Biomass Connect demonstration event: Multifunctional landscapes, biomass crops, and end-uses

Biomass Connect with Newcastle University hosted a demonstration event at the Cockle Park Farm Demonstrator Hub, Newcastle University. The event included a combination of talks, a field tour to the Biomass Connect demonstration hub, and roundtable discussions on the barriers and challenges of biomass crop production, integration of biomass crops into current farm practices, and biomass products and end-uses.

Talks

Prof. Jeanette Whitaker, project lead for Biomass Connect gave an overview of the Biomass Connect project, emphasising the need for more homegrown biomass feedstock for renewable energy for heat, power and transport, and other end-uses. (Click here to view Jeanette’s presentation slides).

Prof. Yit Arn Teh from Newcastle University gave an informative talk on multifunctional landscapes, biomass crops, and end-uses. His talk focused on how to design farms that are multifunctional, and the benefits and trade-offs of multifunctional landscapes. He noted that perennial biomass crops have the potential to reverse soil carbon loss, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and have higher biodiversity than arable crops or pasture grass. He provided insight on the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) mandate of having 10% of all jet fuel on biofuels by 2030, and the need to produce more biomass feedstock for use in aviation fuels if this mandate is to be met. (Click to here view Yit’s presentation slides).

Mr James Standen, the director of Newcastle University farms provided information on the agroforestry trials and other research activities on the farm.

Field Tours

Attendees went on a field tour to view the biomass crops planted at the Biomass Connect demonstrator hub site at the Newcastle University Cockle Park Farm. Most of the crops (willow, Eucalyptus, black locust, alder, poplar, and Miscanthus) onsite were planted last spring with a few (Sida, reed canary grass, and cup plant) recently planted. The crop tour focused on introducing the crops, the agronomy, management practices, and potential benefits of the various biomass crops. There were lots of informal discussions and networking throughout the field tour.

Group discussions summary

Guests were invited to join one of three discussion groups following the field tour. The group themes and a summary of discussion points were as follows:

Theme 1: Integrating biomass crops into current farm practices

Quick wins, easy opportunities and low-hanging fruit

• The ease of integration may depend on how similar or different the specific crop or practice is to current management. For example, grassy biomass crops are likely to be more easily integrated into current farming practices given that their biology/physiology is more like that of arable crops and the equipment needed to manage them is also similar; this means that farmers will require less investment of time or money to incorporate these grassy crops into their farming practice. Integration of woody biomass crops could be more challenging if the planting schemes are very different from current practices; for example, it may be more difficult to convince farmers to use woody biomass crops in a silvoarable agroforestry planting scheme (unfamiliar/new use) compared to using these plants for hedgerows and shelterbelts (familiar/”conventional” use).
• Use of biomass crops for marginal fields may be an easy sell, provided that the benefits or income that farmers receive from biomass crops outweigh any costs.
• Some farmers are currently using grassy biomass crops (e.g. Miscanthus, reed canary grass) for bird shelter for game birds.
• Many farmers are familiar with the need for riparian zone management and the use of woody plants to manage water quality and reduce soil erosion around riverbanks; the use of biomass crops for this purpose would fit within existing paradigms and management frameworks.
• Given the high price of straw and problems around weed management, biomass crops may represent a good alternative for producing animal bedding.

Solutions and novel applications

• Provide funding or support to enable farmers to experiment.
• Use within a wider set of regenerative practices – e.g. grassy biomass crops to improve soil health and reverse the effects of soil degradation.
• Incorporate biomass crops into a rotation system with potatoes to deplete the soil/ecosystem of potato-specific pests and pathogens, while simultaneously providing income for farmers leaving fields fallow.
• Use biomass crops as part of intercropping systems to manage water quality (e.g. to control nitrate loss), carbon and GHG emissions.
• To support regional-scale renewable energy networks – biomass crops could form a “package” of renewable energy measures to make a county/local authority less dependent on the national grid. The benefit of this is that it would provide local growers with a steady income while providing consumers/the public with a means of controlling energy costs.

Theme 2: Barriers and Challenges of biomass crop production

• Economic barriers – concerns regarding what profit can be made from growing biomass crops. Many of the crops are harvested every 3 years, or even longer with short rotation forestry (SRF), and that is a big shift in cash flow for farmers who are used to having annual returns and also due to the large upfront investment.
• Do people prefer to grow food and plant trees? (concerns over food versus fuel and competition for land).
• Land tenure/ownership – biomass tree crops stay in the ground for the long term (15-20 years), limiting farmers’ decisions if they have a short-term tenancy.
• Lack of knowledge and awareness – most people don’t know about the benefits of biomass crops, the pros and cons, and how they can be used.
• Lack of professional support or advice because it is a small sector. There is not much capacity for producing large-scale planting materials, and not much equipment for contracting planting and harvesting, which limits scale-up.

Suggestions on how to overcome challenges

• Needs a pull/demand from markets.
• Support peer-to-peer case studies around early adopters.
• Need a champion in the farming industry to advocate for biomass crops.
• Target educational institutions (schools/colleges) to raise awareness of the crops and normalise the crops in British society.

Emerging questions

• How do you scale for specific uses?
• How do we target engagement with policy?
• Can biomass crops key into biodiversity net gain?

Theme 3: Biomass products and end-uses

There was on display a range of biomass products including fencing poles from black locust, Miscanthus bedding materials, compost, willow, wood chip, briquettes, and pellets. Discussion focused on these products, markets, challenges and opportunities and future uses of biomass.

Steve Hunter from Bio Global Industries (BGI) provided a summary of the group discussion, noting that:

• a major barrier was finding markets for biomass products. With woodchip, there is a limited market, mainly local biomass stations, or biomass boilers, and very few local markets. Miscanthus is mostly used for animal bedding and supplied to specific boilers that can utilise the material.
• smallholder farmers find it difficult to tie in with industry, who require large volumes of biomass. It’s a chicken and egg situation, as markets and alternative end-uses of biomass products are needed to encourage the growing of biomass crops.