{"id":117469,"date":"2022-10-26T07:20:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T05:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=117469"},"modified":"2022-10-25T14:06:56","modified_gmt":"2022-10-25T12:06:56","slug":"biomass-availability-gap-looms-large-over-eus-green-bioeconomy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/biomass-availability-gap-looms-large-over-eus-green-bioeconomy\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Biomass availability gap\u2019 looms large over EU\u2019s green bioeconomy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Growing demand for biomass is putting pressure on industry to deliver sufficient quantities without destroying the environment, the European Commission has warned, pointing to a looming \u201cavailability gap\u201d which could be as big as 40-70% by 2050.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\""Studies
“Studies suggest that the gap between the potential demand for biomass and its sustainable supply can be as big as 40-70%” by 2050 depending on the scenarios, said to John Bell, director at the European Commission\u2019s research and innovation department.
[Shutterstock \/ nostal6ie]<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The bioeconomy \u2013 the use of biological resources from land and sea to produce food, materials or energy \u2013 is touted in Brussels as one of the solutions to shift society towards a low-carbon, circular economy that is less dependent on fossil fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A June report<\/a> by the EU executive shows Europe is on track to meet the objectives of its bioeconomy strategy, which was first launched in 2012, said Patrick Child, deputy director general at the Commission\u2019s research and innovation department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe bioeconomy is contributing to the European Green Deal objectives, and can contribute further\u2026in finding solutions to the current food security and energy crisis,\u201d he told a bioeconomy conference<\/a> organised by the Commission last week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the report also underlined the need for bio-based industries to respect ecological boundaries \u2013 the level at which more biomass production starts harming the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And as demand for biomass continues to grow, the potential for an increase in sustainable production is limited by ecological factors like the need to protect biodiversity and maintain Europe\u2019s carbon sinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVarious projections are informing us that demand for biomass is only going to be increasing, be it for bio-materials or bioenergy,\u201d said to John Bell, director at the European Commission\u2019s research and innovation department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStudies suggest that the gap between the potential demand for biomass and its sustainable supply can be as big as 40-70%\u201d by 2050 depending on the scenarios, he told EURACTIV in an interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Bell, there is only so much sustainable increase in biomass production that can be achieved through innovative agronomic and forestry techniques without exacerbating existing problems linked to intensive land management such as soil erosion, loss of biodiversity or nutrient pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a real issue that can only be addressed through a holistic approach,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cascading principle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since the availability of sustainable is biomass is limited, priorities need to be set for how to allocate scare supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experts suggest applying a \u2018cascading principle\u2019 where biomass is allocated to the most valuable uses at each stage and recycled for as long as possible until it is eventually burned for energy or disposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In line with the cascading principle, woody biomass should be used according to its highest economic and environmental added value in the following order: 1) wood-based products, 2) extending their service life, 3) re-use, 4) recycling, 5) bio-energy and 6) disposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Annica Bresky, CEO of Stora Enso, a Finnish manufacturer of pulp, paper and forest products, explained at the conference how applying the cascading principle can help enhance the biomass industrial value chain with no additional consumption of forest resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, she said Stora Enso is producing a material called lignin, a plant-derived polymer, which can be used to replace fossil graphite in electric car batteries and other everyday electronic devices. According to Bresky, if all the pulp and paper mills in the EU were to produce more of this material for batteries, the EU would no longer need to rely on imports from foreign countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are under huge pressure, and it breaks my heart really to see biomass going to energy usage or subsidies going to that region because that breaks all the cascading principles,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Bell, for his part, said the cascading principle means prioritising biomass for \u201clong-term material uses over energy uses wherever possible\u201d. And to ensure this, he says susbsidies for \u201cthe least efficient use of biomass\u201d \u2013 such as burning for electricity production \u2013 must be removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But more efficient usage can only go so far. In order to alleviate pressure on biomass, demand also needs to be reduced, the Commission believes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the progress report we found that technological solutions alone won\u2019t be sufficient to guarantee environmental integrity. Therefore, we also need to make consumption patterns more sustainable,\u201d Bell said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In particular, he said changes in dietary habits \u201cwould greatly help\u201d in the transition as this would free up large areas of land that are currently used for the production of animal feed. Instead, this land could be used for land restoration purposes, cultivation of industrial crops, or recreation purposes, Bell suggests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others are more radical. Luc Bas, from the European Environmental Agency (EEA), argues in favour of a drastic reduction in consumption to alleviate the pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you have to put all these trade-offs next to each other, and then make a choice, it is extremely difficult,\u201d Bas said in reference to the competing uses of biomass. \u201cBut the simple parts \u2013 the cascading principle, and the drastic reduction of absolute consumption \u2013 those are straightforward and there are tools to do it, the policy tools exist\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acting locally<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Translating the cascading principle into policy will be tricky, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In September, the European Parliament voted a resolution on the EU\u2019s revised Renewable Energy Directive, which underlines the need to align bioenergy policies with the cascading principle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The resolution stipulates that the European Commission shall adopt new detailed rules \u2013 an implementing act in EU jargon \u2013 on how to apply the cascading principle for forest biomass \u201cno later than one year\u201d after the directive comes into force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European manufacturers of plywood hailed the Parliament\u2019s vote<\/a>, and called for \u201climiting the burning of all woody biomass\u201d by \u201cending market distorting subsidies\u201d for bioenergy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Negotiations between EU institutions are still ongoing on the revised directive, with a political agreement expected before the end of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A key challenge for the Commission when drafting its new law will be to design rules that are sufficiently flexible to be adapted to local circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the Commission\u2019s bioeconomy conference, almost all experts concurred that there is no \u2018one size fits all\u2019 solution to tackle biomass sustainability issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catia Bastioli, the CEO of Italian biochemicals and bioplastics giant Novamont, insisted that bioeconomy policies must be rooted in the local economy, with industries, farmers and communities working together to put \u201cterritorial regeneration at the centre\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Bell agreed, saying the local dimension \u201cis the key\u201d to make it work. \u201cThis is why it\u2019s critical that people take ownership of the bioeconomy future they want for their territorial level,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Growing demand for biomass is putting pressure on industry to deliver sufficient quantities without destroying the environment, the European Commission has warned, pointing to a looming \u201cavailability gap\u201d which could be as big as 40-70% by 2050. The bioeconomy \u2013 the use of biological resources from land and sea to produce food, materials or energy \u2013 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"\"Studies suggest that the gap between the potential demand for biomass and its sustainable supply can be as big as 40-70%\" by 2050 depending on the scenarios, said to John Bell","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[5838,5842,6406],"supplier":[2317,2865,5585,509],"class_list":["post-117469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bio-based","tag-bioeconomy","tag-biomass","tag-environment","supplier-european-commission","supplier-european-environment-agency-eea","supplier-european-union","supplier-novamont"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117469\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117469"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=117469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}