Project: IEA Bioenergy Task 42 "Biorefineries in the bioeconomy of the future"

Project: IEA Research Cooperation of the International Energy Agency with Wood K plus: Bioenergy for Biorefineries

 

 

Project description and aims:

In the project IEA Bioenergy Task 42 "Biorefineries in the Bioeconomy of the Future" Wood K plus, tbw research GesmbH and the Energy Institute at the Johannes Kepler University Linz together coordinate the networking of biorefinery actors.

 

The program “Research Cooperation of the International Energy Agency with Wood K plus” was initiated by the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology to fund Austrian research contributions to the projects of the International Energy Agency (IEA).

 

One of these projects, the IEA Bioenergy Task 42 "Biorefineries in the Bioeconomy of the Future" pursues the strategic goal of advancing the establishment of biorefineries. Biorefineries process biomass to produce a range of marketable biobased products and energy. This combined production of products and energy from biomass represents a sustainable system solution that does not rely on fossil feedstocks and supports the circular economy. Therefore, the operation of biorefineries can significantly reduce the emission of climate-relevant emissions and make an active contribution to sustainable development.

 

At the national level, the IEA Bioenergy Task 42 has been coordinated since 2016 by tbw research GesmbH, the Energy Institute at Johannes Kepler University Linz and Wood K plus. The networking of Austrian actors in the field of biorefineries and the exchange of information at national and international level are key concerns of the national task work.

 

The Austrian consortium has already made significant contributions to the project. An open-access tool for the assessment of biorefineries was developed, which systematically supports a TEE analysis (Technical/Economic/Environmental Assessment) of biorefinery processes. The results of the analysis of biorefinery processes in the form of case studies were summarized in so-called "Biorefinery Factsheets". For selected product segments, such as biobased fibers & materials and biobased chemicals and lignin, specific market and technology reports were prepared. The reports present the potential of these products for the establishment of biorefineries and summarize important information on the market environment. The respective national status of the participating countries in the field of biorefineries is regularly summarized and published in Biorefinery Country Reports.

In the 2019-2022 work period, the following countries are participating in IEA Bioenergy Task 42 to further advance the topic of "Establishing Biorefineries" through international networking: Australia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and Austria.

 

Since Austria joined the IEA in 1975, Austria has actively participated with research contributions on various topics in the fields of renewable energy sources, end-use technologies and fossil energy sources. For Austrian energy research, participation in the research activities of the IEA results in many advantages: Many developments can be anticipated more efficiently through international cooperation, new fields of work can be established with international support, and international developments can be perceived more quickly and better.

 

An important aim of the program is to make the project results accessible to an interested expert public. Results, reports and publications are available on the international homepage of the IEA Bioenergy Task 42 Biorefining (http://task42.ieabioenergy.com/) and on the national platform of the IEA Bioenergy Research Cooperation (https://nachhaltigwirtschaften.at/de/iea).

 


 

Project duration:

February 2019 - March 2022

 

Project budget: 

EUR 400.001,00

 

Project leader and research partner: 

tbw research GesmbH / DI Michael Mandl

 

Partner:

Johannes Kepler Universität Linz

Wood K plus

 

FFG financed by BMK (Research Cooperation International Energy Agency R&D Service)