Viability and Sustainability Assessment of Bioenergy Value Chains on Underutilised Lands in the EU and Ukraine

Cosette Khawaja, Rainer Janssen, Rita Mergner, Dominik Rutz, Marco Colangeli, Lorenzo Traverso, Maria Michela Morese, Manuela Hirschmugl, Carina Sobe, Alfonso Calera, David Cifuentes, Stefano Fabiani, Giuseppe Pulighe, Tiziana Pirelli, Guido Bonati, Oleksandra Tryboi, Olha Haidai, Raul Köhler, Dirk Knoche, Rainer Schlepphorst and Peter Gyuris
Additional contact information
Cosette Khawaja: WIP Renewable Energies, 81369 Munich, Germany
Rainer Janssen: WIP Renewable Energies, 81369 Munich, Germany
Rita Mergner: WIP Renewable Energies, 81369 Munich, Germany
Dominik Rutz: WIP Renewable Energies, 81369 Munich, Germany
Marco Colangeli: Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, 00153 Rome, Italy
Lorenzo Traverso: Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, 00153 Rome, Italy
Maria Michela Morese: Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, 00153 Rome, Italy
Manuela Hirschmugl: Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, 8010 Graz, Austria
Carina Sobe: Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, 8010 Graz, Austria
Alfonso Calera: Institute for Regional Development, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
David Cifuentes: Institute for Regional Development, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
Stefano Fabiani: CREA Research Centre for Agricultural Policies and Bioeconomy, 00198 Rome, Italy
Giuseppe Pulighe: CREA Research Centre for Agricultural Policies and Bioeconomy, 00198 Rome, Italy
Tiziana Pirelli: CREA Research Centre for Agricultural Policies and Bioeconomy, 00198 Rome, Italy
Guido Bonati: CREA Research Centre for Agricultural Policies and Bioeconomy, 00198 Rome, Italy
Oleksandra Tryboi: Scientific Engineering Centre Biomass Ltd., 03127 Kyiv, Ukraine
Olha Haidai: Scientific Engineering Centre Biomass Ltd., 03127 Kyiv, Ukraine
Raul Köhler: Research Institute for Post-Mining Landscapes, 03238 Finsterwalde, Germany
Dirk Knoche: Research Institute for Post-Mining Landscapes, 03238 Finsterwalde, Germany
Rainer Schlepphorst: Research Institute for Post-Mining Landscapes, 03238 Finsterwalde, Germany
Peter Gyuris: Geonardo Environmental Technologies Ltd., 1031 Budapest, Hungary

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-21

Abstract: Bioenergy represents the highest share of renewable energies consumed in the European Union and is still expected to grow. This could be possible by exploring bioenergy production on Marginal, Underutilised, and Contaminated lands (MUC) that are not used for agricultural purposes and therefore, present no competition with food/feed production. In this paper, the viability and sustainability of bioenergy value chains on these lands is investigated and measures for market uptake were developed. Using three case study areas in Italy, Ukraine, and Germany, a screening of MUC lands was conducted, then an agronomic assessment was performed to determine the most promising crops. Then, techno-economic assessments followed by sustainability assessments were performed on selected value chains. This concept was then automated and expanded through the development of a webGIS tool. The tool is an online platform that allows users to locate MUC lands in Europe, to define a value chain through the selection of bioenergy crops and pathways, and to conduct sustainability assessments measuring a set of environmental, social, and economic sustainability indicators. The findings showed positive results in terms of profitability and greenhouse gas emissions for bioethanol production from willow in Ukraine, heat and power production from miscanthus, and biogas and chemicals production from grass in Germany. The webGIS tool is considered an important decision-making tool for stakeholders, which gives first insights on the viability and sustainability of bioenergy value chains.

Keywords: marginal; underutilised and contaminated lands; mapping; bioenergy; bioenergy value chains; sustainability assessment; techno-economic assessment; market barriers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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