New DataM dashboard on Bio-based industry and biorefineries

The database is now online and is accompanied by an interactive dashboard implemented in the EC Data portal of agro-economics Modelling (DataM) and in the EC Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy.

Source: https://datam.jrc.ec.europa.eu/datam/mashup/BIOBASED_INDUSTRY/index.html

The online dashboard illustrates the extensive database of EU facilities producing different categories of bio-based products:

• bio-based chemicals
• liquid biofuels
• bio-based composites and fibres
• pulp and paper
• biomethane
• starch, sugar and derived products
• timber (sawmills)

Available online: https://datam.jrc.ec.europa.eu/datam/mashup/BIOBASED_INDUSTRY/index.html

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National Circular Economy Strategy

The circular economy strategy of the Hellenic Republic was just published and is available from the Ministry of Environment and Energy:

Source: http://www.ypeka.gr/

National Circular Economy Strategy of the Hellenic Republic.

The strategy explicitly accounts for: Sustainable Resource Management, Support  of  Circular  Economy, and Circular  Consumption and is also available in English (pdf).

Bioeconomy in Norway workshop

On October 30, 2019 we organized the workshop “Bioeconomy in Norway” at NIBIO. The program started with my introduction on bioeconomy challenges for Norway and included speakers from OsloMET and NMBU.

The issues we discussed covered different areas, such as: textiles and fibers, energy production (wind and biomass), bio refineries and enzymes, ecosystems service valuation.

BalticBiomass4Value – project meeting and field demonstration on biomethane (Tartu, Estonia).

The last meeting for the Interreg BSR project BalticBiomass4Value took place on October 10-11 at the Estonian University of Life Sciences in Tartu, Estonia.

Members of the consortium presented approximately 30 business cases and we discussed on the framework and methodology for sustainable development and dissemination of business models and cases in the BSR.

Source: FNR/Nitzschke

There was field demonstration of two Estonian enterprises, as best business case examples. Biometaan Ltd. and Mangeni PM Ltd. in the Kõo, Viljandi County. The idea is to use dairy production residues as feed stock for biomethane production.

BalticBiomass4Value (BB4V) website

The website for our project BalticBiomass4Value (BB4V) is now online!

Source: https://balticbiomass4value.eu/

The project is funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region and will run over the next three years. BB4V is a big transnational partnership representing 8 countries and covering all the key markets across Europe. Norway is represented with NIBIO (Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research) and NMBU (Norwegian University of Life Sciences).

Source: https://balticbiomass4value.eu/project-consortium/

Our NIBIO team is the lead on WP 2 “Title Analysis of market outlook and future viability of different bioenergy products and value chains in the BSR energy system” where we collaborate with NMBU.

There is also a Norwegian description of the project, that is available on NIBIO’s website.

Bioenergy Europe – quick guide

Bioenergy Europe just published Essentials, a quick guide with basic facts and figures on the feedstocks and technologies currently used in bioenergy!

Free pdf available online.

Source: https://bioenergyeurope.org/

MAP workshop in Malawi (Mzuzu)

We successfully completed another great MAP workshop (Multi-Actor Platform) with partners and local stakeholders on Mzuzu Malawi, for the Farms4Biodiversity project!

Multi-Actor Platforms bring diverse stakeholders together in a formal process of interactive learning, sharing, empowerment, and collaborative governance to discuss opportunities and obstacles to a desired set of goals. Multi-Actor Platforms are designed to promote resilience and innovation in the face of risk, complexity, and uncertainty.

Our objective was to explore new, innovative institutional and policy frameworks to enable use of agroecological practices to reduce biodiversity loss, sustain ecosystem services, and improve climate change adaptation.

EU bioeconomy breakdown

The latest data (2015) on the EU bioeconomy, in terms of jobs, turnover, value added.
Source: EU Science Hub

Presenting at the ICABR bioeconomy event at The World Bank

​I will be attending “Disruptive Innovations, Value Chains, and Rural Development” organized by ICABR (International Consortium on Applied Bioeconomy Research) at The World Bank in June, where I am presenting my paper “Circular regulations (CR) for bioeconomy development”

The talk highlights the importance for a new understanding of regulatory frameworks that directly relate to the emerging bioeconomy and the underlying circular understanding of economic activity.

Source: http://www.worldbank.org/en/events/2017/10/11/disruptive-innovations-value-chains-and-rural-development#3

Launch of the IRENA report: Renewable Energy Prospects in the European Union

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) just published the report “Renewable energy prospects for the European Union” to contribute to the ongoing discussions on the regulatory frameworks necessary to support renewable energy as part of the Commission’s “Clean Energy for All Europeans” package.

The report further supports the global REmap analysis, to set practical roadmaps for doubling renewables in the global energy mix by 2030.

Source: https://www.irena.org/publications/2018/Feb/Renewable-energy-prospects-for-the-EU

The complete report is freely available here.