project - Research and innovation

Turn agrarian woody residues into valuable biomass
Turn agrarian woody residues into valuable biomass

Ongoing | 2016 - 2019 Other, European Union
Ongoing | 2016 - 2019 Other, European Union
Derzeit wird der Seiteninhalt nach Möglichkeit in der Muttersprache angezeigt

Objectives

Despite the rapidly increasing use of biomass as a source of energy over the past years, the exploitation of agrarian woody residues for this purpose is still rare. The uP_running project aims to promote the use of residues from agrarian pruning and plantation removals as energy feed stock. The project works along two lines: First, by increasing awareness within the agrarian and energy sectors, by providing evidence about this type of biomass (mainly from fruit trees, olive groves and vineyards) as a source for bioenergy. And, secondly, trying to build trust and reduce the general skepticism around the technical difficulties or profitability of the utilisation of residues from permanent crops for bioenergy.

Objectives

N/A

Activities

The low quantity of the residues per hectare, their heterogeneity or the requirements for harvesting hinder the profitability and use of this type of biomass as energy feed stock and discourage the potential stakeholders within the bionenergy value chain. Therefore, one of the first actions of this project was to develop an open access portal to map the potential supply and demand of this type of biomass, harvesting technologies plus successful value chains and experiences. Hence, the uP_running Observatory Map serves, first as a source of information for the project, and additionally it helps to show (and convince) both farmers and bioenergy companies that the exploitation of these residues is possible and worthwhile.

Activities

N/A

Additional comments

The uP_running observatory map is available in different languages (English, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Portuguese, French)

Additional information

In order to gather real data about the use of agrarian woody residues to generate energy, the uP-running project has created an online observatory mapping the biomass availability (pruning residues or removals from plantations), harvesting technologies for these residues and also successful experiences of the use of woody agri-biomass for energy.

The portal serves first as a database for the project, but it is also a valuable resource for any stakeholder involved on these chains, from the farmers to the industry, as it provides data on potential supply and demand of biomass.

The page includes a map and different tools to easily explore and fine-tune the search for data. For example, it allows to filter by type of production amongst 16 crops, so that for instance bioenergy companies can look for suppliers offering the proper type of biomass required. Once the user gets the list of providers fitting the needs, it possible to access further info about each case, including the amount of biomass produced or when this is generated.

From the point of view of the farmers, the observatory offers data about established value chains or companies working with agrarian biomass, which might provide value to these residues. Additionally, it also helps to identify experiences and other cases serving as inspiration or examples to follow.

The application also maps data about specific machinery to handle this type of biomass, from small field processors for farmers to transport systems for companies.

And finally, by completing a questionnaire, any farmer or company can upload its own data to the database, increasing the chances of becoming involved in a successful value chain using woody agrarian residues for energy.

Project details
Main funding source
Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
Project acronym
uP_running
Agricultural sectors
Crops (generic)
Derzeit wird der Seiteninhalt nach Möglichkeit in der Muttersprache angezeigt

Contacts

Daniel Garcia Galindo

Fundación CIRCE

daniel.garcia@fcirce.es

Project coordinator

  • Fundación CIRCE

    Project coordinator