According to leading environmental scientist Michael Obersteiner, director of the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford, the global target of reaching 1,5 degrees is unthinkable without biomass. Speaking at the World Bioenergy Association's media partnership event with Euractiv, Professor Michael Obersteiner from the University of Oxford, a co-investigator for the IPCC climate change reports, explains…
On July 14, 2021, the European Commission presented a new climate package under the European Green Deal, which includes the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), the 2030 Forest Strategy and the 2030 EU Biodiversity Strategy. These new regulations have consequences for forests and the timber industry. In the past, sustainable forest management was…
Today's society could not exist without plastic, from cheap mass-produced products to specialized high-tech materials. However, the use of plastics also has disadvantages. These include the consumption of fossil fuels and increasing amounts of waste. Making high-quality plastics from biomass that can be broken down into reusable components could be a new strategy to…
Ivan Camilo Vera Concha examined the sustainability assessments of existing and new bio-based value chains in bio-based materials, electricity and advanced fuels, under context-specific conditions. He notes that the impact it has on land use is particularly important in the assessment. He received his PhD from Utrecht University on Friday 8 July. Biomass for the production…
It is becoming increasingly clear that both divesting from fossil fuels and avoiding the build-up of plastic in the environment are essential to meeting the challenges of climate change. To this end, significant efforts are being made to develop degradable or recyclable polymers made from non-edible plant material, referred to as “lignocellulosic biomass”. Producing…
The European Union could 'triple' the amount of biomass produced on a sustainable basis over the coming decades while helping to restore land damaged by industrial pollution, poor farming, erosion and climate change, says André Faaij. André Faaij is Director of Science at the Energy Transition unit of TNO, the Dutch independent research organization.…
Researchers have developed a new joint system that harvests energy from the sun and, with the addition of biomass, can provide 100 percent of the heating needed for a one-story house throughout the year. In the warmer months, the system can generate excess electricity that can be sold to the grid. It…
Governments must proactively develop policies to support and accelerate the development of a circular bioeconomy and strengthen research into this. This is stated by an international research group in a recent article in the journal Frontiers in Energy Research. The group presents a framework for a circular bioeconomy, which uses biomass not only for…
GENEVA, April 4 – In 2010-2019, average annual global greenhouse gas emissions were at the highest levels in human history, but the growth rate has slowed. Without immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors, limiting global warming to 1,5°C is unachievable. However, there is increasing evidence for climate action,…
Scientists at the US Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed an innovative flow cell reactor that can refine sewage into valuable chemicals while simultaneously generating hydrogen that can be used to power vehicles or generate heat. This refinement process is potentially CO2 neutral and could ultimately even be CO2 negative. Led by Juan A.…
