The synthesis gas obtained from the gasification of forest biomass offers the opportunity to produce biofuels that can replace fossil fuels, thus contributing to the decarbonisation of society
The research is part of the BIOFORIN project, which involves the collaboration of six organisations: the Bioenergy Cluster of Catalonia, the Eurecat Technology Centre, the Catalan Federation of Forest Owners’ Associations (BOSCAT), the Montnegre and Corredor Owners’ Association, the Vallès Oriental Waste Consortium and, finally, the Maresme Waste Consortium
The project has received 1.8 million euros in aid from the Next Generation Funds, through the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition
Maresme Circular, the brand of the Maresme Waste Consortium, is investigating the feasibility of creating renewable energy from forest biomass from the Montnegre Park and the Corredor. The research is being carried out within the framework of the BIOFORIN project in which Maresme Circular participates along with five other entities to develop a bioregional management model of forest resources for industrial use.
The rural abandonment of recent decades, together with the impacts of climate change (drought, forest pests and fires), are generating a high vulnerability for Mediterranean forests and threaten the provision of ecosystem services of great value to the population of these areas which, in turn, is exposed to the elevated risk of high intensity fires.
It is in this context that BIOFORIN was created, a project that involves all the actors in the forest value chain to create sustainable forest management and improve the valorisation of the available biomass.
Thus, the Bioenergy Cluster of Catalonia, the Eurecat Technology Centre, the Catalan Federation of Forest Owners’ Associations (BOSCAT), the Montnegre and Corredor Owners’ Association, the Vallès Oriental Waste Consortium and, finally, Maresme Circular, have joined forces to promote the circular bioeconomy in the forestry sector.
1.8M euros to develop the project
The BIOFORIN project has received funding of more than 1.8M euros distributed among the different participating entities thanks to the support of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, funded by the European Union – Next Generation.
Specifically, Maresme Circular has received more than 400,000 euros to study the technical feasibility of using forest biomass from pruning and mixed organic waste in processes to obtain renewable energy through gasification.
The opportunity to produce biofuels
Syngas, the renewable gas that remains as the main product of gasification, can be used as an alternative fuel to biogas and natural gas. Similarly, the potential of biochar, the charcoal obtained during the gasification process, will also be analysed for use in the composting and anaerobic digestion process, as a biogas purification filter, for the treatment of aqueous effluents or for use in agricultural soils in the Maresme region.
The use of forest biomass as an energy resource not only allows sustainable forest management that favours the economic viability of our forests, protects their biodiversity and reduces the risk of fires, but at the same time offers the opportunity to produce biofuels that can replace fossil fuels, thus contributing to the decarbonisation of society.
