IEA Bioenergy Task 39: Biofuels to Decarbonize Transport (Working period 2025)
Short Description
Austria has been actively engaged in IEA Bioenergy Task 39 for many years, the overarching goal of which is the promotion and commercialisation of sustainable, low-fossil-carbon-intensity biofuels for the transport sector. This encompasses both conventional and advanced biofuels produced via oleochemical, biochemical, thermochemical, or hybrid conversion technologies. The focus lies on accelerating the decarbonisation of the transport sector, particularly in hard-to-electrify long-haul transport (shipping, aviation, heavy-duty road transport). Task 39 supports member countries and stakeholders through knowledge coordination in policy, markets, and implementation, international technology analyses, life cycle assessments, and the monitoring of policy measures to promote biofuels.
This project describes the participation in 2025—the first year of the triennium 2025–2027.
Follow-up project with the results for 2026–2027
In this triennium, Task 39 works on 6 substantive projects complemented and linked by 3 horizontal sub-programs.
- SP1 Technologies, Markets and Deployment
- SP2 System analysis, biomass supply, sustainability
- SP3 Dissemination and Outreach
- P1 - Implementation Agenda (including Emerging Markets)
- P2 - Demonstration of advanced biofuels
- P3 – Renewable hydrocarbon for diesel and jet sector
- P4 – e-fuels and synergies with biofuel production
- P5 - Marine biofuels
- P6 - BECCUS (as an intertask project).
The brief report IEA Bioenergy Task 39: Biofuels for Decarbonising Transport (german language) summarises the results of the first year of the triennium 2025–2027 and provides an overview of the objectives, thematic priorities, and highlights of all six projects. The past months have been particularly formative for Task 39, marked by significant scientific publications, international workshops, and critical discussions that have advanced the development of low-carbon biofuels. A key milestone was the formal inclusion in the COP 30 Climate Action Agenda, underscoring the growing international recognition of its work—particularly in the areas of marine biofuels, feedstock supply, and life-cycle analyses for renewable hydrocarbons. Through scientifically grounded contributions, Task 39 makes a substantial contribution to the decarbonisation of aviation and shipping and supports the shaping of policy frameworks at the global level. Biofuels remain indispensable for the defossilisation of long-distance transport, especially in sectors such as shipping, aviation, and heavy-duty road transport, where electrification alone does not offer a sufficient solution.
Project Images
Terms of use: The pictures listed underneath the header “Project Pictures” originate from the projects in the frame of the programmes City of Tomorrow, Building of Tomorrow and the IEA Research Cooperation. They may be used credited for non-commercial purposes under the Creative Commons License Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC).
Project Partners
Project lead
Andrea Sonnleitner
NTL Austria
BEST – Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies GmbH
Gewerbepark Haag 3
3250 Wieselburg-Land
Austria
E-mail: andrea.sonnleitner@best-research.eu
Project team member
Dina Bacovsky
BEST – Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies GmbH
Gewerbepark Haag 3
3250 Wieselburg-Land
Austria
E-mail: dina.bacovsky@best-research.eu
Participants
Australia, Austria (Core Group), Belgium, Brazil (Task Leader), Canada, China, Denmark, European Commission, France, Germany (Core Group), Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, USA