International Workshop:“Woodfuel Supply Chain – Sharing Experience

The presentations of the recent joint workshop "The woodfuel supply chain - Sharing experience", a major international conference organized by IEA Bioenergy Tasks 31, 38 and 40 and the Biomass Energy Centre are available for download here.

Workshop Topics
The overall workshop theme of ‘Woodfuel Supply Chain – Sharing Experience’ was explored in presentations and discussions under two topics which pose questions which participants may consider in light of their own experience.

Topic A - ‘Global Supply Chains; Blessing or Curse?’

The rapid growth in world-wide production and commodity trading of biomass and biofuels has greatly enhanced the profile of bioenergy as a renewable energy technology. However this growth has given rise to issues at international, national, regional and local levels concerning the practicalities of establishing economically viable supply chains and the effects of different scales of production and use, among many other issues. Presentations in individual technical sessions addressed:
* UK biomass supply and trade
* Regional biomass supply chains
* Economics and modelling of supply
* Social and community issues
* and other related topics.

Topic B - ‘Standards, who needs them?’

The range of entities involved in handling biomass along the supply chain from feedstock producer to energy consumer has the potential to be vast. Ensuring sustainability and minimizing impacts on the environment through the ‘chain of custody’ will require standardization and schemes to increase market confidence. This includes standardization and quality assurance of biomass fuels for different users. Presentations in individual technical sessions addressed:
* Site productivity and environment
* Greenhouse gas balances and mitigation
* Sustainability criteria and certification
* and other related topics.

A broad range of practical issues dealing with the technology and logistics of forest biomass harvesting, transportation and storage was also addressed in technical sessions. These issues affect an important segment of the biomass supply chain, but are equally important as an area in which the application of standards is vital to ensure sustainability and quality.