(especially in the field of bio-based raw materials) There are a lot of conferences happening in the Netherlands these days. Open LinkedIn and you'll see one lineup after another. Because I'm in that bubble, meetings about energy and chemistry dominate my timeline. I attend some of them, like this week's annual Energy Day of the online magazine Energeia.
And that's bad news for bioresources. Bioresources are a key component of the circular economy. The biological cycle is based on the principle that organic materials are reabsorbed into nature after use, so they can once again find their way as raw materials into building materials, plastics, fuel, and countless other products. It's no coincidence that...
The last year the European petrochemical industry has entered into a downward spiral with almost weekly announcements of closures of production facilities. For me as a chemist working in the industry for more than 25 years, it is really fascinating to observe an industrial transformation in real time! The war in Ukraine and more recently…
Since the start of Biomassafeiten.nl in 2020, I have been involved with the platform, first in the development of the website, later also in creating and sharing content. During that period, I have increasingly delved into the world of biomass and bio-based raw materials. What I quickly noticed: in the regular media…
Burning biomass for energy – it is the classic ‘low-value’ application. Anyone who is somewhat familiar with the world of bio-resources knows the mantra: use biomass as high-value as possible, for example as a raw material for chemicals, materials or biobased products. Energy production is considered a closing item; an inefficient way to utilise a versatile, often difficult to obtain raw material.…
We hear and read daily that the Cabinet is not always on the same page. It is becoming increasingly clear that this division also hinders policy choices. Stimulation of green gas, produced from biogenic residual flows, is one of the first dossiers to fail as a result. Blending obligation For years, work has been done on a legally required percentage in…
Recently, Minister Hermans (KGG) responded to questions from the PvdD that negative emissions 'form an important part of the policy mix to be climate neutral in 2050'. The principles of the 'Roadmap Carbon Removal' that is being developed for this purpose, will be presented in the Climate Plan on 24 October. It seems that this Cabinet is working on the advice of the Scientific Climate Council to implement an active policy for the removal of carbon dioxide.
More and more entrepreneurs are applying for subsidies for projects that contribute to a circular economy. The number of circular projects has never been as large as in 2021. The number increased by more than 30% compared to 2020. The projects mainly concern plastics, chemicals and building materials. This is evident from the annual RVO Circular Economy monitoring report.…
Bioenergy currently accounts for two-thirds of all global renewable energy consumption, including renewable electricity and renewable energy sources for heating, cooling and transport. Half of this consumption is in the form of traditional cooking and heating, mainly in developing countries. Although this practice is often inefficient or unsustainable, 2,4 billion people worldwide do not…
Recent monitoring by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) shows that more and more government subsidies are going to circular projects. The flow of money increased from €236 million in 2018 to €295 million in 2020. In the study, they looked at projects from 23 Dutch and European subsidy schemes, ranging from MIT and DEI to…
