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.
Harnessing Innovation, the Future of Biomass
It was fantastic to see so many of you at the Biomass Connect Showcase event last week! 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.