Notice

Biomass Feedstocks Innovation Programme Phase 2: successful projects

Published 4 August 2022

£32 million of funding was awarded for the project demonstration stage of the Programme, with up to £4 million of funding awarded per lot 1 project and £5 million for the lot 2 multi-site demonstrator platform.

The funding enabled 12 organisations, including 7 small- and medium-sized enterprises, to deliver commercially viable innovations in biomass production.

The competition was separated into 2 lots:

• lot 1 - innovation projects
• lot 2 - multi-site demonstrator platform designed to showcase the variety of lot 1 innovation projects in a range of UK locations

Further details on the funded projects for each category are grouped by biomass feedstock type.

Lot 1

Conventional (long-rotation) and short rotation forestry

Project BIOFORCE (BIOmass FORestry CrEation): Creating geospatial data systems to upscale national forestry-based biomass production

Led by Verna Earth Solutions Ltd (formerly Forest Creation Partners Limited).

Project BIOFORCE will create and demonstrate new, upgraded versions of Forest Research’s industry-standard Ecological Site Classification (ESC) tool, and Verna’s successful ForestFounder system.

The new geospatial tools, ESC5 and ForestFounder2, will enable landowners, investors, and policymakers to assess sites throughout GB for forestry suitability, taking into account biophysical conditions, economic factors, local impacts, and regulations. The tools will cover Long Rotation and Short Rotation Forestry (including with fast-growing species such as eucalyptus and paulownia), Short Rotation Coppice, and agroforestry  They will use improved climate modelling,  to better assess species’ suitability under future climate change.

Creating and deploying ESC5 and ForestFounder2 is projected to increase UK annual biomass harvest  by identifying suitable sites which would not otherwise be planted, and enabling higher-yielding, more climate-change-resilient choices of species and (agro)forestry systems.

The project involves pre-commercial demonstration partnerships with a number of public and private sector organisations, including the National Trust, HS2, the Ministry of Justice, the Country Land and Business Association, and the Farr Estate,  which will involve assessment of over 100,000 hectares.

This project involves expanding the national evidence base in important ways, for example Forest Research gathering field data on growth/yield of target species, Cranfield University extending yield and economic models of agroforestry, and Verna Earth Solutions producing social/market research on attitudes towards agroforestry options.

Macroalgae

Transforming UK offshore marine algae biomass production

Led by SeaGrown Limited.

Seaweed is among the fastest growing sources of biomass on Earth. It benefits the marine environment by supplying a variety of ecosystem services - oxygenating seawater, removing excess nutrients and providing a habitat for marine life. Seaweed stores 2-3 times more carbon from the atmosphere than woodland, providing potential for it to contribute towards the UK’s net zero targets. However, the current state of the art in seaweed farming limits biomass production because it is expensive, time consuming, labour-intensive and failure-prone, especially in offshore waters.

Scarborough-based SeaGrown operates a 25-hectare offshore seaweed farm in the North Sea off the Yorkshire Coast. This project seeks to apply SeaGrown’s experience in pioneering this new sector to create an innovative, automated end-to-end seaweed farming system. This innovative system will open up the seaweed industry to year-round production, open-water sites and greater assurance of optimal biomass yields.

The project aims to enable a transformational change from cottage industry to a major source of sustainable bulk biomass from the ocean, positioning the UK to lead the way in European seaweed farming and develop a national Blue Carbon capability. The team is ideally placed to deliver this project. SeaGrown already works successfully in the offshore environment, operates its own seaweed farming vessels with experienced crew, seaweed hatchery and licensed offshore area. The team also includes experts in hydraulic engineering, marine offshore engineering, seaweed hatcheries, and management and commercialisation of complex marine projects.

Other (such as assistive technologies)

EnviroCrops - Perennial Energy Crops Decision Support System (PEC-DSS)

Led by Agri Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI).
More about EnviroCrops

The EnviroCrops web app is envisaged as a central source of impartial information in an easy to access, free or low-cost, user-friendly format, that will enable farmers, land managers and consultants to make an informed decision about planting biomass crops.

Users will be able to provide simple information such as their postcode and find out:

• what biomass crops are suitable for their land
• what yields are possible
• the best varieties or species
• the production timescales and costs
• the locality of contractors and markets, and
• the economic potential.

