What is Biomass and Bioenergy?

Biomass is the storehouse for solar energy. It takes carbon dioxide from the air and both stores carbon and releases oxygen through the process of photosynthesis.

Bioenergy is an important form of renewable energy. It is any form of energy released from biomass.

Bioenergy sources can be waste materials, such as forestry, landfill waste and whey from the dairy industry, farming residues like straw, livestock slurry, chicken litter, or it can be a crop grown specifically for the purpose of producing energy. The fuel is available in a number of forms.

A PDF of frequently asked questions about Bioenergy is also available for download here. For more information on bioenergy check out the EECA website here.

Climate Change

Bioenergy has very beneficial effects on climate change, work being undertaken by Government provides the following emission factors. Click here for details...

New Zealand Bioenergy Potential

Bioenergy provides a real alternative to fossil fuels for many applications. New Zealand's geography and climate have placed it at the forefront of countries internationally for the production of food and fibre. This same natural advantage has a prime role in making New Zealand internationally competitive in bioenergy production of many forms.

The annual production of woody biomass residues from plantation forestry alone is estimated to be between 4 and 6 million tonnes. At an energy value of 9MJ/kg this biomass quantity equates to around 45TJ, roughly equivalent to 10% of New Zealand's total consumer energy demand. Furthermore, the disposal of this biomass poses a problem if not used and its eventual decay can add to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the generation of methane gas.

Click here for more information on the potential for bioenergy.

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Bioenergy Options for New Zealand - Summary

The Bioenergy Options for New Zealand project began in March 2007. This project was initiated to consider the potential contribution of bioenergy to New Zealand's energy future. It began by exploring the bioenergy potential of existing biomass resources, being the residues or wastes from a range of industries. The project concluded in October 2009 with a report that demonstrates how New Zealand can become self-efficient in transport fuels produced from biomass grown in sustainably managed forests. There are five reports to come out of the study:

1. Situation Analysis - Biomass resources and conversion technologies
2. Pathways Analysis - Energy demand, pathways evaluation, Economics of purpose grown energy forests, Life cycle analysis of biomass resource to consumer energy.
3. Research and Development strategy
4. Analysis of large-scale bioenergy from forestry - productivity, land use and environmental & economic impacts
5. Transition Analysis - the role of woody biomass from existing plantation forests, species options and drivers for change in energy supply.

Click here to access a summary of the five reports

Click here to go to the BKC web-site for full reports

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Advantages of Bioenergy

The advantages of bioenergy are:

• It produces zero net emissions of greenhouse gases, enabling both industry and government to work towards meeting New Zealand's Kyoto commitments.
• It is suitable for electricity supply, process heat, low temperature heat and transport fuels.
• It is renewable, abundant and a natural energy source.
• It can be in solid, liquid or gaseous form.
• It is a storable form of renewable energy, capable of being transported and utilised 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• It is capable of providing energy on a small-scale through to large-scale, centralised production.
• It will create localised employment opportunities for rural communities.
• It enables a reduction in the volumes of waste to landfill, thus helping councils to meet their zero-waste commitments.

A major driver for the bioenergy sector is the opportunity to provide wealth for forest owners and waste minimisation. Currently throughout New Zealand there are large amounts of organic material that is wasted. In particular is the 20% of forest residues that are currently thrown away. Nearly all this organic material being wasted could be used as a feedstock and turned into energy. We have the technology to convert this material into energy so what is stopping us - attitudes and practices. We need to change our thinking about waste. Rather than seeing it as a problem we need to start looking at it as an opportunity. Wealth creation and waste minimisation make some sense for NZ Inc.

Providing wealth for forest owners and waste minimisation via bioenergy

 

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The Future for Bioenergy in New Zealand

As concerns grow over the impact of fossil fuel use on the climate, and the reserves of fossil fuels, including natural gas, bioenergy has a prominent role to play in the provision of clean burning fuels that also encourage planting of carbon sinks. New Zealand is in a good position to utilise its biomass resources for bioenergy production.

Overseas many countries are already forging ahead with bioenergy fuels for example co-firing wood and straw with coal, blending ethanol with petrol and diesel, and anaerobic fermentation of organic residues to produce biogas. New Zealand can do the same and does so already in some certain cases. With the appropriate identification of opportunities, New Zealand can further develop bioenergy technologies to meet its energy requirements in a sustainable and environmentally sound way.

