Levelling the playing field for EU biomass usage

The threats of climate change, food security, resource depletion and energy security are driving society towards a sustainable lowcarbon future. Within this paradigm, biomass plays an invaluable role in meeting the food, feed, energy and material needs of future generations. Current EU thinking advocates biomass for high-value materials, which is not aligned with EU public policy support for ‘lower value’ bioenergy applications. ‘High-technology’ and ‘no bioenergy mandate’ pathways explore market conditions that generate a more equitable distribution between competing biomass conversion technologies and competing biomass and fossil technologies. In achieving greater equity, these pathways ease biomass market tensions; enhance EU food security; improve EU biobased trade balances; accelerate biomaterial sectors’ output performance and favour macroeconomic growth. Moreover, an additional 80% increase in the oil price signals a tipping point in favour of first generation biofuels, whilst simultaneously boosting output in advanced material conversion technologies even more than the high-technology pathway.

PHILIPPIDIS George;  BARTELINGS H.;  HELMING John;  M'BAREK Robert;  SMEETS Edward;  VAN MEIJL Hans; 

2019-01-23

ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

JRC111565

0953-5314 (online),   

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09535314.2018.1564020,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC111565,   

10.1080/09535314.2018.1564020 (online),