Newsletter/ nawaros^® 03/03

On this site you will find a shortened version of our monthly newsletter nawaros^®

Content

International Symposium "Advanced Bioplastics" - A Great Success
Blue Angel for Pellet Heatings
The Taxation of Firewood
Wood Pellet Action
The Future of Ethanol
The Bioconversion of Renewable Raw Materials
12th Biogas Conference
Further Funding for Bio-Oils
Visitors from the Czech Republic
C.A.R.M.E.N. & AEBIOM
Conference Proceedings Clean Air Directive
Sustainable Construction
Bioplastics
Wood Heatings
Energy Quiz

International Symposium "Advanced Bioplastics" - A Great Success

From February 12th to 13th, 2003, the international expert conference on biodegradable engineering materials "Advanced Bioplastics" took place in Nuremberg. Organised by the IBAW (Interessengemeinschaft für Biologisch Abbaubare Werkstoffe, i.e. 'Community of Interests for Biodegradable Engineering Materials') and C.A.R.M.E.N., the symposium was well attended by more than 110 representatives from Germany and from abroad.
Bioplastics do not only look like conventional plastics, they can also be used like them and possess particularly eco-friendly properties. The plastic novelties are mainly made from renewable resources such as maize, potatoes, or cellulose. They are compostable without leaving behind harmful residues.
Having realised that, many companies of the plastics sector increasingly work with bioplastics. Environmentally benign products are also gaining ground in trade: Since last year, the Italian supermarket chain Iper has been using biodegradable packagings for fruit and vegetables. In Great Britain, too, more and more consumers are interested in this kind of materials, and the companies' environmental awareness is growing.
In his speech at the evening reception, the Bavarian Minister of Health, Food, and Consumer Protection, Eberhard Sinner, signalled to offer political support. He made clear that sustainable products are only to be made from raw materials which can be reproduced or grow again. As the representative of the EU commission, Dr. Joachim Ehrenberg reported on the "Environmental Action Plan" and on the activities of the EU commission in the field of renewable raw materials.
Subsequently, various kinds of bioplastics and products were shown. Apart from packagings, films, fleeces, and compostable waste bags, also packing chips and toys from biodegradable materials met with interest. Due to the positive response, the symposium is planned for next year year again.

Information and conference proceedings: IBAW, Marienstr. 19/20, 10117 Berlin, Germany, tel.: +49-30-28482-350, e-mail: info@ibaw.org (http://www.ibaw-symposium.com).

According to the Umweltbundesamt (German Federal Environment Office), the environmental label "Blue Angel" (see nawaros® 02/2002) now applies to low-emission and energy-efficient pellet-fired heating appliances. The Blue Angel is awarded to wood pellet-fired boilers with an output up to 50 kW and to wood-pellet fired stoves with an output of 15 kW for heating single rooms. The criteria are among others the following: efficient use of energy (efficiency rating), low emission level for carbon monoxide, organic compounds, dust, and nitrogen oxides. The Federal Environment Office produced a study on the requirements for awarding the Blue Angel. This study will be available on the internet (http://www.blauer-engel) before long.

Source and information on the internet, Umweltbundesamt: http://www.umweltbundesamt.de, BIZ-Newsletter, March 2003, http://www.biomasse-info.net, and neue energie, vol. 3, March 2003, p. 130..

The Taxation of Firewood

The federal government agreed not to increase the V.A.T for firewood and wood pellets. So the reduced V.A.T. rate of seven per cent will continue to apply to energy wood. By that, the German federal government gives attention to the target for renewable energies and to the significance of bioenergy. The increased utilisation of bionergy is an important part of the Climate Protection Strategy and of the policy to reduce the dependence on petroleum.
Moreover, it is the object of this decision to support innovative technologies of firewood utilisation, such as pellet-fired heating appliances. The latter have got an important competitive advantage over the environmentally harmful petroleum.

Source and information on the Internet: Bundesverband Bioenergie (BBE): http://www.bioenergie.de and Internationales Wirtschaftsforum Regenerative Energien (IWR): http://www.stromtarife.de

Wood Pellet Action

At the beginning of the expert meeting "Wood Pellets" on the fair "E-World of Energy and Water" (February 11th to 13th, 2003) in Essen, the Minister of the Environment Bärbel Höhn gave the go-ahead for the North Rhine-Westphalian "Aktion Holzpellets" ('Wood Pellet Action').
It is the target of this action to bring the eco-friendy heating technology using wood pellets to fruition. Long routes, tanker accidents, and oil crises could be avoided this way.
The 'Wood Pellet Action' is jointly organised by the Ministry of Environment and the Initiative for Future Energies (Landesinitiative Zukunftsenergien NRW) of the German land of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Energy Agency of North Rhine-Westphalia (Energie Agentur NRW).

