Biomass: a potential energy source
A report on the potential of biomass as a fuel source for energy production, funded under the EU's RTD programme in the field of agriculture and agro-industry (AIR), has recently been published by the European Commission, DG XII. The objectives of the report included the examination of the real cost of fossil fuel in terms of environmental damage and advantages of biomass in relation to environment, social and rural development. It also aimed to define the effective scenario and models for integrated biomass systems in European conditions and to analyse potential agro-energy centres. The report has been based on project engineering work carried out within the EU RTD Framework Programmes and recent literature on agricultural research and technological capabilities. The report is divided into nine chapters which cover the following: - Real costs of fossil fuel including social and environmental costs; - Development of energy biomass; - Short rotation forestry; - Annual energy crops; - Sweet sorghum ethanol processing line; - Biomass conversion technology; - Sweet sorghum industrial processing centre; - Strategy for a biomass energy centre and possible integrations; - Legislation.