International biofeedstocks

According to the Dutch Green Feedstocks Platform, 30% use of green feedstocks and fuels in 2030 is a realistic target. In that year biomass can be used to provide:

• 60% of transport fuels
• 25% of feedstocks for chemical materials and products
• 25% of power generation
• 17% of heat production.

As a parallel undertaking, overall demand for materials, energy and chemicals will need to be reduced to the level of the year 2000. To secure the above targets, over 50% of the Netherlands’ biofeedstocks will probably have to be imported because there is insufficient space to grow them ourselves.

CE Delft is active on the theme of biofeedstocks/biomass because these renewable feedstocks are being used increasingly for power generation (cofiring of wood in coal-fired plant), transport (admixture of vegetable oil to petrol) and the chemical industry (corn-derived plastics).

Use of these renewable feedstocks can contribute to creating a sustainable and CO2-neutral energy supply and cleaner transport. However, large-scale production of the biofeedstocks may also have a negative impact on land use patterns, biodiversity and socio-economic conditions in the countries where such feedstocks are sourced.

Today, governments and industry find themselves confronted with all these aspects of biofeedstocks, because of the EU obligation for vehicle fuels to contain a certain percentage of vegetable oils, for example, or because companies are procuring renewable feedstocks for their production processes.

We ourselves make a distinction in know-how and consultancy on:

1. Production of biofeedstocks (aspects of land use, socio-economic impacts, biodiversity)
2. Applicationof biofeedstocks (as vehicle fuels, for co-firing in coal-fired power plant)
3. Lifecycle impacts of biofeedstocks (from production via transport through to the usage and waste phases)

For more information
on the consequences of
biofeedstock production,
contact Geert Bergsma