Bioenergy potential

The study initiated by the EEA (2006) aims at determining the environmentally compatible bioenergy potential. That means that a number of environment criteria... 

Although Dessus et al. (1992) do not consider competition of energy crops with food production, the estimated bioenergy potential (wood, energy crops and waste) of 7620 PJ/year by 2020 is lower than in the other studies considered for the respective timeframe. 

Fischer, G. and Schrattenholzer, L. (2001). Global bioenergy potentials through 2050. Biomass and Bioenergy, 20 (3), 151-159. 

Fischer, G. and L. Schrattenholzer, 2001. Global Bioenergy Potentials Through 2050. Biomass and Bioenergy 20 151-159. 

In this study, we do not evaluate bioenergy potential from pasture, other land (such as desert, tundra, and residential area), and the water (the sea and fresh water) numerically. The reasons are as follows. (1) The great portion of biomass production (except feed use) in pasture area must be reserved for natural fertilizer in the own area [3j. (2) The productivity of biomass on other land is small. (3) Fishery catch has already hit the ceiling [9], (4) It is considered that bioenergy production from the water (such as giant kelp) is diflicult by the reason of the high costs [10]. 

From the results found in this study on bioenergy potential of maize silage, it can be concluded that maize silage is a very promising raw material for bioethanol production. 

EEA, European Environment Agency (2007) Estimating the environmentally compatible bioenergy potential from agriculmre. EEA Technical report, n.12/2007. 

Smeets, E.M.W., Faaij, A.P.C., 2007. Bioenergy potentials from forestry in 2050 an assessment of the drivers that determine the potentials. Climatic Change 81, 353-390. 

Biomass potentials are mainly determined by agricultural productivity and the amount of land accessible for energy crop production. The total area under energy crops in the EU was around 1.6 million hectares in 2004 (estimate for 2005 2.5 million hectares), which represents nearly 3% of the total arable land. AEBIOM (2007) estimated a total biomass supply of 220 MtOE for the year 2020, while 23 MtOE are covered by wood-based bioenergy (direct from forests) and 88 MtOE by agriculture-based energy crops (by-products not considered). The Commission has estimated that about 15% of the EU s arable land (17.5 million hectares) would be used to reach the targets for 2020. 

Tuck G, Glending MJ, Smith P, House JI, Wattenbach M (2006) The potential distribution of bioenergy crops in Europe under present and future climate. Biomass Bioenergy 30 183-197 Vance ED, Mitchell CC (2000) Beneficial use of wood ash as an agricultural soil amendment case studies from the United States forest products industry. In Power JF, Dick WA (eds) Land application of agricultural, industrial and municipal by-products. SSSA, Madison, WI, pp 567-582... 

Hoogwijk, M., Faaij, A., Eickhout, B., de Vries, B. and Turkenburg, W. (2005). Potential of biomass energy out to 2100, for four IPCC SRES land-use scenarios. Biomass and Bioenergy, 29 (4), 225-257. 

Table 1 Bioenergy production potentials for selected biomass types in 2050. (Adapted from Hunt [2]).

We may differentiate between direct conversion of biomass into bioenergy (electricity and heat, solid fuels from biogenic wastes and residues, biogas, etc.) and biofuels. Catalysis has a minor role in the first case but is a critical element in the production of biofuels. However, notably, there are also potentially interesting developments related to bioenergy. 

Cannell, M.G.R. (2003). Carbon sequestration and biomass energy offset theoretical, potential and achievable capacities globally, in Europe and the UK. Biomass and Bioenergy, 24(2), 97-116. 

Hoogwijk, M., Faaij, A., van den Broek, R., Berndes, G., Gielen, D., Turkenburg, W. 2003. Exploration of the ranges of the global potential of biomass for energy. Biomass Bioenergy 25 119-133. 

In accordance with the prognosis for the development of bioenergy in Ukraine the use of straw and stems for energy purposes will be equivalent to 23 TWh in 2030. Further increase to 50 TWh/year in 2050 may be assumed that will require up to 60% of technically available potential. 

The sustainable success of Bioenergy and Bioproducts requires new integrated approaches. The potential impact of transgenic, genetic, and genomic-based modifications to the archi-tectural, compositional, or metabolic functions of plants was discussed in relation to an enhanced renewable base. 

One of the main drivers for the use of bioenergy and bioproducts is their potential environmental benefits (e.g. carbon dioxide emission reduction, biodegradability). It is thus essential that we assess the environmental impact of all the energy and chemical products we manufacture (across their life cycle) to make sure that they... 

A wood pellet is a small, hard piece of bioenergy. Normally pellets have a cylindrical form, 6-8 mm in diameter and of varying length. In the last decade, softwood pellets have emerged as a renewable energy resource that can be considered as a potential future substitute, in many aspects, for fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas. The energy value of 1 ton of pellets is about 5.0 MWh, which is equal to 0.5 m3 oil. 

Zubr, J., Biogas-energy potentials of energy crops and crop residues, in Proceedings of Bioenergy 84, Vol. Ill, Biomass Conversion, Gothenburg, Sweden, 1985, pp. 295-300. 

Losavio, N., Lamascese, N., and Vonella, A.V., Potential yield of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) in the Mediterranean conditions, in Biomass for Energy and the Environment, Proceedings of the 9th European Bioenergy Conference, Copenhagen, June 24—27, 1996, pp. 598-602. 

Lynd, L. R., Jin, H., Michels, J. G., Wyman, C. E., and Dale, B., Bioenergy Background, Potential, and Policy A policy briefing prepared for the Center for Strategic and International Studies Center for Strategic and International Studies Washington, DC, 2003. 

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