Sustainable Energy from Wood Waste: Transforming Waste into Biofuels and Renewable Hydrogen
Key Ideas
- The SusValEn Project aims to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the wood manufacturing industry by utilizing waste for biomethanol, hydrogen, biogas, and biochar production.
- Through technologies like anaerobic digestion and catalytic gasification, the project seeks to efficiently convert wood industry waste into valuable chemical products and fuels.
- Anticipated benefits include a 24%-40% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to natural gas, a 30% cost reduction in hydrogen supply, and replacing 20% of natural gas demand with biogas in MDF wood fibreboard manufacturing.
- Funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation and European Next Generation funds, the SusValEn Project contributes to the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan for a sustainable energy transition.
The SusValEn Project, involving a consortium of organizations including Aimplas, aims to revolutionize the wood manufacturing industry by turning waste into valuable biofuels and renewable hydrogen. By utilizing waste products like wood chips, sawdust, and sludge, the project seeks to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Technologies such as anaerobic digestion of wastewater and catalytic gasification are employed to produce biomethanol, hydrogen, biogas, and biochar. The project envisions significant environmental benefits, including a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions, a decrease in hydrogen production costs, and the substitution of natural gas with biogas in manufacturing processes. Pilar Cumplido from Aimplas emphasizes the potential of this initiative to transform waste into sustainable energy sources and contribute to decarbonization efforts. Supported by government funding, including European Next Generation funds, the SusValEn Project aligns with the goals of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan for a greener and more sustainable future.