Major accident hazard in bioenergy production

Some recent accidents involving the bioenergy production and feedstock supply chain raised concern on the safety of such technologies. A survey of major accidents related to the production of bioenergy (intended as biomass, bioliquids/biofuels and biogas) was carried out, and a data repository was built, based on past accident reports available in the open literature and in specific databases. Data analysis shows that major accidents are increasing in recent years and their number is growing faster than bioenergy production. The results obtained represent an early warning concerning the major accident hazard of bioenergies, and suggest the importance of risk awareness and safety culture in bioenergy production, in the perspective of a safe and sustainable exploitation of renewable resources.