Bioenergy

Sustainable bioenergy and biofuels produced from forestry, other biomass and industrial side streams will increase New Zealand’s energy security, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and advance the development of biorefining and industrial symbiosis.

Scion's bioenergy research programme focusses on:

• Wood-based (lignocellulosic) replacements for transport biofuels and industrial energy, both of which currently use large amounts of non-renewable resources.
• Identifying, adopting and adapting the best international technologies, ensuring they are cost-effective, risk is managed, a good "fit" to New Zealand, and building the capability for large scale uptake and deployment.

Read about:

• Bioenergy options for New Zealand: key findings from five studies [pdf]
• New Zealand Biofuels Roadmap
• Why energy from wood is good for New Zealand and the climate

New Zealand biomass for bioenergy potential

New Zealand's woody biomass is sustainable, and we have enough to displace all of the coal used for energy. We have enough biomass available to start this journey and we have the potential to grow more biomass on unproductive land in New Zealand, beyond our current planted forest areas.

Read about:

- Sustainable biomass in New Zealand

- Energy potential of New Zealand's residual biomass

- Carbon debt from woody biomass

- Certification of woody biomass

- Optimising supply chains

Increasing the use of bioenergy and biofuels

Improved efficiency and material utilisation will increase the use of bioenergy in forest-based industries, as well as the transport sector, creating direct economic benefits for industry and the country.

• Bioenergy and its benefits [pdf]

Short Rotation Forestry

To ensure New Zealand will have enough clean, renewable sources of energy over the coming decade and meet future energy demand, short rotation forestry is proposed as a way to generate the required woody biomass.

Thermal processing

Fast pyrolysis and other thermal processing technologies are some of the techniques we are using to produce bioenergy and biofuels from biomass. We develop processes and products from laboratory to pilot plant to commercial scale.

Biochemical processing

Cellulose from woody biomass can be converted into simple sugars (saccharification) that can be fermented into ethanol and other liquid biofuels.

Towards biorefining and industrial symbiosis

The forestry, sawmilling and pulp and paper manufacture infrastructure in New Zealand is well positioned to support biorefineries that convert biomass into fuels, power, and value-added chemicals.

Industrial symbiosis is the association between two or more industrial facilities in which the wastes or byproducts of one company become the raw materials for another. Acting cooperatively, operating costs can be reduced and new business and job opportunities created.