End users, be they a self-supplier, a local authority or a power station will be able to work out

• how much land is required to meet all or a proportion of their needs
• the production timescales, and
• the delivered costs.

Therefore, EnviroCrops will be able to provide users with a free or very affordable mini feasibility study so they can work out if a particular biomass crop such as willow, miscanthus, poplar or eucalyptus is

• right for their land
• their system
• their facilities
• their pocket

The Envirocrops tool intends to work with growers and contractors so that they can constantly update yield models with new information and keep the app outputs relevant to a changing climate.

The project aims for the EnviroCrops tool to act as a trusted, independent price comparison website and an online marketplace – essentially a biomass focussed equivalent to Compare the Market and Gumtree!

Perennial energy grasses

Miscanspeed - accelerating Miscanthus breeding using genomic selection

Led by Aberystwyth University.
More about Miscanthus breeding

The aim of this project is to demonstrate the application of genomic selection (GS) in accelerating the breeding of high yielding, resilient Miscanthus varieties for the UK. Miscanthus is a leading perennial biomass crop for the UK and beyond. The current commercial clone Miscanthus x giganteus (Mxg) produces high annual biomass yields but has certain limitations. Breeding is underway to diversify the crop for resilient high yields across a range of environments, but this is limited by the 3 years that it takes to reach maturity. GS, which uses the information stored in the plant genome, has been demonstrated to increase the rate of genetic gain in commercial annual crops (e.g. maize, wheat), and we have previously demonstrated its feasibility in our Miscanthus research populations. What is now required is to implement and assess this innovation in our Miscanthus breeding programme.

To do this the project will:

• collect genomic marker and phenotype data from two Miscanthus populations in our breeding programme.
• train and test/calibrate GS models to predict traits of interest.
• perform annual seed to seed cycles within each population

The key advantages of GS are that it can shorten by 2 years the time required for a key step in the breeding cycle, tackle logistical and cost issues of retaining parent plants to maturity, and enable selection for complex traits. Implementation of GS in Miscanthus breeding should therefore deliver an effective and flexible breeding platform for the future that enables the production of new varieties of Miscanthus suitable for current and future UK climates and land types.

Technologies to enhance the multiplication and propagation of energy crops (TEMPEC)

Led by New Energy Farms EU Limited.

The first project objective is to increase the number of energy grass varieties that are available and increase yield. The majority of the UK energy grass crops are planted from one variety. The project will test varieties from existing global breeding projects in the UK. This reduces the time to 3 years to bring new variety options to market in the UK. Over 40 new candidate energy crop varieties will be evaluated, with the aim to increase yield and provide between 5 to 10 new variety options for UK growers.

The second is in agronomic improvements, these can begin as early as when crops are planted. Many high biomass energy crops are vegetatively propagated, they do not produce seeds. New Energy Farms (NEF) have developed patented technology and these will be evaluated on the new energy crops to identify cheaper and easier ways of multiplying and planting energy crops.

The combination of new, higher yielding varieties and improved methods of establishing new plantings of energy crops will encourage more energy crop planting. Higher yielding varieties, presented as easy to plant propagules, will increase biomass production.

Finally land which is border line for the economic production of food crops is the ideal land for energy crops. This project goes beyond the target of low-quality arable land and explores phytoremediation, producing biomass on metal contaminated land (spoil land) and degraded wetlands, a source of large GHG emissions.

Optimising Miscanthus Establishment through improved mechanisation and data capture to meet Net Zero targets (OMENZ)

Led by Terravesta Farms Ltd.

During Phase1, the OMENZ project examined the Miscanthus establishment process as a whole and identified several barriers to upscaling Miscanthus establishment. The project’s findings suggest improvements in critical areas such as germplasm production and pre-treatment, automated crop surveys, as well as improved land preparation could significantly impact the efficiency and quality of Miscanthus establishment. Phase2 will solve these issues in greater detail using various technologies, including automation, machine learning and biological treatments, to deliver a vastly improved Miscanthus establishment method. Upon completion, the project will deploy these innovations to the commercial sector to provide an efficient Miscanthus establishment procedure capable of scaling to meet the demand of the growing biomass sector.