Sources and information: Ministerium für Umwelt und Naturschutz, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen (http://www.murl.nrw.de) and Energieagentur NRW, e-mail: Energieagentur.NRW@ea-nrw.de (http://www.ea-nrw.de).

The Future of Ethanol

It became clear on the expert conference for biofuels of the Bundesinitiative Bioenergie ('Federal Initiative for Bioenergy') in December 2002 that the German markets for bioethanol have to be protected against foreign influence. The representatives of the sugar industry pointed out that ethanol could be produced much more cheaply from sugar cane than from domestic sugar beets. Very considerable imports from Brazil were looming. The latter could not be justified from an environmental point of view.
Dr. Gerhard Thalheim, the parliamentary under-secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, showed great understanding for these fears and made clear that there was no point in the tax-free adding of Southern American bioethanol to the automotive fuel for Otto engines in the EU.
The German government would reveal the possible consequences of an unhindered liberalisation to the WTO. However, it was an illusion to believe that it could be possible to maintain protection on the present level, let alone to increase it.

Source: DLZ, vol. 2, Feb. 2003.

The Bioconversion of Renewable Raw Materials

Industry-compatible biotechnological procedures are a new focus of the funding activities of the German Ministry for Consumer Protection, Food, and Agriculture (BMVEL). Within the framework of the support programme for renewable resources, this focus is to initiate application-oriented projects for industry in the field of the bioconversion of renewable raw materials.
The Agency for Renewable Resources (Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe, FNR) is in charge of the implementation. On behalf of the BMVEL, it co-ordinates research, development, and demonstration projects on renewable raw materials. The complete announcement can be found as a word document on the internet page of the FNR (http://www.fnr.de) and is also be available for download.

Information and source: FNR, tel.: +49-3843-6930-0, fax: -102, e-mail: info@fnr.de (http://www.fnr.de).

12th Biogas Conference

"Biogas - Visions for Agriculture in the Future" - that was the motto of the 12th annual conference of the Fachverband Biogas e.V. ('German Biogas Association, registered association'). It took place from February 4th to 6th, 2002, in Borken/Hesse. C.A.R.M.E.N. project manager Robert Wagner attended the congress
The first day was devoted to EU directives, to the quality control of soils, and to legal questions. From May 1st, 2003, the Animal By-Products Regulation will apply in the whole European Union. The lecture of Roland Kirchmayr B. Sc. (Eng.), IFA Tulln (Austria), showed that there are still many open questions. Since liquid manure is regulated in the By-Products Regulation, biogas plants are also affected.
On the second day of the congress, the focus was on practical applications. Prof. Dr. Konrad Scheffer, University of Kassel, presented the Bioenergy Village Jühnde (see nawaros® 12/2002). A biogas plant combined with thermal gasification is planned to be used there in future. According to Scheffer, this combination is particularly suited for renewable resources because the fibre proportion is well utilised. Before gasifiying the plants, it is necessary to extract press water from them. The press water is converted in the biogas plant. The high mineral contents of the energy plants are problematic. They only partly reach the press water. Especially nitrogen and chlorine remain in the fibre and produce emissions in the gasification plant.
Dr. Ernst Kesten, KWS Saat AG Einbeck, reported on cultivation strategies for the use of renewable resources in biogas plants in order to maximise the net energy gain of farmland.
Lars Baadstrop, Dansk Biogas, explained the usefulness of separating large amounts of fermentation residues to get a fraction rich in phosphor and nitrogen. There are collective biogas plants in Denmark which are supplied via slurry pipelines without transportation costs. It is also possible to discharge fermentation residues via pipes. Dr. Waldemar Gruber, Chamber of Agriculture of the Rhineland, reported on approaches to determine the biogas yields and the calculation models more exactly.
Subsequently, the new safety regulations for biogas plants were presented. Hans-Jürgen Schnell, HJS-Anlagenbau, explained problems and possible solutions for biogas-fired district heating power plants.

Information: Fachverband Biogas e.V., tel.: +49-8161-984-0, fax +49-8161-984-670, e-mail: biogas@t-online.de (http://www.biogas.org).

