Three States Triangle

In the long term, biomass will be a significant support to fossil sources of energy as the basis for fuel. Its use for energy is already gaining in dynamics and creates new challenges for both farmers and entire regions. As a consequence, the German states of Hessen, Lower Saxony and Brandenburg together with Volkswagen have brought a joint research project into being “Biomass for SunFuel”. The aim is the development of a biomass infrastructure in order to create the basis for large-scale production of biogenetic fuel (SunFuel). The plan is to determine the biomass potential, including its logistics, for selected model regions in the three states. The driving force for this project is primarily the desire to secure a supply of raw materials in the form of biomass and, combined with the latter, a strengthening of agriculture in the states. In this way the manufacture of SunFuel will not only be ecologically practical but also of interest to the economy.

Objectives for the Future

The background to this measure is the fuel strategy of the German government and Volkswagen AG plus the Biofuel Directive of the European Union (EU) which has been in force since January 2005. According to the latter, the proportion of biofuels should be increased to 5.75 percent by 2010. A biofuel proportion of 15 percent is even being discussed at present for 2020. The addition of biofuels to conventional ones will play a vital role here. The Federal government has already created incentives to promote and expand sales of biofuels. This includes, amongst other things, the current extended exemption from mineral oil tax, which has been in force since January 2004, for biogenetic fuels in their pure form or mixed with fossil fuels. This is expected to stimulate the biofuel sector significantly in future. The decisive advantage of adding the fuel to a conventional one is that all vehicles can participate in relieving the burden on the environment and that no expensive modifications to the petrol station network are necessary.

To guarantee the production of SunFuel in the long term and therefore a supply of biofuels, economic, ecological and plant cultivation requirements must be fulfilled. To cover the broadest possible spectrum of biomass sources, am extensive work schedule has been compiled which includes both timber and bladed plants plus bio-waste. The various work packages are divided as follows under the sponsorship of the states:

Division of Work

Projects for Lower Saxony: The majority of the work is taken up by two projects on the socio-economic, ecological and regionally based assessment models for different representative model regions (SUNREG I and II). To do this, assessment models will be compiled from which regional strategies for the development of biomass markets can finally be derived (Project management: Chamber of Agriculture Lower Saxony, Universtiy of Hanover – Institute for Environmental Planning). They are intended to provide the farmer with a decision-making space regarding his production opportunities in the energy sector. An actual cultivation project using energy crops will be undertaken to verify and collect data (Project Management: Chamber of Agriculture Lower Saxony).

A further area of possible biomass sources, biogenetic materials, is being taken into consideration by a project on the subject of decentralised biomass production from bio and green waste, supported by the Ministry of the Environment of Lower Saxony. The investigation is to discover which quantities and qualities – building on the logistics to date – can be prepared and made available using this waste as the raw material for the production of SunFuel.

The production of SunFuel makes a number of minimum demands on the nature of the biomass. The material must be carefully minced, thermally decomposed and then processed to produce liquid hydrocarbons. This produces different technical and economic points of view for the plant operator and the farmer. Therefore a further project is aimed at supplying viable economic planning data for both sides and defining appropriate minimum requirements for the biomass to be used (Project Management CUTEC-Institut GmbH).

Projects for Brandenburg: A further large part area of possible biomass sources consists of woody plants. Therefore relatively large areas of cultivation are to be set up in future to represent a model region in Brandenburg under the project management of FH Eberswalde (University of Applied Sciences) (MORES). The pre-planning phase for the model region was already completed in 2005. In the next few years, this will involve the actual implementation of the cultivated areas.

There is not yet sufficient data for Brandenburg covering the selection of fast-growing timber appropriate to the location. These data can be produced with the current project, thus guaranteeing appropriate advice for the farmers because that is the only way of successfully entering the commercial cultivation of field wood on a continuing basis. Timber-based biomass has particularly good characteristics for use in thermal decomposition processes (e.g. low ash and chlorine content).

In addition, timber for energy is an interesting alternative for ecological agriculture because timber has been proved to be able to produce high biomass yields even in the long term without the addition of fertiliser. The model region will also receive scientific support, amongst others, from the DENDROM Project funded by the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research).

In addition, the Agrartechnisches Institut Bornim (Bornim Technical Institute of Agriculture) in Potsdam will be involved in the SUNREG multi-state project, undertaking the compilation of mathematical models for the investigation of different scenarios for the provision of biomass.

Projects for Hessen: The state of Hessen concentrates probably on two topics. One focus of attention is the investigation of so-called twin cultivation systems. This means the combined cultivation of a winter and a summer crop within one year and their harvesting before they are fully mature. Amongst others, this will involve the universities of Kassel and Gießen.

The second group of topics involve cultivated timber (Kompetenzzentrum Hessen Rohstoffe e.V.). The cultivation of poplars at selected locations serves to maintaining sorts and accumulating new powerful sorts which are suitable for the specific sites in Germany. The results of the cultivation trials will bring the registration of new trade clones forward.

You can read more about the multi-state projects here:

Sunreg I

Sunreg II

Biomass Requirements