Sustainable Biofeedstock Supply Chains for Advanced Biofuels in Europe towards 2050

Concawe Review 34.1 - Article 1:  Advanced biofuels are expected to play an important role in decarbonising the EU transport sector, particularly in hard-to-abate segments such as aviation, maritime transport and heavy-duty road transport. However, key questions remain on how Europe can efficiently mobilise biomass feedstocks and develop the infrastructure required for large-scale, cost-effective deployment.

This article summarises a study, conducted together with Utrecht University and TNO, which covers the main lignocellulosic feedstocks listed in Annex IX of the Renewable Energy Directive, and provides a comprehensive, cost-optimised assessment of Europe’s potential biomass-to-advanced-biofuel supply chains under different biomass availability and demand scenarios. The study develops and integrateshigh-granularity data on biomass availability, transport logistics and conversion process technologies, including gasification and Fischer-Tropsch (GFT) and hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). These technologies serve as representative examples of large-scale, capital-intensive centralised plants and smaller, flexible decentralised systems, respectively.

Using geospatial and optimisation modelling tools, the study identifies which feedstocks and process technologies are best suited for deployment, what supply chain strategies (centralised vs. decentralised) are most efficient, and how integration with existing industrial infrastructure, such as oil refineries, can support a cost-effective scale-up of advanced biofuel production in Europe.