Prospects of bioenergy in new industrial sectors

The EUBIONET III project investigated the use and possibilities of biomass in new industrial sectors. The aim was to identify new industries where biomass is used as an energy carrier, or has the potential to be used in the future, and to describe which drivers, bottlenecks and opportunities these sectors see for the (increased) use of biomass. By ‘new industries’ we mean industries, which are normally not directly associated with bioenergy like metal (e.g. steel, silicon carbide), cement, food processing, and construction (brick producing) industries. In general, those industries which have biomass resources (by-products) themselves, have often already built a bioenergy project, if it was profitable. Bioenergy plans were considered interesting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to receive green certificates, to use by-products and to improve their brand image. Also the independence from fossil fuels was an advantage of biomass use. In some cases bioenergy was considered financially attractive, but this was not the case for the majority – at least not without some kind of financial incentives. Concluding, in general, the new industries are interested in bioenergy, but the practical problems such as lack of infrastructure, insecurity of biomass supply and high fuel prices tend to limit the realisation of the investments. In many countries there is also lack of skilled people and knowledge on the new technologies.