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Abstract The bioeconomy is a shared vision for a future European industry entirely based on organic matter. Authorities support this technological development with subsidies and policies stimulating R&D. One major limitation for the bioeconomy is that R&D and industrial growth require the continuous availability of biomass as a primary resource. This resource dependence is already present during the formative years of new biobased innovations and influences the pilot and demonstration phase of the development. Traditionally, it is assumed that public support for pilot and demonstration initiatives may overcome this hurdle. In this paper, we investigate how this resource constraint limits the effectiveness of bioeconomy policies. The future development of the biobased sector is simulated including the inherent dependence of industrial activity on biomass. We simulate the future growth and technological diversity of an emerging biotechnological sector: the sector of manure transformation in Belgium. The paper reports the evolutions for three policy scenarios. The model explicitly accounts for endogenous innovation and knowledge transfer mechanisms. The results show that policies may have an important impact on the sector structure in the long run, but the sector growth remains ultimately constrained by the availability of inputs. So bioeconomy policies to promote innovation will be less effective, unless mechanisms are included to alleviate the resource constraint. Highlights • Biomass resource constraints impact the effectiveness of bioeconomy policies. • Bioeconomy policies may have an important impact on the sector structure in the long run, but the sector growth remains ultimately constrained by the availability of inputs. • Solutions to reduce the biomass constraint have to be included in innovation policy for the biobased economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: European policy states that by 2020 at least 20% of final energy consumption should come from renewable energy sources. Biomass as a renewable energy source cannot be disregarded in order to attain this target. In this study a macro screening approach is developed to determine potential locations for biomass valorization in a specified region. The approach consists of five steps: (1) criteria determination, (2) data gathering, (3) weight assignment, (4) final score, (5) spatial representation. The resulting outcome provides a first well balanced scan of the possibilities for energy production using regional biomass. This way policy makers and investors can be supported and motivated to study the possibilities of building energy production plants at specific locations in more detail, which can be described as a ‘micro-screening’. In our case study the approach is applied to determine the potentially interesting locations to establish a biomass project. The region has been limited to the forty-four communities in the province of Limburg (Belgium). The macro screening approach has shown to be very effective since the amount of interesting locations has been reduced drastically. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the last few years, governments all around the world have agreed upon migrating towards carbon-neutral economies as a strategy for restraining the effects of climate change. A major obstacle limiting this achievement is greenhouse gases emissions, for which the aviation sector is a key contributor because of its dependence on fossil fuels. As an alternative, biofuels with similar characteristics to current fossil-fuels and fully compatible with the existing petroleum infrastructure (i.e., drop-in biofuels) are being developed. In this regard, microalgae are a promising feedstock thanks to, among other aspects, their potential for lipid accumulation. This review outlines the development status, opportunities, and challenges of different technologies that are capable of or applicable to transform microalgae into aviation fuels. To this effect, a baseline of the existing jet fuels and the requirements for potential aviation biofuels is initially presented. Then, microalgae production and valorization techniques are discussed with an emphasis on the thermochemical pathways. Finally, an assessment of the present techno-economic feasibility of microalgae-derived aviation fuels is discussed, along with the authors' point of view on the suitability of these techniques. Further developments are needed to reduce the costs of cultivation and harvesting of microalgae, and a biorefinery approach might improve the economics of the overall process. In addition, while each of the conversion routes described has its advantages and drawbacks, they converge upon the need of optimizing the deoxygenation techniques and the proportion of the suitable type of hydrocarbons that match fuel requirements. • Microalgae cultivation and harvesting are currently the bottleneck for economics. • Heterotrophic cultivation would reduce harvest costs at industrial scale. • Choosing a thermochemical pathway relies on the feedstock and fuel specifications. • Catalytic pyrolysis and hydrothermal liquefaction are very promising technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]