IEA Bioenergy Task 40: Deployment of biobased value chains (Working period 2022 - 2024)

Bioenergy Task 40 traditionally focused on international trade and supply chains of biomass for bioenergy. Starting in 2018, the systems view was broadened, also to better meet Austrian requirements. The supply chain focus was maintained, but with a broader premise: The establishment of bio-based value chains for a sustainable and fair bioeconomy.

Short Description

The common mission of the IEA Bioenergy TCP is the development and sustainable use of biobased technologies as a contribution to solving the core challenges of society.

Since 2008, the Vienna University of Technology is part of the IEA Bioenergy Task 40. In the first 10 years, this task focused on supply chains and international trade of bioenergy sources for use in electricity production, space heating and mobility. Starting in 2018, the systems view was expanded, also to better meet Austrian requirements. The focus on supply chains has been expanded to include the establishment of bio-based value chains for a sustainable and fair bioeconomy.

Efficient, economically feasible, and technology-enabled value chains thus remain the focus. However, supply chains no longer have the sole mandate of substituting fossil fuels. Rather, the new Task 40 addresses the challenge of supporting an efficient and stable (resilient) coupling between the provision of nutrients, materials and energy (see figure).

Selected aspects of the cross-section biosphere and techno-sphere. Source: own illustration

Based on the results and publications of the 2019-2021 task period, follow-up work is planned in the 2022-2024 period. This time, the Austrian consortium is expected to participate in all task work;

Regional bioeconomy strategies
Bioeconomy synergies
Recommendations for action for sustainable investments
Intertask project: Bio-based carbon sequencing and storage
Intertask project: biomass and hydrogen
Intertask project: Bioenergy in a below 2°C and SDG compliant world

The project plans and consortia for the individual works will be refined by mid-2022. The first results are expected by the end of 2023 in the form of scientific publications, final reports and webinars.

The Austrian consortium leads the project bioeconomy synergies. Calculation principles for flexible supply networks are developed here using examples. The aim is to clarify the added value of flexible co-product creation and use. As part of this project, an anthology in the magazine "Energy, Sustainability and Society" will be curated in order to obtain additional different perspectives. The anthology will be published under the following link:

https://energsustainsoc.biomedcentral.com/circularbioeconomy.

Publications

All relevant publications are available on the Website of the current working period.

Participants

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Japan, Germany, Neherlands, Sweden, United States of Amerika

Contact Address

Project leader

Fabian Schipfer
Technische Universität Wien, Institut für Verfahrenstechnik, Umwelttechnik und Technische Biowissenschaften
fabian.schipfer@tuwien.ac.at

Project partners

Bettina Muster and Judith Buchmaier
AEE INTEC- Institut für Nachhaltige Technologien
j.buchmaier@aee.at, b.muster@aee.at

Michael Wild
Wild und Partner KG
michael@wild.or.at