Advancing Biobased Solutions: Bioenergy Europe at EUBCE 2024 

Last week, Bioenergy Europe’s Secretary General Jean-Marc Jossart and Policy Officer Ennio Prizzi joined the 32nd edition of the Biomass Conference and Exhibition – EUBCE in Marseille. The EUBCE is a multifaceted event that brings together academia, research institutions, industry and policy experts in the field of biomass.   

The conference gathers every year the most innovative projects and innovations in the sector. For the 2024 edition, about 200 oral presentations and at least 500 posters were selected from a Call for Papers. Bioenergy Europe contributed by sharing its expertise on CDR methodologies and voluntary certification schemes for sustainable bio-based products. 

Capturing the future: what lies ahead for biobased carbon removals 

Ennio Prizzi moderated a plenary session dedicated to the future of biobased carbon removals. The session explored the potential of three different CDR methodologies: Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), Biochar Carbon Removal (BCR), and BiogenicCO2 capture in demolished concrete aggregate. For each methodology, the panellists presented an innovative project example, focusing on the technical aspects as well as the public perception. Finally, the plenary explored the use of carbon removal credits for the next phase of the EU ETS (Emission Trading System) and investigated the economic models and financial mechanisms to drive investment in CDR projects. 

Monitoring Sustainability Certification Schemes and Labels of Bio-based Products 

The EUBCE was also a chance to focus on the wider bioeconomy. Jean-Marc Jossart seated on the panel  dedicated to the three Horizon Europe projects under the BIOBASEDCERT Cluster and discussed the effectiveness and robustness of voluntary sustainability certification schemes and labels (CSLs) and their use to assess the sustainability of biological feedstocks and bio-based products.