A focal point for the community to support ambitious scaling up of the bioenergy industry and scale of planting

Demonstration and knowledge-sharing hubs to showcase best practice and innovations in land-based biomass feedstock production

Robust, independent information on biomass feedstock performance, agronomy, economics and environmental benefits

British Renewable Energy Awards

Pioneer Winner 2023

Biomass Connect has been named the winner of the prestigious Pioneer Award at the British Renewable Energy Awards.

Building a UK wide, cohesive, regionally based community to develop and operate the platform

Newsletter Sign Up

We produce a newsletter and other regular communication to share relevant information and the Platform’s activities.

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CHCx3 Fibre processing Webinar

Location: Online

CHCx3 Fibre Processing Webinar – 15th January 25 15th January 2025, 13:00 – 14:00 Hear from Jon Horsfield – Harrison Spinks, the homegrown luxury bedmakers and Indinature, who have produced […]

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Welsh Government Launches Agricultural Diversification and Horticulture Scheme with Support for Biomass Crop Growers

The Welsh Government has launched a new Agricultural Diversification and Horticulture Scheme designed to support farmers and land managers in diversifying their agricultural activities. This initiative provides significant opportunities for those interested […]

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Connect Issue #8

Issue #7 of the Connect Newsletter is now available. The Connect Newsletters contain updates on project activities, details of the latest events, and news from across the wider biomass industry.

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Miscanthus for Livestock Bedding Factsheet

A double-sided factsheet with nformation about a project growing Miscanthus as animal bedding on one side, and some general Miscanthus facts and growing, establishment and harvesting information on the other side.Miscanthus for Animal Bedding and Miscanthus - A factsheet.

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Biomass Connect: Biomass Innovation and Information Platform

Biomass is the organic material from living organisms. In the context of Biomass Connect, the term refers to non-food crops where the whole aboveground plant biomass is harvested and used for a range of purposes including heat and electricity, fuel for transport, platform chemicals, and a range of construction, packaging, and cosmetic applications. Biomass crops are fast-growing, with a high potential energy content or calorific value.

Biomass Connect is a demonstration and knowledge-sharing initiative to showcase best practice and innovations in land-based biomass feedstock production. We seek to share knowledge and experiences that can make a significant contribution to agricultural, environmental and bioenergy policy development, practical on-farm advances, and overall growth in the UK’s biomass sector. The project also compares crop/variety performance in regions across the UK and demonstrates innovations which have the potential to maximise their economic and environmental benefits.

Biomass Connect Showcase Event

showcase event

Harnessing Innovation, the Future of Biomass

It was fantastic to see so many of you at the Biomass Connect Showcase event! Thanks to everyone who came, contributed, and made it such a valuable experience.

The event showcased the latest innovations in biomass production and processing emerging from the Biomass Feedstocks Innovation Programme and included presentations and practical workshop sessions from a wide range of speakers from all areas of the biomass industry. The robot was of course a big hit too.

We’re currently going through all of the presentations, audio files, photos and videos from the event and hope to bring you as much of it as we can via the website over the coming weeks.

The full programme and list of speakers are available on the Showcase Event page, we’ll be adding to this with content from the event soon. Stay tuned for updates.

 

Eight demonstration hubs are located across the UK, in Ceredigion, South Ayrshire, Buckinghamshire, Devon, Edinburgh, County Down, Northumberland and Yorkshire.

Biomass Feedstocks Innovation

£32m of funding has enabled 12 organisations, including 7 small and medium-sized enterprises, to deliver commercially viable innovations in biomass production.

Crop information

Biomass crops vary greatly in size and form, ranging from towering 30-meter trees to fast-growing grasses. While they typically demand limited inputs and minimal cultivation, specific requirements vary among different crops, soil types, and climates (the impacts of different soils and regional climate variations is one reason we have our demonstrator hub sites distributed around the UK). Explore the Crop Information section of this website for comprehensive details on biomass crops featured in the Biomass Connect trials, as well as other promising candidates. 

What’s On

Check out our diary of events and demos.

15
Jan
CHCx3 Fibre Processing Webinar – 15th January 25 15th January 2025, 13:00 – 14:00 Hear from Jon Horsfield – Harrison Spinks, the homegrown luxury bedmakers and Indinature, who have produced […]
23
Jan
With modern day farming it’s really important to have your finger on the pulse and get all the latest information so you can make the right decision for your land. In this webinar our expert panel will demonstrate how to get the best out of the Envirocrops and Farm Carbon Toolkit web apps to help you understand the highest yielding crop options, the income potential, the markets that are in your area, the suppliers you’ll need, the carbon savings and more.
10
Sep
The 3rd FERIA Conference, the European Conference on Fuel and Energy Research and Its Applications,  University of Leeds, Leeds, 10th to 12th September 2025 The Fuel and Energy Research Forum […]
What's On
News from the Biomass World
November 27, 2024
Welsh Government Launches Agricultural Diversification and Horticulture Scheme with Support for Biomass Crop Growers
The Welsh Government has launched a new Agricultural Diversification and Horticulture Scheme designed to support farmers and land managers in diversifying their agricultural activities. This initiative provides significant opportunities for those interested […]
Read more
News
December 18, 2024
Connect Issue #8
Issue #7 of the Connect Newsletter is now available. The Connect Newsletters contain updates on project activities, details of the latest events, and news from across the wider biomass industry.
Read more
NewsInsight
December 10, 2024
A biomass crops road trip with Professor Tim Volk
"This firmed up Tim’s view that the Biomass Connect hub sites are “world class” and “world leading”. I think we all had a smile on our faces when he said that."
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Demonstrator Hub Updates
December 05, 2024
Demonstrator Hub Updates – November 2024
The Biomass Connect Demonstrator Hubs across the UK have shown varying progress as winter approaches, reflecting both the resilience of certain crops and regional differences in weather conditions. Across the sites, senescence is a dominant theme, with many perennial crops entering dormancy while some continue to show growth in favourable conditions.
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News
November 29, 2024
A successful event for the Biomass Connect Team at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair
The Royal Welsh Winter Fair proved to be a success for the Biomass Connect Team, who spent two busy days engaging with visitors intrigued by the diverse display of biomass grasses and trees showcased as part of the project. The event highlighted the growing enthusiasm in Wales for biomass crops as a means to bolster farm resilience and environmental sustainability in our targets for Net Zero
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