Multifunctional use of biomass

31 October 2006

A rising demand for biomass for sustainable energy can lead to extra pressure on scarce agricultural land. Dutch-sponsored researcher Adriana Ignaciuk demonstrated, for the Polish situation, how this pressure can be reduced and how agriculture, the environment and the economy can all benefit from biomass cultivation: use crops suitable for several applications and grow these on polluted land.

Whoever wants to harvest energy from biomass (organic material) can use crops in a 'multifunctional' manner. A plant can, for example, be split up: one part can be used for energy and another part for food, the so-called ‘multi- product crops’. The land on which biomass is grown can also have several different uses. For example, contaminated land can be used for biomass production and after several years, thanks to the phytoremediation qualities of energy crops, could again be used for food production.

Use of polluted land

Ignaciuk calculated that different multifunctional biomass systems provide solutions, dependent on the policy objectives a government pursues. Multi-product crops are a good option for the replacement of fossil fuels. When it comes to enlarging the potential biomass acreage and the possibility of biomass export, the use of polluted ground is a worthwhile option. However it is difficult to incorporate all of these objectives into a single system. Food production and polluted land do not go hand in hand.

Willows

According to Ignaciuk the stringent Polish energy objectives can be realised with specific biomass plantations, for example, willow. More advanced systems can reduce the implementation costs and increase the environmental benefits, but the total contribution remains limited. The total production of biomass must increase substantially.

Ignaciuk investigated the consequences of the large-scale deployment of different types of multifunctional biomass systems on the production of biomass and bioelectricity, land use, agriculture and the rest of the economy. She took the Polish situation as her starting point and analysed this using different models. In one model, for example, there was a levy on conventional electricity and on the emission of greenhouse gasses. In another model she assumed tradable emission rights instead of levies.

The research was carried out at Wageningen University and Research Center in close cooperation with Utrecht University. It formed part of the programme ‘BioPUSH: Integrated Strategies for Identifying Optimal Bio-Energy Production and Utilisation Systems’ funded by the NWO/SenterNovem Stimulation Programme Energy Research.

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For further information please contact:

  • Dr Adriana Ignaciuk (Wageningen University and Research Center)
  • t: +31 317 482362, adriana.ignaciuk@wur.nl  
  • The doctoral thesis was defended on 22 September 2006
  • Supervisor Prof. E.C. van Ierland, associate supervisor Dr A. Ruijs (Wageningen University)

Information about the NWO/SenterNovem Stimulation Programme Energy Research: