Biomass sources
The main biomass resources include short rotation forestry (willow, poplar, eucalyptus), wood wastes (forest residues, sawmill and construction/industrial residues, etc.), sugar crops (sugar beet, sweet sorghum, jerusalem artichoke), starch crops (maize, wheat), herbaceous lignocellulosic crops (miscanthus), oil crops (rapeseed, sunflower), agricultural wastes (straw, slurry), municipal solid waste and refuse, and industrial wastes (residues from the food industry). In the table bwlow, the current and future biomass resources in the EU are given.
It can be seen that in the long term, energy crops can be an important biomass feedstock. At present, however, wastes, either in the form of wood wastes, agricultural wastes, municipal or industrial wastes, are the major biomass sources and, consequently, the priority fuels for energy production. There is also an additional environmental benefit in the use of residues such as municipal solid waste and slurry as feedstocks as these are withdrawn from polluting land filling.
Research on biomass energy crops is concentrating on generating reliable data on potential yield, environmental impact, limitations and economics. Developments are done through networks of research groups such as the Miscanthus Network, the Sweet Sorghum Network etc. There is also a number of other European and national projects which carry out research on a range of biomass materials.