The project will utilise the Terravesta Harvest Hub platform to integrate data collected from all stages of our establishment pipeline alongside their existing harvest and growth data. Through data integration with the current supply chain, the OMENZ team will gain insights into long term crop performance and improve the entire Miscanthus biomass supply chain, benefiting both growers and end-users.

An increasing land area is needed to deliver a sustainable biomass supply within the UK. OMENZ will also recruit new growers to the Miscanthus biomass supply chain and help support the industry by raising awareness of Miscanthus of its many values across the sector.

The OMENZ projects will provide the tools to meet the rapid scale-up of Miscanthus planting to achieve a sustainable biomass supply, while also contributing to the UK’s net-zero ambitions.

Demonstration of on-­farm pelletisation technology: Developing and constructing a robust mobile pelletiser enabling farms to process a range of feedstocks, enabling domestic biomass pellets to displace imported pellets in the UK energy supply mix

Led by White Horse Energy Ltd.
More about White Horse Energy

White Horse Energy Ltd, working with a leading engineering company based in Germany, will develop a transportable mobile pelletisation technology able to operate behind the farm gate in processing a range of energy crops and innovative agricultural residues year-round.

White Horse Energy’s intention is for this innovation to unlock a significant new supply of domestically sourced, sustainably produced pellets for the UK energy market as it seeks to fully decarbonise. The project will work closely with both farmers and end users of pellets across the UK to bolster the UK’s position as a global pioneer in green agriculture and low-carbon technologies.

As well as the core technological innovation workstreams, the project will involve a field-testing programme to assess the innovation in operational use on farm sites. This, in turn, will inform a rigorous supply chain assessment of the cost savings and carbon benefits of the innovation for UK biomass supplies and the wider energy market. Further, White Horse Energy will undertake a comprehensive consultation of UK farmers to understand the opportunities and challenges of implementing the innovation on a commercial basis across the UK agricultural sector.

Semi-wild crops

Teesdale Moorland Biomass Project

Led by Teesdale Environmental Consulting Ltd (TEC Ltd).

There is about 350,000 ha of managed heather moor in England alone. These moors, and other upland areas where invasive species such as bracken are considered a nuisance, often adopt rotational top vegetation burning as a land management tool. Each year between 15,000 – 30,000 ha of heather are burned in England, with thousands of tonnes of dry matter burned, losing any resultant heat energy.

If left to grow unchecked, heather can grow too tall for ground nesting birds, and can dry out peaty soils, increasing CO2 emissions, instead of helping peat moors act as vital carbon sinks. Excessive vegetation in upland areas is also prone to drying out in drought conditions, with the risk of catastrophic wild fires. Harvesting heather can therefore be seen as a net environmental benefit.

The Teesdale Moorland Biomass Project aims to utilise this existing crop and harvest commercially viable biomass products from naturally generated moorland crops that are currently burned in situ as part of annual land management practices. This can be done by replicating current land management practices, ensuring high conservation value is maintained.

The characteristics of heather lend themselves to biomass production. Unlike wood and willow crops, heather has a low moisture content, making the production of biomass material more efficient and cost effective. As landowners face increasing pressure to end the traditional reliance on heather burning as a standard management tool, the Teesdale Moorland Biomass Project offers a viable alternative approach that also helps meet the UK’s climate change targets.

Short rotation coppice (willow, poplar)

Taeda Tech Project – Soilless cultivation for rapid biomass feedstock production

Led by University of Surrey.
More about Taeda Tech Project

The project uses novel aeroponic technology to rapidly cultivate Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) willow cuttings which can be planted into the field for bioenergy. Aeroponics is a way of cultivating crops by supplying the roots directly with water and nutrients without the use of any soil.

The project will optimise the system so as much willow as possible can be grown, with minimal environmental harm and at least cost. The project will begin research into other crops of interest, and beyond Phase 2 look to de-risk and optimise production for a wider suite of biomass / forestry crops for sustainable biomass supply and afforestation (in line with government priorities). There is also a significant application of this technology for further research and development of crop breeding.

The aim of Phase 2 is to demonstrate our aeroponics technology as a commercially competitive means of rapid and superior cultivation of SRC willow.

