Project

Large quantities of biomass sustainably sourced; Biotrade2020+ project supports the European Bioenergy Trade Strategy

BioTrade2020+ aimed to provide guidelines for the development of a European Bioenergy Trade Strategy for 2020 and beyond. The strategy should ensure that imported biomass feedstock is sustainably sourced and used in an efficient way, while avoiding distortion of other markets. This project fits in a core task of WEnR to assess the biomass provision side of a bio-economy adhering to sustainability criteria and economic feasibility.

The project supported the Bioenergy trade strategy by analyzing the potentials and key sustainability risks of current and future lignocellulosic biomass and bioenergy carriers. Focus is on lignocellulosic biomass (forest biomass and agricultural residues) from current and potential future major sourcing regions of the world (US, Ukraine, Colombia, Brazil, Indonesia and Kenya).

One of the main outcomes of the project is the development of an interactive tool. This tool provides a web-based, easy to use, interactive map, fully adapted to the main end-user requirements. End-users that will find interesting information here are the industries, biomass traders, NGOs and policy makers interested to safeguard access to sustainable solid biomass resources for energy and material conversions.

The project provided:

1. Quantification of sustainable potentials of lignocellulosic biomass in the main sourcing regions outside the EU and definition and application of sustainability criteria and indicators.

2. Insights in possible availability and indicative costs of sustainably produced lignocellulosic biomass from the main sourcing regions outside the EU, including interactions with demand from other sectors and other regions.

3. European industry with transparent information to identify, quantify and mobilize sustainable and resource efficient lignocellulosic biomass resources from the main export regions by means of a user friendly interactive tool based on GIS and an integrated user interface.

4. A policy strategy to promote the use of bioenergy, ensuring a sustainable and fair supply market from outside the EU to complement the existing demand without halting domestic production.