Biomasse OUI - Innovations for sustainable utilization of biomass in the Upper Rhine Region

  • Project team:

    Knapp, Martin (project leader); Nora Weinberger, Alexandra Pehle, Rolf Meyer, Volker Stelzer, Florian Klein

  • Funding:

    European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Program Interreg IVb; Science Offensive of the Trinational Metropolitan Region of the Upper Rhine (TMO)

    National co-financiers:

    Germany: Ministry of Science, Research and Arts of the State of Baden-Württemberg; Ministry of Education, Research and Culture of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate

    France: Conseil Régional of the Alsace Region

    Switzerland: Canton of Basel-Territory; Canton of Basel-City; Swiss Confederacy

  • Start date: 2012
  • End date: 2015
  • Project partners:

    German-French Institute for Environmental Research, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (DE) - DFIU (joint project leader)

    Chair of Remote Sensing and Landscape Information Systems, University of Freiburg (DE) - FeLis; Association pour la Surveillance et l′Étude de la Pollution Atmosphérique, Strasbourg (FR) - ASPA; Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel (CH) - DUW; Génétique Moléculaire, Génomique, Microbiologie, University of Strasbourg (FR) - GMGM; Territorial Management of Water and of the Environment, Ecole Nationale du Génie de l′Eau et de l′Environnement de Strasbourg (FR) - GESTE-ENGEES; Institute for Ecopreneurship, School of Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Muttenz (CH) - IEC; Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau (DE), IfU; Laboratoire de Gestion des Risques et Environnement, Université de Haute-Alsace (FR); GRE; Laboratoire des Matériaux, Surfaces et Procédés pour la Catalyse, Université de Strasbourg (FR) – LMSPC; Laboratoire d′Hydrologie et de Géochimie de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg (FR) – LHyGeS; Laboratoire Image, Ville, Environnement, CNRS/Université de Strasbourg (FR) - LIVE

  • Research group: Sustainability and environment

Project description

Logos

Background

Biomass is a renewable resource that can be utilized as an energy carrier as well as for the production of materials. Due to the limited availability of fossil fuels, the biomass demand is expected to rise significantly in the future. In particular, the cultivation of energy crops is posing new problems with regard to ethical and environmental questions and is fostering debates on conflicting targets for the safeguarding of food, fuel, feed, and ecosystems. The use of biomass is thus linked to considerable societal and ecological impacts that constitute major challenges with regard to a sustainable development and to the avoidance of competitions for the utilization of disposable surfaces and resources.

Therefore, insuring a sustainable utilization of biomass essentially requires a comprehensive approach taking into account the entire value chain, different alternative uses, regulatory frameworks and business conditions, as well as the specific environmental and social situation on a local level. While various stakeholders at present are already tapping the Upper Rhine Region’s bio-energy potential partially, neither a consistent strategy for sustainable biomass utilization nor a network for environmental research for the region as a whole is existent.

Project goals

The project aims to establish the tri-national Upper Rhine Region (URR) as one of the most innovative regions in Europe in the field of sustainable biomass utilization. In practice, this involves the promotion of biomass as a renewable energy source and/or as a raw material by drafting a "Roadmap for sustainable biomass utilization in the URR", to be used as an action plan and a strategic guideline for the implementation of sustainable biomass projects.

The specific objectives targeted during this action within the Scientific Offensive of the Trinational Metropolis Region of the Upper Rhine (TMO) are to:

  • Study all relevant aspects of the biomass value chain (production, transportation, utilization)
  • Take into account the different development alternatives through scenarios
  • Analyze the potential impacts in terms of sustainability criteria
  • Launch local dialog on the advantages and disadvantages of using biomass

Concomitantly, an interdisciplinary tri-national network of scientists from across the URR is to be created. This working group will tackle environmental issues in its native region together with political and industrial players and local residents. In order to create a long-term network, it will be formally established as the "Upper Rhine Environmental Research Institute" (URERI).