The objectives are to

• demonstrate rapid, superior growth of SRC willow with our aeroponics system
• optimise our system for maximised growth rate, minimised resource usage, with least environmental impact and at lowest cost
• demonstrate a viable route to market, and establish an appropriate commercial vehicle
• identify application potential of our technology to other crops
• explore the potential of our innovation for advancing breeding programs
• quantify the environmental and socio-economic benefits of our innovation

This project is being delivered in collaboration with both academic and industrial partners including UKUAT, LettUs Grow, Rothamsted Research, Aberystwyth University, Forest Research, NIAB, NMC2, Glideology and CapitalAgri.

Net Zero Willow

Led by Rickerby Estates Ltd.

Based on ten years’ experience of working in the SRC willow biomass industry, the project team has been able to identify the shortcomings of the mechanical equipment currently used. These limitations are reducing efficiencies, increasing cost and stifling the scaling up of UK biomass production.

Rather than looking at just one part of the SRC willow production chain, the team has analysed and developed innovations that are aimed at revolutionising the industry and maximising marginal gains. The machinery will have the following benefits:

• light weight with lower footprint
• increased automation helping to address labour storages
• increased efficiency and longer working windows
• produce increased quality products
• have lower costs at every stage
• reduce greenhouse gas emissions at every stage.

This will result in a significant dual benefit for farmers based on lower costs and greater income potential. This together with the availability of reliable machinery will encourage more farmers to plant SRC willow creating a snowball effect.

The innovations have been developed from the ground up to travel and operate on UK marginal land in the harshest of conditions. They are not conceptual designs but have been designed to work and with mass production in mind. The innovations use components that have been tried and tested in other applications and are readily available. The specialist parts have been designed to be tough but also cheap and easy to replace when requested.

Accelerating Willow Breeding and Deployment

Led by Rothamsted Research.
More about the Accelerating Willow Breeding and Deployment Project

The Accelerating Willow Breeding and Deployment (AWBD) project will accelerate the breeding of SRC willow and generate information to guide the intelligent deployment of current varieties. Building on specialist willow expertise at Rothamsted Research, both activities will ensure that SRC willow is optimised for deployment in the UK at the scale required.

Genomic Selection (GS)  will improve selection for complex traits including yield. It will also improve confidence in selection, allowing us to bring new, improved varieties to the market faster. This will greatly accelerate improved variety production and deployment, whilst lowering breeding costs for each new variety introduced.

AWBD will involve planting, growing and measuring a large number of willow genotypes at 5 diverse environments within the UK and quantifying performance for integration with genomic data. The environments include cool and warm temperatures, a droughted site, one subject to winter flooding and one where disease pressure is particularly high. This will provide the data to calculate GEBVs which will be applied to our breeding programme. Simultaneously, we will generate performance data of value to the industry on matching variety to environment. This will be disseminated via multiple routes.

A consequence of accelerating selection through the breeding process is that less planting material is available in the early phase of variety introduction. Micropropagation techniques will be investigated to overcome this bottleneck to ensure that willow can be upscaled at speed.

Lot 2

Multi-site demonstrator platform

Biomass Connect: Biomass Innovation and Information

Led by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.
More about the Biomass Connect Platform

The Biomass Connect Phase 2 project will create a demonstration and knowledge sharing platform to showcase best practice and innovations in land-based biomass feedstock production.

The Biomass Connect platform has 4 aims:

• to provide robust, independent information on biomass feedstock performance, agronomy, economics and environmental benefits to land-owners and land managers
• to de-risk new crop adoption by ensuring that geographic variations in the efficacy of biomass feedstocks and relevant innovations are fully evaluated and demonstrated to a broad range of stakeholders across the UK
• to facilitate discussion and learning regarding the biomass sector by enabling the sharing of knowledge, experiences and case studies
• to contribute to agricultural, environmental and bioenergy policy development by contributing robust evidence and facilitating interactions between policy, academia and industry

Through the creation of the Biomass Connect platform, the project will build a UK-wide, cohesive, regionally-based community who will contribute to the development, establishment and operation of the platform. Building this focal point for the industry will support the ambitious scaling up of both the bioenergy industry itself and the scale of planting which is required to align with the Committee on Climate Change’s modelling for net zero, which anticipates expanding from 10,000 ha to 730,000 ha by 2050.