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The ultimate guide: Breaking down the biomass balance approach

Keep scrolling to get your biomass balance questions answered

Breaking down the biomass balance approach

What is biomass balance?

The biomass balance approach is a method used to balance the use of fossil and renewable resources by substituting a portion of fossil-based inputs with sustainably sourced biomass materials, such as biofuels or organic waste.

Why is it sustainable?

By incorporating renewable feedstocks, products and processes can achieve a reduced environmental impact, decrease reliance on non-renewable resources, and contribute to a more sustainable and circular economy.

How is biomass measured?

The biomass balance approach allows for the quantification and verification of the renewable content used, often through certified systems, ensuring transparency and credibility in the claims made about the sustainability of the final products.

What are some common feedstocks used today?

Agriculture residues

This includes crop residues left after harvesting, such as corn stover, wheat straw, and rice husks.

Algae and microalgae

Typically cultivated for their high lipid content, which can be converted into biomass materials.

Aquatic plants

Some aquatic plants, such as water hyacinth, can be harvested and used for biomass applications.

Crop waste

It's common to use waste from crop processing, like sugarcane bagasse or corn cobs.

Energy crops

This can be switchgrass, miscanthus, and hybrid poplar, as well as giant reed, willow, and sweet sorghum.

Forest residue

This can be leftover woody materials from forestry operations, like branches, tops, and logging residues.

Municipal waste

This includes organic componets of solid food waste and yard trimmings.

Oilseed crops

This includes soybeans, rapeseed, and palm trees produce oils that can be converted.

What is the biomass balance production process?

Select the renewables to be added at the start of production chain

Mix the alternative raw materials with the conventional materials

Allocate
the new mixture created to be used in products

Certify
the biomass balance products to be promoted and used

What are the primary benefits of the biomass balance approach?

Drive change from the start

The process starts at the beginning of the production chain allowing sustainable change to begin at the onset of the chemical process.

Choice of the renewable quantity

The amount of renewable and fossil feedstocks used can be easily adjusted based on demand, providing more flexibility on the use of fossil resources.

Industrial scale production

The approach integrates with current production operations and quantities of renewable materials can be increased without having to build new plants.

Relies on recycled raw materials

The biomass balance approach relies on biomass, or organic waste materials, contributing to the circular economy at every step of the process.

Quality and properties unchanged

Although the mixture is adapted at the start, the quality and properties of the end result are unchanged, allowing easy integration of materials.

Drives sustainability forward

The biomass approach reduces CO₂ emissions, saves fossil raw materials, and reduces landfilling and the incineration of recycled materials.

What are the challenges of the biomass balance approach?

Biomass feedstock availability and quality

The sourcing of consistent and sufficient supplies of renewable biomass can be challenging due to the variations in the availability and quality of feedstocks both geographically and seasonally. This makes a reliable supply chain and strong stakeholder coordination even more critical in the biomass balance approach.

Balancing biomass use and sustainability concerns

The production of biomass feedstocks could compete with food production, natural habitats, and other uses for land. There needs to be a balance between the demand for biomass resources with the need to protect biodiversity. This requires careful planning and responsible sourcing practices.

Certification and verification

To avoid greenwashing, there are robust standards, auditing systems, and supply chain traceability mechanisms in place. To receive certification, all materials must pass a feedstock qualification, a clearly defined chain of custody and have verifiable and certified product claims.

Cost competitiveness and market demand

As with all sustainable alternatives, the cost is higher with renewable biomass feedstocks than their competitive fossil-based materials. But achieving cost competitiveness while maintaining environmental benefits is crucial for market acceptance and scalability of biomass balance products.

What is next with the biomass balance approach?

1) Lifecycle assessments to create transparency

The biomass balance approach relies on lifecycle assessments to measure its environmental impact. In the future, we will see stronger and more accurate assessments to create transparency in reporting and better clarity around sustainable change.

2) Wider adoption and higher biomass quantities

The biomass balance approach is not an all-or-nothing solution. Many companies today are using 25% of biomass feedstocks, which is scalable with demand. Soon, we will see wider adoption of the approach, even if starting small with growth over time.

3) New supportive policies and regulations

The biomass balance approach requires supportive policies and a regulatory environment that incentivizes and promotes the use of renewable resources. These policies and new frameworks should provide clear guidelines, financial incentives, and market-based mechanisms to help overcome barriers and create an enabling environment for the widespread adoption of the approach.

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