Key activities of ITAS

ITAS′s main task was to elaborate and to analyze scenarios whose purpose is to describe possible developments of the production and usage of biomass for bioenergy in the Upper Rhine Region (URR) until 2030. The explorative scenarios are based on different developments of national and European framing conditions in the areas of energy, agricultural and nature conservation policies as well as developments of bioenergy technologies. Changes in land use, agricultural and forestry biomass production, and applied biomass utilization pathways are analyzed with the scenarios. A sustainability assessment of the results was conducted.

In addition to that, together with different project partners, ITAS has analyzed existing models for developing inventories of biomass to assess their applicability on the Upper Rhine Region and has also taking part in assembling a site-specific stock inventory for agricultural biomass in particular. On that basis, the project partners had continued working on techno-economic modeling and impact analysis (LCA) of biomass usage according to the different scenarios.

Relating to the roadmap, ITAS′s task was to involve the most important stakeholders in the field of biomass with regard to the three sub-areas of the URR – afore identified and analyzed by the project partners - into the process of validating the results of the scenarios. The respective results, in combination with current framework conditions and sustainability targets, were considered during the final elaboration of the roadmap for sustainable biomass utilization in the URR.

Project website

English: http://www.oui-biomasse.info/en/
French: http://www.oui-biomasse.info/fr/
German: http://www.oui-biomasse.info/

Roadmap for sustainable biomass utilisation in the Upper Rhine Region

German: http://www.oui-biomasse.info/fileadmin/pdf/Publikationen/Roadmap_OUI_DE.pdf
French: http://www.oui-biomasse.info/fileadmin/pdf/Publikationen/Roadmap_OUI_FR.pdf

Scientific Report

Schumacher, Kira (Hrsg.); Fichtner, Wolf (Hrsg.); Schultmann, Frank (Hrsg.) (2017): Innovations for sustainable biomass utilisation in the Upper Rhine Region (Produktion und Energie 18). KIT Scientific Publishing https://www.ksp.kit.edu/9783731504238

External publications on project results

Klein, F.
Nachhaltige Biomassenutzung in der Oberrhein-Region - Inventarisierung der disponiblen landwirtschaftlichen Biomasse ein- und zweijähriger Kulturen sowie Analyse verfügbarer Modelle und Tools und ihrer Übertragbarkeit auf die Oberrhein-Region. Masterarbeit am KIT, an der Technischen Universität München und an der Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, 2014

Knapp, M.
„Vor- und Nachteile energetischer Biomassenutzung“ und „Unterschiede in der Erhebung von Biomassepotentialen in der Region Oberrhein und Auflagen zu Ihrer Nutzung“. Videobeiträge zum Online-Dossier des Interreg-Projekts „BioCombust“, Kapitel „Energie aus Biomasse“: http://biocombust.eu. Institut für Geo- und Umweltnaturwissenschaften, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, 2014.

