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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BECOOL (Brazil-EU Cooperation for Development of Advanced Lignocellulosic Biofuels)

Teaser

Summary

Strengthened cooperation between EU and Brazil could help to pave the way for the deployment of affordable and sustainable technologies and tools for the delivery of feasible value chains so to enhance the uptake of advanced biofuels in EU.
The overall objective of BECOOL is to provide highly efficient, sustainable and affordable value chains, to develop technologies and tools for the production of advanced biofuels in Europe. The project is structured in 3 main pillars covering in a balanced way the whole range of activities of the biofuels value chain (biomass production, logistics, conversion and exploitation).

Work performed

A set of â€˜coreâ€™ lignocellulosic feedstock production, conversion process and supply logistics actions have been identified and all partners are fully committed to work for the development of effective/efficient advanced lignocellulosic biofuel chains. In WP1 an extensive review of the existing data focusing on lignocellulosic feedstocks of potential interest for advanced biofuels in Europe and Brazil (e.g. cereal residues, pruning and forest residues, bagasse, lignin rich, etc) is being done. Moreover, innovative cropping systems, such as crop rotations of specific lignocellulosic crops (sunn hemp, fibre sorghum, kenaf and hemp) are being developed in combination with the evaluation of the productivity potential of perennial lignocellulosic (miscanthus, switchgrass, giant reed) and woody crops (eucalyptus) under marginal conditions. In WP1 harvesting and handling of the selected annual and perennial lignocellulosic crops are being also investigated. In WP2 logistical concepts and exemplary chains for advanced lignocellulosic biofuels for different feedstocks and different regional conditions have been drafted, while existing logistical assessment tools are being further refined to be adapted to BECOOL specific value chains. In WP3 the normative framework surrounding the use of advanced lignocellulosic biofuels, and preliminary conversion experiments of lignocellulosic biomass to produce pyrolysis oils for further gasification test are being produced. Besides that residual lignin is being transformed by fast pyrolysis into lignin oil as an alternative energy carrier. In WP4 it was determined that lignocellulosic biomasses with a fermentable sugar content >50 wt% (dry basis) and acetyls <3 wt% (dry basis) are possible good candidates to be selected for ethanol conversion. At the light of the preliminary results - based on chemical and physical evaluation - CTXI identified Arundo donax as one of the best biomass to be used for ethanol production. In WP5 the compilation of value chains and definition of criteria for the compilation of plausible value chains have been done. Besides that, a methodological approach for data collection, including data harmonisation has been developed. In WP6 the dissemination and communication plan for the project has been written and promotional materials (website, social media, etc.) established. Effective coordination and management of the project has been achieved through WP7.

Final results

The overall BECOOL progress during this period has been extremely good and all objectives for the reporting period have been achieved. A few minor deviations have occurred mostly due to the delayed start of the BIOVALUE project, but remedial actions are foreseen to ensure that the project is able to deliver against deliverables and milestones alone or in synergy with the Brazilian project. To date, BECOOL have achieved a very large amount of work, with much engagement across the whole consortium and it is expected to achieve the results stated in the GA. The BECOOL ambition to deploy at least 50% more feedstock, through the improved agro-logistics and innovative cropping systems (WP1) and improved supply logistics concept (WP2) for biofuels production, is more that ever relevant taking into account that the re-cast RED II has fixed a new mandate share for advanced biofuels of 3.5%, with Advanced Biofuels double counted and with the introduction of High ILUC and low ILUC risk concepts. So the forecasted of 10 to 20 times increased demand of lignocellulosic feedstocks by 2030 can be even higher. This will have a direct impact on farmersâ€™ revenue, job creation (especially in the rural area), and minimize the land pressure (biomass supply districts). Crop diversification will also enhance environmental benefits due to favorable crop sequencing effects. The investigation on thermochemical conversion (gasification, fast/medium/slow pyrolysis) of various biomass feedstocks (giant reed, fibre sorghum, eucalyptus, hydrolysis lignin) and intermediates (fast pyrolysis bio-oil, pyrolysis oil-char slurries) will allow moving forward the present day knowledge and achieve an optimal gas quality. Moreover, the use of intermediate energy carriers will allow overcoming major logistics barriers for low-energy density feedstocks, so more feasible value chains will be developed. While the valorization of lignin-rich residues is excepted to dramatically improve the energy efficiency of gasification and biochemical processes (WP 3 & 4), as well as technological breakthroughs on pre-treatment, hydrolysis and enzymatic saccharification and fermentation steps will increase the competitiveness of biochemical advanced ethanol (WP4). Moreover the data generated in BECOOL are only of value if they have long-term societal, economic and environmental impacts. This will be achieved in work packages 6 &7 where we are allocating a significant amount of resources for integrated assessments, dissemination, data management and, intellectual property management of the Foreground, and also for the development of an effective strategy for the results exploitation, so to strengthen the different impacts of BECOOL project. Moreover the WP5 work is be focused on securing the long-term economic, environmental and scientific impact of BECOOL activities.