2010

Energies

One of the bases of the European policy and energy strategy is the biomass and bioenergy obtained from it. It is estimated that by 2023, the annual demand for biomass will have increased from the current level of 7 EJ to 10 EJ. There are significant differences between estimates of the bioenergy potential due to the fact that the authors of publications do not use consistent methodology and assumptions. Forest biomass, agricultural residues, and energy crops are the three main sources of biomass for energy production. Energy crops are likely to become the most important source of biomass. Land use and its changes are a key issue in the sustainable production of bioenergy as the availability of biomass determines its potential for energy security. This article is a review of the latest publications on the bioenergy potential of the member-states of the European Union. The consumption of energy and its potential were presented, with a special focus on renewable sources, especially bio...

A holistic approach for the optimum exploitation of biomass resources for food, energy and other products will provide the key for a sustainable bio-based future in EU. The small and medium scale applications are expected to play a crucial role in this direction in the future, due to their flexibility and adaptability to the regional and local conditions. The increasing biomass demand and socioenvironmental concerns for bioenergy applications require the development of a framework of "Best Practices" for any new application entering the system, in order to ensure its techno-economic feasibility and socio-environmental sustainability. In the present work such a framework will be developed and presented, and it will be specified for the two-step fermentative biohydrogen generation technology. Under this point of view, a "Best Practice" guide is developed for each of the 4 previously selected, most suitable for the examined technology feedstocks, i.e. sugar beet, potato steam peels, barley straw and wheat bran. An outline with main points referring to both sugar beet and barley straw is presented in this work.

Forest Ecology and Management, 1997

Biomass fuels currently (1994) supply around 14% of the world's energy, but most of this is in the form of traditional fuelwood, residues and dung, which is often inefficient and can be environmentally detrimental. Biomass can supply heat and electricity, liquid and gaseous fuels. A number of developed countries derive a significant amount of their primary energy from biomass: USA 4%, Finland 18%, Sweden 16% and Austria 13%. Presently biomass energy supplies at least 2 EJ year−1 in Western Europe which is about 4% of primary energy (54 EJ). Estimates show a likely potential in Europe in 2050 of 9.0–13.5 EJ depending on land areas (10% of useable land, 33 Mha), yields (10–15 oven-dry tonnes (ODt) ha−1), and recoverable residues (25% of harvestable). This biomass contribution represents 17–30% of projected total energy requirements up to 2050. The relative contribution of biofuels in the future will depend on markets and incentives, on continuous research and development progress, and on environmental requirements. Land constraints are not considered significant because of the predicted surpluses in land and food, and the near balance in wood and wood products in Europe.There is considerable potential for the modernisation of biomass fuels to produce convenient energy carriers such as electricity, gases and transportation fuels, whilst continuing to provide for traditional uses of biomass; this modernisation of biomass and the industrial investment is already happening in many countries. When produced in an efficient and sustainable manner, biomass energy has numerous environmental and social benefits compared with fossil fuels. These include improved land management, job creation, use of surplus agricultural land in industrialised countries, provision of modern energy carriers to rural communities of developing countries, a reduction of CO2 levels, waste control, and nutrient recycling. Greater environmental and net energy benefits can be derived from perennial and woody energy cropping than from annual arable crops which are short-term alternative feedstocks for fuels. Agroforestry systems can play an important role in providing multiple benefits to growers and the community, besides energy. In order to ameliorate CO2 emissions, using biomass as a substitute for fossil fuels (complete replacement, co-firing, etc.) is more beneficial from social and economic perspectives than sequestering the carbon in forests.Case studies are presented for several developed countries and the constraints involved in modernising biomass energy along with the potential for turning them into entrepreneurial opportunities are discussed. It is concluded that the long term impacts of biomass programmes and projects depend mainly on ensuring income generation, environmental sustainability, flexibility and replicability, while taking account of local conditions and providing multiple benefits, which is an important attribute of agroforestry-type systems. Biomass for energy must be environmentally acceptable in order to ensure its widespread adoptions as a modern energy source. Implementation of biomass projects requires governmental policy initiatives that will internalise the external economic, social and environmental costs of conventional fuel sources so that biomass fuels can become competitive on a ‘level playing field’.

2015

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 1993

Biomass can be grown to act as a carbon (C) store, or as a direct substitute for fossil fuels (with no net contribution to atmospheric CO 2 if produced and used sustainably).

WIREs Climate Change, 2011

Bioenergy can come to play a significant role in the global energy system and perhaps account for one fifth of global energy supply in 50 years in response to ambitions to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. But bioenergy is complicated. There are both traditional and modern forms. In this article, I will exclusively look at modern forms, i.e., biomass for electricity, transport and heat, and process heat (not traditional forms used for cooking in developing countries). Furthermore, there are both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ kinds, expensive and inexpensive technologies, bioenergy systems that lead to massive carbon dioxide emissions and systems that are carbon neutral, and even ones that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while delivering energy. There is concern that certain bioenergy forms will, in response to increasing carbon prices, become so attractive that food prices increase significantly, that poor people are evicted from their lands, and that rainforest and other sensitive ecos...

2005

This paper deals with the operating context for renewable energy in Austria, presenting the main trends and developments in the past and present use of biomass. Due to its significance for agricultural markets, particular emphasis is placed on biofuels. The paper ends with a description of the support measures underpinning the use of renewable energy sources.

2006

The aim of this publication is to give a comprehensive overview of the opportunities for and barriers to bioenergy development in Europe. The study carried out within the Bioenergy Network of Excellence “Overcoming Barriers to Bioenergy” (Bioenergy NoE) covers EU policy issues and their implementation in Europe, biomass availability and technology development aspects, and RTD goals to overcome the barriers to bioenergy development. Important European targets have been set for 2010, such as the White Paper targets of doubling the share of renewables to 12%, and tripling the use of biomass to 135 Mtoe (5.7 EJ) compared to 1997, the RES-E Directive target of a 21% share of green electricity, and the Biofuels Directive target of 5.75% of transport fuels to be supplied with biofuels. Recently, a Biomass Action Plan was launched. Further, a biofuels target of 20% substitution by 2020 has been proposed, and the maximum of 35% for the share of MSW to be landfilled has been set for the year ...