The draft Climate Accord relies heavily on biomass. Too heavily? In any case, it means that industry and the agricultural sector will have to work hard. The sectors are becoming increasingly interlinked. The suppliers can gear themselves up for a key role.<\/p>\n
The polder has been discussing reducing CO\u2082 for some nine months now. It won\u2019t work without biomass. The parties involved agree on this, whether they were at one of the climate tables or not. Nor will it work with just Dutch biomass. \u201cIf the climate proposals are to go ahead, then importing biomass is a certainty. If you don\u2019t want to, then you can simply give up on them,\u201d says Henk Wanningen of Dutch forestry authority Staatsbosbeheer. Nevertheless, supply and demand in the Netherlands must and can be matched better.<\/p>\n
Value of climate tables
\nHow useful were the climate tables? \u201cThey accelerate the plans,\u201d says Cas K\u00f6nig, Chairman of the Industrietafel Noord-Nederland. \u201cI initially railed against it all having to be done far too quickly; the entire process in six, seven months. Companies had to sit around the table each time to discuss ideas. In the meantime they also had factories to run. Nevertheless, the business community is seriously committed. I tried to reduce the intensity of meetings, but the enthusiasm of parties who never otherwise see each other was just too great. We could have done it in three years, but the pressure did certainly produce something.\u201d Kees van Zelderen of LTO observes that \u201cThe climate tables are reopening ancient discussions. Which biomass is circular and which is not? What space is required compared to the number of available hectares? It\u2019s exciting to discover what the consequences will be. The climate tables are a good working model for sharing knowledge and skills, determining the right course together and monitoring which solutions are promising and which are hopeless.\u201d<\/p>\n
High expectations
\nMuch is expected of biomass. Doesn\u2019t that put too much pressure on the biomass sector? \u201cThe climate proposals claim nine times more space than we currently potentially have in the Netherlands,\u201d points out Van Zelderen. \u201cThe question then is: which claim makes the most sense? Wind turbines, solar farms or biomass? This is a regional discussion. The Veenkoloni\u00ebn area, West-Brabant and the Green Heart all have their own dynamic. This dynamic is decisive when it comes to making a targeted offer to the surrounding area.\u201d The climate accord is based largely on biomass, according to Wanningen. He doesn\u2019t feel pressured, despite the fact that demand for wood will double within 10-20 years. \u201cForest management is focused on continuity and stability. We are primarily in favour of timber production and nature. We won\u2019t produce more biomass to meet demand if this is at the expense of nature quality. We are not going to plunder the Dutch forests. That idea is patently wrong.\u201d Staatsbosbeheer has been collecting waste streams for a very long time. Tips, thin branches, decaying wood or wood with too many knots, are all chipped. \u201cSometimes the scale is such that you can process it, for example for biomass power stations. If you can use the proceeds to cover the costs, this in turn benefits the forest, nature and landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not a logical discussion partner
\nThe suppliers of biomass only participated in the \u2018Agriculture and land use\u2019 table, and did not join the industrial one. A missed opportunity? \u201cI was a bit headstrong,\u201d confesses K\u00f6nig. \u201cI also brought the electricity sector and processors of agricultural products such as Avebe and Cosun to the table. They are both the cause of the problem and part of the solution. So they belong there. Although they\u2019re not a logical discussion partner for the chemical industry, they need each other. We are bringing our entire region together and that has worked very well: things are being thought about.\u201d Van Zelderen believes that the agricultural sector \u2018should really\u2019 have been in the industrial tables. \u201cIt would have been nice if there had been more time and attention available for crossovers. But the climate tables themselves were fully occupied with their own assignments. The subject of climate is enormously broad. Those blank spots did come to light as a result.\u201d Indirectly, Staatsbosbeheer was only involved in the agriculture and land use table. Wanningen isn\u2019t concerned by that. \u201cWe\u2019re already quite involved in initiatives. Industry will certainly hear our views. We don\u2019t necessarily have to sit at the table.\u201d<\/p>\n
High quality
\nThe climate proposals refer only to biomass for energy supply, and not to materials and raw materials. How serious is that? Won\u2019t the high-quality applications be overlooked? \u201cIt\u2019s realistic that this can happen,\u201d says Van Zelderen, \u201cthat mega users take over the remaining areas.\u201d For example, RWE is in the process of converting its coal-fired power plant to 15% biomass. \u201cI\u2019m convinced, says K\u00f6nig, \u201cthat RWE also believes that the valuable raw materials must first be extracted in order to incinerate the residual flow, lignin. I\u2019m in favour of cascading. I\u2019m not familiar with all the proposals, but our stance is emphatically in that direction. It may well be that the emphasis is first on incineration, and then on increasingly high-quality applications. I think everything will turn out fine in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wanningen regards wood biomass as an important and flexible transition fuel, especially for heat. The chips from Staatsbosbeheer are in any case not suitable for co-firing in coal-fired power stations. \u201cOver time wood will also be a solution for biochemistry. We start from the wise-use principle. That principle hasn\u2019t been changed by the Climate Accord. The discussion about the use of biomass and cascading is based mainly on points of view and the dogma that it\u2019s always possible to use biomass first in high quality, although this is often impossible. Is it wrong to use biomass, which can be used for nothing else, for energy purposes? Naturally application in products is preferable. High-quality use is usually valued more highly from an economic aspect. That\u2019s a guiding principle.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I have enormous confidence that biomass will end up in the right place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Acceleration needed
