Task 40
Events
Latest event in March 2013
Publications
Latest reports in March 2013
Ongoing
2 ongoing projects
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10 member countries
4 observers
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May
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May
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Mar
Final reports are now available!
12
Mar
Presentations are now available!
2
Jan
Task 40: Possible effect of torrefaction on biomass trade
Task 32: Status overview of torrefaction technologies
19
Feb
Presentations are now available!
9
Sep
Presentations are now available!
Report: The Science-Policy Interface on the Environmental Sustainability of Forest Bioenergy
Download This publication reports on the discussions and opinions expressed during an expert workshop on the environmental sustainability of forest bioenergy in Canada, held in Quebec on the 3-5 October 2012.
The workshop was organised by the International Energy Agency Bioenergy Task 40 (International Sustainable Bioenergy Trade) and Task 43 (Biomass Feedstocks for Energy Markets), the IEA Bioenergy Executive Committee, the Faculty of Forestry, Geomatics and Geography of Laval University (Quebec, Canada), and Natural Resources Canada, with collaboration from the Global Bioenergy Partnership and the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers. Participants engaged in dialogue critical for the formulation of rational policy to achieve sustainable forest bioenergy production systems.
Book: International Bioenergy Trade: History, status & outlook on securing sustainable bioenergy supply, demand and markets
The trade of global bioenergy commodities, such as ethanol, biodiesel and wood pellets has been growing exponentially in the past decade, and have by 2013 reached true "commodity" volumes, i.e. tens of millions of tonnes traded each year, and billions (both in US$/EUR) of annual turnover.
IEA Bioenergy Task 40 was founded in 2004 and is now in its 4th triennium. For the past 9 years, task 40 has monitored the developments in international bioenergy trade, including the organization of about 20 workshops on trade-related topics, and the publication of over 100 studies, country reports, newsletters, etc. The amount of material produced over the years and insights gained in how biomass markets and international trade of biomass and biofuels has developed is impressive. Besides that the group has produced overviews and insights, also a large amount of practical experience has been brought together in what works and what doesn't. Last but not least, based on all this, there are clear(er) views on how to proceed to build working sustainable international biomass markets in the future. This book compiles those lessons and insights into an easily accessible book publication.
More information on the book available at Springer website.
Reports: Monitoring Sustainability Certification of Bioenergy
Within IEA Bioenergy a strategic study was initiated among Tasks 40, 43 and 38 to monitor the actual implementation process of sustainability certification of bioenergy, evaluate how stakeholders are affected by certification initiatives, quantify the anticipated impact on worldwide bioenergy trade, assess the level of coordination among schemes, and make recommendations to remove barriers which may depress markets and reduce sustainable trade. Read more...
Final reports are available for the subtasks of the study:
- T1: Examining Sustainability Certification of Bioenergy
- T2: Survey on governance and certification of sustainable biomass & bioenergy
- T3: Impacts of sustainability certification on bioenergy markets
- T4: Recommendations for improvement of sustainability certified markets
Past events: Workshop at 8th Annual WBM Conference (Rotterdam, 12 March 2013)
IEA T40 Workshop - How can sustainability certification support bioenergy markets?
A strategic study by IEA Bioenergy Tasks 40, 43 and 38 aimed to monitor the actual implementation process of sustainability certification of bioenergy, and to obtain a view on how certification schemes are operating and impacting markets, taking into account the point of view of different stakeholder groups. Based on a.o. input from over 200 stakeholders, recommendations were made on how sustainability certification can work in bioenergy markets and in fact actually support further deployment. During the workshop, main findings were presented and discussed with industry and policy makers. More information on the workshop is available here.
Reports: Two studies on torrefaction
Task 40: Possible effect of torrefaction on biomass trade Download
The focus of this study is to examine briefly the status of the development of torrefaction technology, and more importantly assess what are the likely biomass sources and what impact the development of torrefied wood will have on global trade, in particular between now and 2020. This study assessed the extent torrefaction might open up new biomass feedstock sources, and explored how torrefied biomass will perform along the logistical chain of long-haul international transport and at the end-use conversion plants. The torrefaction process was compared with two other important preconditioning technologies: simple pelletization and flash pyrolysis.
Task 32: Status overview of torrefaction technologies Download
2 January 2013 - This report presents an overview of the current status of torrefaction technologies and their market perspectives. It is largely based on a technology status overview prepared by KEMA (involved in Task 32) for the Dutch government in 2010. Additional information collected in 2011 and 2012 was incorporated to update the document.
Number of visitors 1 January 2013 - 31 March 2013: 18200
(Number of total visitors between 2007 - 2012 is approximately 400,000)