Daniela Thran, Marlies Hardtlein and Martin Kaltschmitt

11.1. THE NEED FOR A SOLID BIOFUEL STANDARDIZATION

There is a significant potential for an increased use of biomass all over the European Union. Solid biofuels can contribute significantly to reach the political goals of the European Commission and national governments to increase the share of renewable energy and reduce CO2 emissions from anthropogenic sources. For various reasons, however, this is not happening easily. In many cases, the costs of energy provision are higher for biofuels than for fossil fuels so that additional development programs are urgently needed if this potential is to be rationally explored.

Table 11.1 shows the current use of biomass resources for electricity and heat generation in the EU and the estimated potential from different sources in each country. Large differences can be observed both in the amount and the type of resources being exploited in each country. It can be noted, for instance, that while some countries such as Denmark, the Netherlands and Austria have already exploited 40 to 50 per cent of their potential, Germany is only using 10 per cent of its total potential.

Differences can also be observed in the conversion forms through which biomass resources are being exploited. The use of biomass for district heating has reached quite significant levels in a few countries such as Austria, Finland and Sweden, where mainly fuelwood and wood residues from forestry and wood-processing industries are being utilized. In Germany, woody residues have been used at a more or less steady level in the last ten years for domestic heating purposes, while other biomass resources have not yet been much explored. There is, for example, a significant amount of herbaceous residues, mainly straw, which can be used with technologies that are readily available.

To develop a more widespread use of the solid biofuel resources, the costs of production, provision and use of biomass fuels have to be reduced significantly so that they can compete with fossil fuels economically. With this in mind, it is necessary to consider the possibilities of cost reduction all along the supply chain of

153 Bioenergy — Realizing the Potential

© 2005 Dr Semida Silveira Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Table 11.1. Use and potential of biomass in the EU

solid biofuels. This includes the agricultural production of biofuels, their preparation and provision, their use in the generation of energy and in the recycling of ashes. Additionally, noneconomical and nontechnical barriers that slow down a widespread use of solid biofuels need to be addressed.

Compared to other renewable energy sources, solid biofuels are characterized by a wide range of fuel types. They differ in origin, physical and mechanical properties (e. g. moisture content, particle size and particle size distribution) and chemical composition (e. g. content of sulfur, nitrogen and chlorine). In fact, lack of clearly defined biofuel properties as well as clear supply conditions are seen as major nontechnical barriers for biofuels (Kaltschmitt et al., 2001).

Thus standardization of biofuel properties and their measurement is one of the tools that needs to be developed to improve biofuel markets. Standardization is expected to improve markets in the following ways:

• Producers of solid biofuels get more concrete instructions for the production of solid biofuels. They are then able to optimize their production processes with regard to the properties demanded of the fuels and can reduce costs through a more efficient production.

• Having a solid specification available, one that is well adapted to practical needs, the development of a solid biofuel market is more promising. The properties of the trade product solid biofuel are clearly defined and well known just as it is, for example, for different liquid fuels such as gasoline or fuel oil. Prices will then reflect specific categories and qualities of the fuels, these also being well defined and well known. This makes the markets more transparent, favoring cost reduction and volume increase.

• Energy provision systems and conversion technologies can be better designed and optimized to operate more efficiently and environment-friendly if fuel qual­ity is defined within a narrow range. This refers primarily to the requirements concerning conveyor problems, emissions control or corrosion phenomena.

There is a general agreement on the need for European standards in the field of solid biofuels. European standards are seen as a good tool to develop business oppor­tunities and acceptance in the area of biomass. In particular, countries with a high potential share of solid biofuels regard standardization as an important step in promoting the use of biomass as energy source.