Bioenergy

Besides the traditional process of biomass combustion for energy production, biogas, biodiesel and bioethanol productions as well as district heating systems running by a combined heat and power plant, are promising technologies for converting biomass into bioenergy. For such processes, a wide range of forest resources can be considered, including forest harvesting residues (thinning and crown) in traditionally managed forests, short rotation coppice, landscape conservation or industrial residues.

At FOBAWI, we are addressing a key question for bioenergy production revolving around the availability and transport of the resources to the transformation/ usage point. Our main areas of research in this field relate to:

• The basic characterization of different biomasses and their suitability for thermo-chemical conversion processes in direct combustion, gasification and pyrolysis processes.
• The valorization of by products generated during bioenergy production into renewable materials.
• The mapping of the resources and resource potential along with the assessment (also from the economics standpoint) of critical chain supply processes such as storage.

Current research projects in the working group Bioenergy.

picture: Engler, 2009