Publications


2017
Book Chapters
Bidart, C.; Blond, N.; Elsässer, D.; Knapp, M.; Meyer, R.; Müller, A.-K.; Pehle, A.; Aguejad, R.; Serradj, A.; Skupinski, G.; Nguyen, D.-B.; Weber, C.
Collection of data on biomass potentials
2017. Innovations for Sustainable Biomass Utilisation in the Upper Rhine Region Hrsg.: K. Schumacher, 40–63, KIT Scientific Publishing 
Bidart, C.; Blond, N.; Hugi, C.; Knapp, M.; Meyer, R.; Pallarès, C.; Schumacher, K.; Selmi, W.; Stark, J.; Steiger, O.
Current situation of biomass utilisation in the Upper Rhine Region
2017. Innovations for sustainable biomass utilisation in the Upper Rhine Region. Ed.: K. Schumacher, 11–37, KIT Scientific Publishing 
Meyer, R.; Pehle, A.; Knapp, M.
Biomass scenarios and their results
2017. Innovations for sustainable biomass utilisation in the Upper Rhine Region. Ed.: K. Schumacher, 112–148, KIT Scientific Publishing 
Steiger, O.; Blond, N.; Hugi, C.; Meyer, R.
Roadmap towards a more sustainable use of biomass in the URR
2017. Innovations for sustainable biomass utilisation in the Upper Rhine Region. Ed.: K. Schumacher, 237–245, KIT Scientific Publishing 
Stelzer, V.; Knapp, M.; Meyer, R.; Pehle, A.
Integrative sustainability assessment to evaluate OUI biomass scenarios over URR
2017. Innovations for sustainable biomass utilisation in the Upper Rhine Region. Ed.: K. Schumacher, 218–226, KIT Scientific Publishing 
2016
Presentations
Stelzer, V.; Meyer, R.; Knapp, M.; Pehle, A.
Grenzüberschreitende Nachhaltigkeitsbewertung der Bioenergienutzung in der Grenzregion Deutschland, Frankreich, Schweiz
2016. 10 Jahre AK Geographische Energieforschung – Einblicke im Spannungsfeld von institutionellen, sektoralen und räumlichen Dynamiken (2016), Karlsruhe, Germany, April 8–9, 2016 
2015
Reports/Preprints
Fritz, A.; Koch, B.; Bosansky, M.; Pallares, C.; Riviere, E.; Hu, Y.; Kuhn, N.; Bidart, C.; Fichtner, W.; Fröhling, M.; McKenna, R.; Müller, A.-K.; Rudi, A.; Schultmann, F.; Schumacher, K.; Vuilleumier, S.; Barbier, R.; Daniel, F.-J.; Bühler, S.; Hugi, C.; Steiger, O.; Knapp, M.; Meyer, R.; Pehle, A.; Stelzer, V.; Elsaesser, D.; Schulz, R.; Brilhac, J.-F.; Schönnenbeck, C.; Valente, M.; Roger, A.-C.; Duplay, J.; Quaranta, G.; Schäfer, G.; Aguejdad, R.; Blond, N.; Ponche, J.-L.; Selmi, W.; Serradj, A.; Skupinski, G.; Stark, J.; Weber, C.
Roadmap für eine nachhaltige Biomassenutzung in der Oberrheinregion. Roadmap Utilisation durable de la biomasse dans la Région du Rhin supérieur
2015. Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) 
Presentations
Knapp, M.; Meyer, R.; Pehle, A.
Projet OUI Biomasse - Perspectives sur l’utilisation énergétique de la biomasse (sélection de résultats tirés des scénarios)
2015. Atelier sur l’utilisation durable de la biomasse dans la région du Rhin supérieur (RRS), École Nationale du Génie de l’Eau et de l’Environnement de Strasbourg (ENGEES) (2015), Strasbourg, France, April 16, 2015 
Knapp, M.; Stelzer, V.; Meyer, R.
Herausforderungen aus der Nachhaltigkeitsperspektive
2015. Abschlusskonferenz OUI Biomasse, Karlsruhe, 26.Juni 2015 
Meyer, R.; Pehle, A.; Knapp, M.
Szenarien für eine nachhaltige Nutzung von Biomasse
2015. Abschlusskonferenz OUI Biomasse, Karlsruhe, 26.Juni 2015 
Meyer, R.; Pehle, A.; Knapp, M.
Perspektiven der energetischen Biomassenutzung (ausgewählte Ergebnisse aus den Szenarien)
2015. Stakeholder Workshop Schweiz im Projekt “OUI Biomasse” zur Nachhaltigen Biomassenutzung in der Oberrheinregion (ORR) (2015), Muttenz, Switzerland, April 22, 2015 
2014
Conference Papers
Knapp, M.; Schumacher, K.; Weinberger, N.
