FAQ

Biomass is not created, but is an organic material of plant or animal origin. We have or get it and then have to do something smart with it.

• Wood waste; residual material from trees and agriculture, waste from the paper industry, sawdust and used building materials such as old furniture or demolition wood from construction.
• Agricultural waste: Post-harvest crops and agricultural residues such as straw, corn cobs, beet waste and roadside clippings.
• Organic waste: everything left over after food consumption, as well as all compostable remains.
• Animal manure and human wastewater.

Biomass is an important raw material for making products such as cotton or wool clothing, paper, food, building materials and furniture, but also for making heat and electricity.

The possibilities of biomass are increasingly being discovered. What used to be a stem of a tomato plant is now a source for new products.

Applications of bio-raw materials:

If you can no longer make products with biomass, it is often still possible to make biogas, heat (steam) or electricity from it. This is often done through combustion, fermentation or gasification of the biomass (such as wood, manure, plant material and organic waste). Because biomass already contains a lot of CO₂, it is seen as a CO₂ neutral way of energy generation, which in turn is good for nature.

The Netherlands follows a stricter line than other countries in the EU, to ensure that all biomass meets the strictest sustainability requirements. The process of the origin (i.e. the forest), processing in the sawmills and transport are all included. The Dutch government does not allow felling forests to generate energy and that is why it is not used here.

There are many types of biomass, each of which can have a different application. Because biomass 'grows' over and over again, it can replace many fossil raw materials such as oil and gas. As a result, less and less CO₂ is released into the air, which is good for our environment.

Much biomass grows by absorbing CO₂ from the air. The C (carbon) then remains in the biomass and the O2 (oxygen) is released back into the air. If the biomass no longer has a function and products cannot be made from it, producing energy is a solution. This does not release more CO₂ that has been absorbed by the biomass and therefore bioenergy is climate neutral.

Biomass has been used extensively for a long time. It is a raw material for products such as building materials, clothing, furniture, paper and food. People have also been using wood as fuel for fire (heat energy) for a long time.

Is biomass necessary for energy?
Bio-raw materials are indispensable to end the dependence on (imported) primary fossil raw materials and mineral minerals, for example in chemistry, construction and in the production of fuels for aviation and shipping.

No! Sawdust, waste wood and residual flows from forest and landscape management are the typical types of biomass used for energy. This concerns top wood, branches and prunings, which become available when trees are harvested for sawn timber, construction and furniture. No forests are cut down to burn them in Dutch power stations.

Good quality round wood is not used for energy: it yields much more financially to sell it as sawn wood. In sustainable forest management, care is always taken to ensure that sufficient residual wood remains in the forest, and that more wood grows in the forest than is harvested.

The biomass industry is a leader in the field of sustainability certifications. The strict laws and regulations (both National and European) ensure that only sustainable biomass can be used for bioenergy.