KB34-012-002/3D-2 Sustainable lignocellulosic biomass supply for the circular biobased economy

Samenvatting

Phasing out fossil fuels is necessary to reduce GHG emissions and prevent catastrophic climate change in the coming decades. Using sustainable and renewable biomass feedstocks especially to replace fossil fuels is one of the main options to reach this goal. However, biomass is supplied by a large array of producers (farmers, foresters) producing highly variable feedstocks, with varying economies of scale irregularly distributed over the year. This is an obstacle for efficient and circular use of this resource. Users require a constant supply of resources of a specific quality from a few large producers. Moreover, there are concerns about the sustainability of the supply, and conflicts with other ecosystem services like biodiversity protection and food supply.

The main objective of this project is to provide insights into setting up lignocellulosic biomass supply for the circular bio-based economy at regional, EU and international scales. Specifically:
• Identify and assess value chains that use local lignocellulosic biomass for local circular economy applications
• Develop the EFISCEN Space EU forest growth model to assess potential wood supply and the associated cost and impacts on other ecosystem services.
• Understand the role of lignocellulosic commodities in linking remote biomass sources to distant markets, and how they can be brought about.