Further Funding for Bio-Oils

The new funding regulations for the economic stimulus programme "Biogenic Fuels and Lubricants" have been presented. Comprehensive forms and project descriptions are no longer required. The regulations 1, 4, and 5 for the first equipment or retrofits for using biolubricants remain valid in substance. Relating to the installation of filling stations for private consumption, the "old" regulations 6 and 7 continue to apply. Applications can already be made, but federal funds will presumably be only granted from May onwards.

Source and information: Agra-Europe, 06/03, and Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe (FNR), e-mail: info@fnr.de. For detailed information, see: http.//www.pflanzenoelinitiative.de and http://www.fnr.de.

Visitors from the Czech Republic

From February 20th to 21st, 2003, the Czech Vice-Minister of Agriculture, Ing. Jaromir Vasicek, and the director of the forestry department of the ministry, Ing. Martin Chytry, paid a visit to C.A.R.M.E.N. in the Competence Centre for Renewable Resources in Straubing. The contact had been made by C.A.R.M.E.N. chairman Reinhold Erlbeck via the Bavarian Ministry of Forestry.
The economic utilisation of wood for the production of energy was a central concern of the visitors. Together with Reinhold Erlbeck, C.A.R.M.E.N. employees met the Czech forestry delegation at the border in Bayerisch Eisenstein and headed for the first destination, the "Zero Energy House" in the wildlife park of Zwiesel. Hartmut Löffelmann, Naturpark Bayerischer Wald e.V. ('Wildlife Park Bavarian Forest, registered association'), explained the special features of the timber-frame construction and the energy technology of the information house. Actually, its name should not be "zero energy house" but "plus energy house", because according to Löffelmann it consumed less energy than it produced.
The heating station of Regen was the next destination. It was presented by the manager Max Pletl. The guests took a special interest in the comments on the operating company consisting of the foresters who deliver the wood chips. Subsequently, the group visited the pelletising plant of the company Holz Schiller in Regen. In the company's sawmill several lorry loads of woodchips are daily produced which need not to be expensively disposed of. With starch added, they are pressed to pellets according to the Austrian standard and are then be sold.
On the second day, the mayor of Straubing, Reinhold Perlack, received the delegation in the town hall. In the Competence Centre, C.A.R.M.E.N.'s functions were explained. The permanent exhibition of wood-fired heating appliances in the annexe gave the Czech delegation an insight into the variety of technical solutions. The visitors were delighted to find a Czech product among the boilers. The tour was concluded by a visit to the heating station of Mitterfels. The plant was presented by the manager Josef Simmel and the mayor Heinrich Stenzel.
Having gathered numerous experiences, impulses, ideas, and contacts, Vice-Minister Vasicek and director Chyty returned to Prague.

Information: C.A.R.M.E.N. will gladly assist in making contact with the Czech Ministry of Forestry.

C.A.R.M.E.N. & AEBIOM

http://www.ecop.ucl.ac.be/aebiom.

kh@carmen-ev.de.

Conference Proceedings Clean Air Directive

contact@carmen-ev.de, price: 10.- euros.

Sustainable Construction

Download: http://www.bmvbw.de. Further information: Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau- und Wohnungswesen, Ref. BS 31, Krausenstraße 17-20, 10117 Berlin, Germany, tel.: +49-30-2008-7314, fax: +49-30-2008-1920, e-mail: frank.cremer@bmvbw.bund.de

Bioplastics

Biologisch Abbaubare Werkstoffe ('Biodegradable Materials') is the title of a new brochure edited by the Agency for Renewable Resources (Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V., FNR) and funded by the German Ministry for Consumer Protection, Food, and Agriculture. Apart from plants, raw materials, and products, also literature and internet information sources are given.

Information: The brochure can be ordered or is available for download on http://www.fnr.de.
In 2001, by the way, C.A.R.M.E.N. published the second edition of the presently probably most comprehensive and most topical volume Biologisch Abbaubare Werkstoffe - Leitfaden und Produktkatalog ('Biodegradable Materials - Handbook and Product Catalogue'). It is available (in German) for 30.68 euros at C.A.R.M.E.N.

Wood Heatings

http://www.bioheat.info or can be ordered from the E.V.A., tel.: +43-1-5861524, e-mail: eva@eva.ac.at.

Further information on the internet: http://www.bioheat.info.