Scenarios for Potential Biomass Futures in the Tri-National Upper Rhine Region
2014. Technology Assessment and Policy Areas of Great Transitions. Proceedings from the PACITA 2013 Conference in Prague, 13 – 15 March, Prague, Czech Republic. Ed.: T. Michalek, 237–242, Technology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (ASCR) 
Meyer, W.; Knapp, M.
Flächenkonkurrenz durch Energiepflanzen - Erfassung der Komplexität zur Öffnung von Gestaltungsspielräumen
2014. Technikfolgenabschätzung im politischen System : Zwischen Konfliktbewältigung und Technologiegestaltung. Hrsg.: M. Decker, 191–201, edition sigma 
Presentations
Knapp, M.
OUI-Biomasse - Innovationen für eine nachhaltige Biomassenutzung am Oberrhein
2014. Vorstellung des Projekts ’OUI-Biomasse’, Malsch, 20. November 2014 
Poganietz, W. R.; Knapp, M.
Die Energiewende jenseits der technisch-ökonomischen Herausforderungen
2014. Deutsch-Französische Tagung VDI/ARISAL, Obernai, F, 21. März 2014 
Other
Weber, C.; Tran, D. B.; Elsaesser, D.; Fritz, A.; Knapp, M.; Serradi, A.; Skupinski, G.; Pehle, A.
Synthesis report on current resources of land and biomass to produce bio-energy in the Upper Rhine Region (URR)
2014. Karlsruhe: KIT, DFIU 2014 
2013
Presentations
Haase, M.
GIS-basierte Modellierung nachhaltiger Biomassepotenziale
2013. 1. Trinationalen Konferenz “Nachhaltige Biomassenutzung am Oberrhein” (2013), Strasbourg, France, November 29, 2013 
Knapp, M.; Schumacher, K.; Weinberger, N.
Scenarios for potential biomass futures in the tri-national Upper Rhine region
2013. 1st PACITA Conference on Technology Assessment and Policy Areas of Great Transitions, Praha, CZ, March 13-15, 2013 
Knapp, M.; Wenzel, S.; Gehrke, I.
Innovations for a sustainable biomass utilization in the Upper Rhine Region
2013. Technology Assessment and Policy Areas of Great Transitions, Praha, CZ, March 13-15, 2013 
Rösch, C.
Nachhaltigkeit und Biomasse
2013. 1. Trinationale Konferenz ’Nachhaltige Biomassenutzung am Oberrhein’, Strasbourg, F, 29. November 2013 
2012
Presentations
2011
Presentations
Knapp, M.; Jörissen, J.
Boden und FLäche - Praxis und Theorie - Konzepte, Herausforderungen und Aufgaben
2011. Acatech Workshop ’Boden und Landmanagement’, Berlin, 7.April 2011 
2010
Conference Papers
Knapp, M.; Rösch, C.; Jörissen, J.; Skarka, J.
Strategies to reduce land use competition and increasing the share of biomass in the German energy supply
2010. Proceedings of the 18th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition. From research to industry and markets. Ed.: J. Spitzer, Spitzer, J. [Hrsg.] From Research to Industry and Markets : Proc. of the 18th European Biomass Conf.and Exhibition, Lyon, F, May 3-6, 2010 Florence : ETA-Florence Renewable Energies, 2010 DVD Successful Scenarios for the Establishment of Non-Food crops in EU27 : Final Workshop of the 4FCROPS Project, Lisboa, P, November 19, 2010, 34–39, ETA 
Presentations
Knapp, M.; Rösch, C.; Jörissen, J.; Skarka, J.
Strategies to reduce land use competition and increasing the share of biomass in the German energy supply
2010. Spitzer, J. [Hrsg.] From Research to Industry and Markets : Proc. of the 18th European Biomass Conf.and Exhibition, Lyon, F, May 3-6, 2010 Florence : ETA-Florence Renewable Energies, 2010 DVD Successful Scenarios for the Establishment of Non-Food crops in EU27 : Final Workshop of the 4FCROPS Project, Lisboa, P, November 19, 2010, 18th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (EUBCE 2010), Lyon, France, May 3–7, 2010 

Contact

Dr. Martin Knapp
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS)
P.O. Box 3640
76021 Karlsruhe
Germany