The Campaign

It’s not always easy to understand where the EU stands in terms of renewables. This is particularly true when considering the case of bioenergy: who knew that biomass is the first European energy source generated on the continent, surpassing coal, or that according to Bioenergy Europe’s estimations, made up to 62% of the total share of clean energy produced in Europe in 2020 – with 131.489 kilotonnes of oil equivalent (ktoe)?

Sounds like great news, but can you visualise it? Let’s take the calendar year and break it down according to statistics on European energy consumption (Bioenergy Europe’s predictions): in 2021, Europe relies on fossil and nuclear energy from January 1st to October 8th, for a total of 282 days. From then until the 12th November, Europe is fueled by renewables for a total of 35 days! Then, until the end of the year, bioenergy alone contributes with 49 days!

This means that from November 13th until December 31st, Europe could exclusively rely on bioenergy for all of its energy needs! The European Bioenergy Day, falling on 13th November this year, therefore marks a symbolic date that falls earlier and earlier each year, at both EU and national levels!

Definitions

The definitions of bioenergy, other renewable energy and non-renewable energy are used in accordance with Eurostat’s methodology. The term non-renewable energy encompasses all fossil fuels (natural gas, crude oil and other hydrocarbons, solid fossil fuels), nuclear and non-renewable wastes. Other renewable energy refers to hydropower, geothermal, wind, solar and ocean energy, while bioenergy comprises all solid biomass, biogas, biodiesel, bioethanol, other liquid biofuels and renewable waste (municipal wastes), using multiple counting on biofuel as defined in Directive 2009/28/CE.

The Bioenergy Europe Network

Bioenergy Europe is the common voice of the bioenergy sector with the aim to develop a sustainable bioenergy market based on fair business conditions. Bioenergy Europe is a non-profit, Brussels-based international organisation founded in 1990 that brings together 41 associations and 143 companies as well as academia and research institutes from across Europe.

The European Pellet Council (EPC) is an umbrella organisation of Bioenergy Europe founded in 2010, aiming at representing the interests of the wood pellet sector and at ensuring its sustainable development at European level. EPC members are made up of 16 national pellet associations and related organisations from 16 countries, and 3 observing members.

European Bioenergy Day Partners

The European Bioenergy Day campaign is locally represented by over 30 national bioenergy associations and supported at EU-level by a dozen sectorial organisations involved in the development of bioenergy throughout the value chain:

About the campaign

The campaign is powered by Bioenergy Europe and relayed across Europe by both national and international partners supporting the belief that bioenergy is more than a renewable energy source, it is also a reliable path that will lead Europe to achieve its renewable energy transition in the shortest span of time.

Solid Biomass Conversion Processes

Logging, grinding, screening and drying operations are mechanical processes for enhancing solid biomass fuels. These operations help transform biomass into homogeneous fuel that is easy to handle, with a higher energy recovery (eg. woodchips, wood logs, agrofuel). In general, moisture content in woodchips used for energy generation in municipal or industrial plants ranges between 20-30%.

Densification is another popular way to transform woody material into an advanced fuel with high calorific value. This process involves compressing biomass and lowering moisture levels to a range of 8-10%, allowing for an homogenous fuel – either in the form of pellets or briquettes. The heat during compression fuses the lignin in the biomass, naturally binding the biomass together in a new, enhanced shape. Thanks to densification, the homogenous biomass fuel is easier to transport and can be used in automated biomass installations, such as pellet stoves and boilers.

Thermo-chemical conversions are now used to produce fuel with even higher calorific value, utilising torrefaction or steam explosion technologies. During the torrefaction process, wood is subjected to temperatures of 230°C-300°C at atmospheric pressure without oxygen. Comparable to some extent to coffee torrefaction, this method creates a fuel with unique characteristics. As compared to conventional wood, torrefied wood has very low (>5%) moisture content, is easily grindable and is relatively hydrophobic.

Thanks to advanced technologies, woody biomass can also produce liquid and gaseous fuels. Pyrolysis, for instance, is a thermal-chemical conversion that requires a high temperature (>400°C) and little oxygen to convert solid biomass into gas, liquid fuels (pyrolysis oil) and/or biochar. Gasification is another thermo-chemical conversion that takes place at high temperatures (>800°C), with limited oxygen and/or steam, and converts solid biomass into synthesis gas, known as syngas – which contains carbon and hydrogen and can be used to produce liquid fuels such as biodiesel.

Wet Biomass Conversion Processes

Wet biomass is present in high volume across Europe (manure, agricultural waste and by-products). As it contains too much moisture to be converted efficiently into energy via a direct combustion process, other conversion pathways and energy outputs have been developed by the biogas (eg. anaerobic digestion) and biofuel sectors (eg. fermentation). Anaerobic digestion and fermentation are the two main conversion pathways used for converting wet biomass feedstock into advanced fuel.

Anaerobic digestion is the microbiological process of decomposition of organic matter, in the absence of oxygen, and is common to many natural environments; it is largely applied today in order to produce biogas in airproof reactor tanks, commonly referred to as digesters. A wide range of micro-organisms are involved in the anaerobic process which has two main end products: biogas and digestate. Biogas is a combustible gas consisting of methane, carbon dioxide and small amounts of other gases and trace elements. Biogas can be used in direct combustion to produce heat, but also power if converted within a cogeneration plant or in adapted gas motors. Biogas can also be upgraded via purification processes to a biomethane that can be injected into the existing natural gas networks, used as a chemical product and/or vehicle fuel. Digestate is the decomposed substrate, rich in macro- and micro-nutrients and therefore suitable for use as plant fertiliser.

Fermentation is a biochemical conversion whereby microorganisms, including yeast and bacteria, convert matter into products such as ethanol and liquid transport fuel (biodiesel). This process is done in several stages. First, sugary and starchy feedstock such as corn must be crushed and combined with water, allowing enzymes to convert this starch into sugar. This ferments along with the addition of yeast and is distilled into bioethanol. Bioethanol can also be produced from cellulosic biomass, such as grass, wood and stalks, via fermentation; however, this process is more complex and involves a mechanical pre-treatment and the addition of enzymes, or the breakdown of the lignocellulose into sugar through hydrolysis, followed by the same procedure.

Solid bioenergy feedstock

Renewables represent 8,0% of EU-27 total energy consumption (22.473 kilotonnes of oil equivalent) in transportation, of which 68% is provided by biofuels in 2018. It is rather challenging to foresee how biofuels (in particular first-generation biofuels) will continue to develop, since recent EU legislation established a quota for these biofuels. EU statistics on renewables in transportation can also be misleading regarding the actual level of production, because multiple counting rules are applied in accordance with the EU renewable energy directive. Looking at it in more detail, the biofuel market is driven by biodiesel and bioethanol. Biodiesel was the first biofuel developed and used in the EU in the transport sector in the 1990s. EU-27 remains the world’s largest biodiesel producer and it consumed 13,303 Ktoe in 2018. By comparison, bioethanol consumption in 2018 reached 2,620 Ktoe for an actual production of 2,365 Ktoe (Biofuels Report, 2020).

Bioenergy comes in all shapes and sizes

Within our close environment, a great source of organic materials such as plants, algae, or organic wastes, can be valuable fuels as soon as a technology makes it possible to efficiently extract all of its energy potential. Bioenergy players traditionally refer to biomass to describe those usable feedstocks. Biomass currently used in Europe includes wood from forests, agricultural crops and residues, by-products from the wood and agricultural industry, herbaceous and woody energy crops, municipal organic wastes and manure, and could potentially integrate algae and marine biomass in the future.

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