IEA Bioenergy Task "Liquid Biofuels"

Status

completed

Summary

The interest in biofuels has grown significantly over the past decades. National programs have supported in the development of favourable conditions for biofuels in Austria. However, it became obvious that bioenergy in general and biofuels in particular can not be developed on country-level alone; supply and demand of energy - regardless whether its source is fossil or renewable - needs to be seen from a global perspective. This aspect is covered by participation in international initiatives, such as IEA Bioenergy.

During the period of 2004-2006, IEA Bioenergy Task 39 "Liquid Biofuels" had 13 participants: 9 European countries, the European Commission, USA, Canada, and South Africa. Manfred Wörgetter is the Austrian delegate to Task 39, and he also leads the Subtask "Biodiesel".

The objective of the work within the task is to exchange information on research, development and market implementation of biofuels. Work focuses on research in new biofuels, in particular bioethanol from lignocellulosic raw materials, and on the validation of political and legislative measurements. Advice to governments is based on biofuels market monitoring. The aim of this information exchange is to develop measurements and structures in the task member countries that support the market implementation of biofuels.

All reports elaborated within Task 39 are forwarded to the respective stakeholders and companies. On task level this is done via the Task 39 homepage, Task 39 newsletters, and the presentation of Task 39 at international conferences by Task participants. The national information exchange is up to the respective country delegate; in Austria information is published regularly in the newsletter on renewable raw materials, via e-mails to the national biofuels network, and via a workshop that summarizes the findings of the previous working period.

In the period of 2004-2006 the Task 39 team published 6 reports; two further reports will be published soon. The topics of these reports are:

• Ethanol from Lignocellulosics: Policy Options to support Bioethanol Production
• Ethanol from Lignocellulosics: Comparing Biofuel Technology Options
• Second Generation Biofuels: A Review from a Market Barrier Perspective
• Worldwide Fuels Standards: Overview of Specifications and Regulations on (bio)fuels
• Biofuel Implementation Agendas: A Review of Task 39 Member Countries
• Biodiesel Market Development in Europe: Lessons Learned for North America
• Biodiesel Production: Technologies and European Providers
• Report on the EU-Directive 2003/30/EC

Observation of the biofuels market leads to the following results, from which advice for the Austrian biofuels strategy can be drawn:

During the past working period, fossil oil prices increased dramatically. Even mild winters in the northern hemisphere could not decrease energy prices, the reason being - according to experts - the growing energy demand in China and India.

Climate change has attracted worldwide attention in media and the broad public. This has also lead to increased attention to biofuels. Besides energy supply security and reduction of local and global environmental impact, the importance of biofuels as a factor in the development of rural areas is increasing. In many countries biofuels are seen as an important political factor, and politicians increasingly push for their development.

The main challenges hereby are:

• secure supply with raw material at competitive prices, and
• sustainable, environmentally compatible, and socially accepted production, distribution and utilization of biofuels.

To face these challenges the entire chain from feedstock production up to actual and future vehicle technologies must be further developed. Efforts should concentrate on:

• the optimization of existing biofuels technologies in terms of cost reduction, efficiency improvement, utilization of by-products, broadening of the feedstock base and improvement of greenhouse gas balances, and
• the development of second generation biofuels, aiming for maximization of energy output per hectare, and utilization of innovative agricultural and forestry raw materials such as Miscanthus and short rotation crops, in order to improve the ecological performance and reduce the costs.

A well-balanced approach to various options is of major importance. Pros and cons of both generations of biofuels are to be considered, and decisions will need to be made on which biofuels to go for. Concerns of feedstock producers, biofuel end users and technology providers are to be taken into account carefully.

The demanding targets of the Austrian government as

• to increase the biofuel market share to 10% in 2010 and 20% in 2020, and
• to achieve a renewable energy share of 45% in 2020,

and the challenge of further greenhouse gas emission reduction increase the value of Austria´s participation in IEA Bioenergy Task 39. The ongoing information exchange sets the benchmark for Austria´s position, shows which efforts are made worldwide, and which technologies and which technical, economical and logistic measurements will lead to success.

The report in hand describes in detail the work made within Task 39, and all those documents that were part of the information exchange are part of the appendix. Participation in Task 39 in the period 2007-2009 will ensure access to information on the worldwide development of biofuels, and thus will provide a valuable base for decisions.

Task-Verantwortlicher, inhaltliche Projektbearbeitung
DI Manfred Wörgetter
Bundesanstalt für Landtechnik
Rottenhauser Straße 1
A-3250 Wieselburg
Tel.: +43 (0)7416/51275-30
Fax: +43 (0)7416/51275-45
E-Mail: manfred.woergetter@blt.bmlfuw.gv.at
Internet: www.blt.bmlfuw.gv.at

Österreichische Koordination IEA Bioenergy
Univ. Doz. Dr. Josef Spitzer, DI Kurt Könighofer
Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, Institut für Energieforschung
Elisabethstraße 5
A-8010 Graz
Tel.: +43 (0)316/876-1338
Fax: +43 (0)316/876-1320
E-Mail: kurt.koenighofer@joanneum.at
Internet: www.joanneum.at