Biobased Resources and Value Chains

Zörb, Christian; Lewandowski, Iris; Kindervater, R.; Göttert, U.; Patzelt, D.

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-68152-8_5

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Further, bio digestion enables the efficient use of liquid manure for biogas production and, at the same time, the reduction of nitrous oxide emissions from manure [30,31], especially in organic farming systems [30,32]. However, there are various other utilization pathways for crop-based biomass beyond bioenergy, including biomaterials and biochemicals produced through biorefinery and cascading use concepts [33][34][35][36]. Increasing competition in biomass usage could have a negative impact on the bioenergy sector whenever it is more feasible to follow biorefinery or cascading use concepts than to simply produce bioenergy from biomass [33].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospects of Bioenergy Cropping Systems for A More Social-Ecologically Sound Bioeconomy

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The growing bioeconomy will require a greater supply of biomass in the future for both bioenergy and bio-based products. Today, many bioenergy cropping systems (BCS) are suboptimal due to either social-ecological threats or technical limitations. In addition, the competition for land between bioenergy-crop cultivation, food-crop cultivation, and biodiversity conservation is expected to increase as a result of both continuous world population growth and expected severe climate change effects. This study investigates how BCS can become more social-ecologically sustainable in future. It brings together expert opinions from the fields of agronomy, economics, meteorology, and geography. Potential solutions to the following five main requirements for a more holistically sustainable supply of biomass are summarized: (i) bioenergy-crop cultivation should provide a beneficial social-ecological contribution, such as an increase in both biodiversity and landscape aesthetics, (ii) bioenergy crops should be cultivated on marginal agricultural land so as not to compete with food-crop production, (iii) BCS need to be resilient in the face of projected severe climate change effects, (iv) BCS should foster rural development and support the vast number of small-scale family farmers, managing about 80% of agricultural land and natural resources globally, and (v) bioenergy-crop cultivation must be planned and implemented systematically, using holistic approaches. Further research activities and policy incentives should not only consider the economic potential of bioenergy-crop cultivation, but also aspects of biodiversity, soil fertility, and climate change adaptation specific to site conditions and the given social context. This will help to adapt existing agricultural systems in a changing world and foster the development of a more social-ecologically sustainable bioeconomy.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospects of Bioenergy Cropping Systems for A More Social-Ecologically Sound Bioeconomy

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It has been argued that the cascade of uses and interlinking of value chains are instrumental to increase the efficiency of resources in the bioeconomy sector [21]. A value chain approach, which is a simplified biomass-based value chain, oftentimes entails primary production, conversion, and markets in a linear manner in the context of bioeconomy [38], is however considered insufficient, and a value web approach may be able to close this knowledge gap [21]. The competing uses of these biological materials can lead to their unavailability for local consumption purposes.…”

Section: Effects Of Socio-demographic Variables Of Local Actors On the Use Of Biomass-based Resourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community-Level Analysis of Value Webs of Biomass-Based Resources: A Case Study among Local Actors in Ghana

Naah

2020

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The biomass sector in Ghana is very important for supplying essential food and non-food biomass-based resources to many people for a wide range of uses. There is, however, limited deliberation on these culturally important biomass-based resources at a community level in the country. The aims of this study are three-fold, namely to (i) document various kinds of biomass-based resources and their cultural importance to local actors, (ii) examine socio-demographic factors influencing local actors’ knowledge base on biomass-based resources, and (iii) identify value webs, challenges, and future actions for sustainable use of biomass-based resources. Individual interviews were thus performed using structured questionnaires to cover 180 local actors (consisting of 120 smallholder farmers and 60 local commercial intermediaries) across six rural communities in the Northern and Upper East regions of Ghana. Cereals, e.g., maize (Zea mays), Guinea corn (Sorghum bicolor), rice (Oryza sativa), millet (Pennisetum glaucum), and legumes, e.g., groundnuts (Arachis hypogaea) are cultivated as major crops in the study areas and also considered by local actors as the most culturally important food crop species, as well as minor crops like tubers and vegetables. Ethnicity and residential status of local actors were found to significantly influence local knowledge on biomass-based resources. The value webs of selected food biomass-based resources are not elaborately developed and still remained simple and traditional in nature, since no cascading uses of by-products were identified. Several challenges and the future actions for managing locally produced biomass-based resources are addressed. The sustainable utilization of these biomass-based resources and value addition to their products are required to help increase family incomes and improve their livelihoods.

show abstract

“…In this sense, the presented sustainability monitoring tool is a contribution to the emerging field of LCM tools that provide decision support and strategy assessment of regional sustainability [20][21][22][23][24]. This study showcases the operationalization of an LCM tool in a case study system of future regional bioeconomy production networks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights from the Sustainability Monitoring Tool SUMINISTRO Applied to a Case Study System of Prospective Wood-Based Industry Networks in Central Germany

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Bioeconomy regions are a young concept representing emerging amalgamation points for the implementation of cross-sectoral value-added chains. When sustainable bioeconomy strategies are rolled out, their proof-of-concept implies that industrial R&D activities should lead to impact decoupling and that the valorization of locally available lignocellulosic biomass has to contribute to an increase in added value. Furthermore, regional co-benefits for society and a positive influence on local environmental and socioeconomic conditions are major factors. The fulfillment of these strategic goals would be a milestone achievement when progressing from the blueprint development and the road-mapping stage towards socially accepted and sustainable wood-based bioeconomy strategies. For regional industrial and science stakeholders who run pilot facilities for process upscaling and for energy and material flow integration, this requires well-orchestrated integrative processes, which go beyond conventional “Life Cycle Management” approaches. It is obvious that assessing and monitoring such integrative systems will have to account for different stakeholder perspectives and for detailed technology deployment and resource conversion scenarios. Applying a sustainability index methodology in a case study region must include an evaluation of the whole supply chain and the process networks associated with the characteristic products of the evaluated region. To date, no such integrative assessment methods exist in the literature. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to lay out, on the basis of a practical example in the case study region of Central Germany, an assessment of the sustainability level of wood-based bioeconomy networks by applying the Sustainability Monitoring Tool -SUMINISTRO”- to examine regional bio-based industry networks.

show abstract

Biobased Resources and Value Chains

Cited by 19 publications

References 9 publications

Prospects of Bioenergy Cropping Systems for A More Social-Ecologically Sound Bioeconomy

Prospects of Bioenergy Cropping Systems for A More Social-Ecologically Sound Bioeconomy

Community-Level Analysis of Value Webs of Biomass-Based Resources: A Case Study among Local Actors in Ghana

Insights from the Sustainability Monitoring Tool SUMINISTRO Applied to a Case Study System of Prospective Wood-Based Industry Networks in Central Germany

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About