The use of first-generation agricultural biomass (like cereals, sugar and oil plants) for bio-based energy and materials, has many benefits. This will produce food security, biodiversity, agriculture and climate-change mitigation. Says a new expert paper by nova-Institute.
The new strategy
Europe’s bioeconomy – which produces renewable, non-fossil-based materials and energy solutions from biomass – is soon to be the focus of a new EU strategy. This is aimed at boosting Europe’s autonomy and competitiveness, while reducing its reliance on fossil-based resources. This new nova-Institute study confirms that the EU has the biomass resources necessary to realize the strategy. And it dispels myths about the use of first-generation agricultural biomass, such as starch, sugar and oilseed crops.
The report holds that opposition to the use of first-generation biomass is primarily shaped by emotional and political arguments; but robust data and a comprehensive understanding of the global food system show otherwise. Critics fear an undermining of food security; but scientific evidence shows that these concerns are largely misplaced.
Benefits
The new research highlights four key benefits to the EU from the use of biomass including food crops for non-food applications such as fuels, chemicals and materials:
- Enhancing a resilient and competitive EU agriculture: Selling crops to multiple markets gives farmers greater flexibility and reduces their vulnerability to price fluctuations in any single sector. It also encourages investment in innovation and sustainable practices, as farmers can diversify their income and adapt to changes in the market.
- Increased food security: Using first-generation biomass for non-food applications strengthens food security in several important ways. This includes improved market stability through delivering protein-rich by-products. For this provides good availability of food crops and long-term scalability for starch, sugar and oil crops in the EU; all while providing an emergency food reserve in times of crisis.
- Supporting climate change mitigation: In order to defossilise European industry – critical for net-zero targets in chemical and fuel sectors – the use of first-generation biomass is indispensable. Although second-generation biomass is widely accepted, first-generation biomass can usually be produced at lower cost and in larger numbers, and be scaled up more easily and significantly.
- Supporting biodiversity protection: Food crops are the most efficient use of land for producing starch, sugar and plant oils. They maximize the productivity of each hectare. This reduces the total land area required for agriculture, and leaves more space for nature and biodiversity protection.
High-tech agriculture
High-tech agriculture will further enhance the benefits of first-generation biomass, the report writes. Development and investment in new agricultural practices will primarily occur in the food crop commodity sector; there they will have the greatest impact and generate the highest returns on investment. Making the most of the available land. But then, non-food applications of food crops will directly benefit from this development; they will become even more competitive and environmentally beneficial than they are today.
A good availability and scalability of starch, sugar and oil crops in the EU will enable the achievement of climate targets. The long-term availability of starch and oil crops in the EU is expected to grow, allowing production to be easily scaled up as needed. Scaling is comparably easy because logistics, infrastructure and machinery for the first generation are available at the latest technology level; and even better used with additional demand. This reliability is crucial for the success of Europe’s defossilization strategy.
Biodiversity
Protecting and enhancing biodiversity is essential for the sustainability of European agriculture. This is because existing agriculture is vulnerable to reduced resilience, increased vulnerability to pests and diseases, and deteriorating soil health. Furthermore, improved agricultural practices such as crop rotation, intercropping and regenerative agriculture will enhance soil health and ecosystem functions; supporting a wide range of plant and animal species.
As a matter of fact, high-tech agriculture will contribute to biodiversity protection. For by making the most of available land, it will reduce the pressure to convert natural habitats into farmland. This means that more land can be set aside for biodiversity protection and ecosystem restoration. This effect will be enhanced if the reduction of fertilisers and pesticides in high-tech agriculture will continue. And again, this development is primarily applied to first-generation biomass.
No 2G sugars
The study argues for the use of first-generation sugars rather than second-generation sugars (meaning sugar from lignocellulose). Firstly, it shows that production of first generation sugars is much more productive than that of the second generation. Therefore, the same amount of fermentable sugars for the biorefinery would require multiple times the amount of land. Secondly, there would be less protein supply, an important by-product of 1G non-food production. Thirdly, the emergency reserve of first-generation crops (starch, sugar and plant oils) for food crises would be lost: by definition, second-generation crops cannot provide food. And finally, even with 1G sugar prices, biorefineries and bio-based chemicals and derived materials can hardly compete with fossil solutions. 2G sugars are two to three times more expensive; therefore any relevant scaling up for defossilization is impossible.
The nova-Institute report was commissioned by the European Bioeconomy Alliance, a multistakeholder, cross-sector platform dedicated to mainstreaming the bioeconomy and achieving its full potential in Europe.
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