Biomass Assessment: A Question of Method and Expertise

Abstract

Whereas the new stakes on lignocellulosic biomass are often demand-oriented (heat, electricity, biofuels, etc.) mainly through public policies, the new equilibrium will depend also on the supply-side. This supply has to be understood as socio-economic and environmental targets combining many topics: multi-resources (agriculture, forest, "dedicated coppices", by-products and wastes), available/potential quantities and costs, localisation, replacement/substitution effects (activities, lands), and supply-side stakeholders’ behaviours. Many initiatives have been launched to grasp those dimensions through projects (National Research Agency, French Environment and Energy Management Agency, etc.). Many figures exist on the biomass assessment aspect but they are not clear enough and not comparable due to differences in definitions, scopes, data, parameters, geographical levels, reporting units, time-scale, etc. Regarding the characterisation of biomass supply chains, evaluations are often incomplete and lack methodological references. This article aims to focus on methodological key points and barriers to overcome, in order to get a better evaluation and understanding of biomass mobilisation expected by potential users and public authorities.