\nThe climate proposals entail direct consequences for entrepreneurs. \u201cCompanies have to adapt their processes,\u201d says K\u00f6nig. For example, RWE is building silos to store biomass and an installation to unload ships. The supercritical biomass energy plant in Alkmaar and Avantium\u2019s biorefinery are completely new processes. \u201cWe need an enormous acceleration,\u201d continues K\u00f6nig. \u201cWe still have eleven years to convert chemical factories. If you consider that chemical factories undertake a major stop once every six years, we still have two opportunities to achieve this. It takes years of preparation to introduce new raw materials and new processes at the next stop. It is precisely the simultaneous implementation of plans that requires a huge amount of coordination, and that\u2019s quite a challenge. Many processes have not yet been applied on an industrial scale. Scaling-up still needs lots of research.\u201d Van Zelderen endorses this. \u201cThe more you immerse yourself in it, the clearer it becomes that people don\u2019t yet know what it will cost in terms of time and space.\u00a0 There must be room for pilots and demos to discover which paths to take. Residual streams can be put to better use, but farmers must get something in return. They will only do it if it is valuable for them and if it has added value for society, but not if they are not rewarded for it. We have already elevated our ambition to 6 megatons by 2030, where our task was 3.5 megatons. This ambition can only be achieved if the government also makes it possible from a regulatory and financial aspect. Others also have to move in tandem.\u201d According to Professor Johan Sanders of Wageningen University, the contribution of the agricultural sector can be increased more significantly in cooperation with the chemical and energy sectors.<\/p>\n
Staatsbosbeheer is focusing on working in a more planned way. \u201cIt\u2019s expensive to manage wooded banks and coppice wood, for example,\u201d says Wanningen. \u201cBy working in a planned manner, we can organise the harvesting work better and optimise the biomass supply. Cyclical management brings more variety and quality to the landscape, and the extraction of biomass as a residual stream makes the work affordable. We need to work more closely with other site managers to achieve this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sliding together
\nThe agreement makes it clear that industry and suppliers cannot do without each other. \u201cWhat you see,\u201d says K\u00f6nig, \u201cis that the sectors are increasingly flowing together.\u201d New forms of cooperation are emerging. Who would have thought 15 years ago that Staatsbosbeheer, Avantium, AkzoNobel and RWE would set up a factory together to convert wood chips into biosugars? Wanningen: \u201cBy working together, we want to focus more on biomass extraction and use. We need to form coalitions to develop technical innovations. That\u2019s why we\u2019re working with Avantium on the raw materials side, to ensure that it\u2019s available and meets the right quality requirements. We are really looking at cascading. If not, you would be stealing from your own purse. We also enter into coalitions with those in the business community wanting to invest in new forests. This is to increase the acreage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Van Zelderen thinks it\u2019s good that cycles are sliding into each other. \u201cSpace is limited. You can never do everything. The contribution that biomass can make is overestimated; you have to look more towards high-grade applications. They make less of a claim on space. The climate proposals say little about who is talking about what. Alongside chain agreements with industry, there must also be greater social cooperation: where do you want to go with this field? These things must be weighed up. Provinces play a leading role in this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Game-changer
\nFor the agricultural sector and forest managers, the accord offers an excellent opportunity to play a key role. \u201cFrom the farmer\u2019s point of view you could also turn the space claims around,\u201d says Van Zelderen. \u201cEvidently he is needed nine times. Farmers are important for society and the energy transition. Higher-quality applications are better for farmers. The climate accord offers them the opportunity to develop new business models. This is needed in the sector. It\u2019s becoming increasingly difficult for them, so it\u2019s good to see where the new possibilities lie.\u201d Wanningen believes forests are gaining in importance. \u201cForests play a role in all climate discussions. As the most sustainable building material, for the energy supply, to retain water, to capture CO\u2082 and for the bio-based economy. All these are good reasons for investing in planting new forests. That requires a party to manage the forest actively.\u201d Van Zelderen goes a step further: \u201cThe soil is the game-changer. To capture CO\u2082, to make our country climate-proof, to provide space for renewable energy, to add value to biomass, to improve the landscape and biodiversity. We have the potential to be the only sector that can cool down the earth and prevent it from deteriorating further. The soil is the pivotal point, and that should be rewarded a little more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blank spots
\nThe climate proposals have not only made it clear that demand far outstrips the biomass supply. Above all, they have exposed the blank spots. A more balanced, planned, collective and regional approach is vital for achieving the targets. The current biomass roadmap, to which all parties are now contributing, must fill these gaps. It may be coincidental or not that the industry tables were divided into regions, but it\u2019s good news for the bio-based sector, because much of this activity is organised on a regional basis. Van Zelderen believes it\u2019s not too bad that supply wasn\u2019t given much attention. \u201cThere\u2019s so much that\u2019s not included in the climate accord. Things that people are not focusing on, or know nothing about. It can go fast if things are promising. That it\u2019s not in there doesn\u2019t mean it won\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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