Abstract

IEA Bioenergy Task 43: Sustainable Biomass Supply Integration for Bioenergy Within the Broader Bioeconomy has launched an initiative to identify successful examples of biomass logistic and distribution points for bioenergy and the bioeconomy: bio-hubs. The goal of this initiative is to explore integrated bioeconomy supply chains to develop solutions for the reliable production and supply of higher-quality biomass for energy. These examples are also meant to serve as sources of inspiration that other biomass producers can use to enhance the sustainability of their own activities, as well as for policy makers to familiarize themselves with the bio-hub concept.
The Sopron workshop took bioenergy a step forward towards new biomass supply chains within a concept of bioeconomy. The innovative examples selected for this workshop show how biomass can be produced together with wood products and food in sustainably managed landscapes. 
The aim of the workshop was to develop a framework for the successful establishment of bio-hubs in support of the bioeconomy. The workshop had a proactive format, consisting of showcase presentations and participatory SWOT analysis. Examples of four existing and emerging bio-hubs were presented, and workshop participants had the opportunity to consider how different biomass supply chains (forestry, agriculture, SRC) could evolve to bio-hub concepts. 
In the second part of the workshop, biomass as a commodity was presented. Participants jointly outlined strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis) of having bio-hub as an alternative to the existing biomass supply. The SWOT analysis was performed in real -time, capturing, scoring and ranking inputs from 30 workshop attendees using the Sli.do application. 
The joint IEA Bioenergy Task 43 and BioEast Initiative workshop was well attended with 55 participants from 17 countries. Most participants (64%) were from the BioEast macro-region and 90% of participants from the EU, but reaching as far as to Australia, Canada and New Zealand (10%).
BioEast Initiative and IEA Bioenergy foresee that the gathered knowledge and shared experience at the workshop will contribute to the improvement of sustainable biomass mobilisation for energy purposes, notably in the BioEast macro-region and in other member countries of the IEA Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme. 
The results of the workshop will feed into the development of the framework for bio-hubs, which will then be further applied and tested as part of following activities.
To access the workshop presentations, please visit the IEA Bioenergy Task 43 website.

Published in

IEA BIOENERGY: Task 43
2020, number: 2020:03
ISBN: 978-1-910154-71-7
Publisher: IEA Bioenergy

SLU Authors

• Dimitriou, Ioannis

  • University administration, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Renewable Bioenergy Research
Bioenergy


Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/107383