Small localised power stations are a promising future for the electricity supply industry. These will cut down on transmission losses and contribute to minimising the costs of reinforcing or upgrading electricity distribution systems. They may also increase reliability of supply and replace the need for future large centralised power stations. Compared to centralised power plants consuming fossil fuels, bioenergy plants can provide energy for local customers, using local fuels, thus providing local employment and profits.

The development of a strong home market will be essential to the success of New Zealand businesses in taking a share of the very substantial world-markets for bioenergy product packages and fuel exports in the future.

Click here to download a copy of the draft strategy document from the recent 'Development of a NZ Bioenergy Strategy' workshop held in Wellington on 9th February 2010.
Click here to view and download presentations from this workshop.

Bioenergy and bio-materials

Bioenergy is often extracted from organic material in association with bio-materials.

Wood fibre may be sold in the form of logs or chips for use in a range of end uses. (See diagram below)

In case of food processing residues or municipal sewage the outputs may be fertilizer and biogas.

As the value of biomass becomes more recognised there will be opportunities where the chemicals extracted from the biomass may in some situations be more valuable than the production of energy. In such situations the disposal of the biomass residue is ideally done by way of the production of energy.

Chemicals or bio-materials that are currently extracted from biomass often in association with the production of energy are:

• Fertiliser and biogas from anaerobic digestion of food residues
• Extraction of lignin and ethanol from processing of wood - PurePower processing of Salix
• Extraction of protein from grass with residue used for production of energy
• Extraction of turpentine from black liquor from the Kawerau and Whakatane pulp mills - Hexion in Tauranga for paints and links

NZBIO

Banz has established a working relationship with NZBIO which is a national industry organisation representing the bioscience based industries in New Zealand.

NZBIO has members working in the fields of: Chemicals, plastics, enzymes, mining, pulp and paper, biofuels and environmental applications. Illustrative examples include:

• Production of chemicals
• Production of biomaterials
• Fermentation
• Niche manufacture
• Industrial enzymes (for food, feed & beverages, detergents, textiles, pulp & paper and others)
• Environmental (Bioremediation, Biosensors and others)
• Biotechnology in resource extraction
• Biorefineries
• Biofuels

Biopolymer Network

There are clear international trends for greater use of biologically based materials to substitute for those derived from petro-chemicals. New Zealand's rich heritage of quality biologically based raw materials and bio-manufacturing innovation provides New Zealand with a special opportunity to secure a significant role in the global trend of creating high performance products from biological materials.

The Biopolymer Network has been established by three Crown Research Institutes - AgResearch, Plant and Food Research and Scion to jointly undertake research around a portfolio of intellectual property in biopolymers, speciality chemicals, bio-composites, biofoams and moulded structures. The group's intention is to actively take these products into the market place.

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Who's Who in the Bioenergy Industry

Members are categorised as follows:

• Consultants
• Energy Companies
• Equipment Manufacturers and Technology Suppliers
• Fuel Supply
• Services
• Operating Utility
• Organisation / Government
• Researcher / Education
• Wood Processor

Members shown in these sections cover Sustaining Members, Partners, Full and Ordinary Corporate Members and Full and Ordinary Associate Members.

(Note: BANZ Individual Members are not shown in this section. For Individual Member listing see here).

Consultants

	Company Name/ Contact	Contact	Logo
Full Corporate	Brightwater Engineers website Brief Company Profile	Hugh Grey email
Brightwater offers a professional turn-key service. This extends from the initial concept and design engineering, production of full working drawings, workshop manufacture, site installation to final start-up commissioning with full project management and total quality control throughout. With its associated companies, Brightwater is large enough to tackle most projects but small enough to still offer clients personalised service. Brightwater also offers the option of several Build Own and Operate scenarios. BOO (Build, Own and Operate), BO (Build and Operate), and BOOT (Built, Own, Operate and Transfer of Ownership).
Ordinary Corporate	Waste Solutions (CPG) website Brief Company Profile	Jurgen Thiele email
Waste Solutions Ltd is a leading supplier of waste energy & biogas system design services and of carbon emission abatement schemes in Australasia. Waste Solutions is a world leader in the development and deployment of wastewater treatment and waste to energy solutions. For more than 35 years the team at Waste Solutions has researched, developed and implemented many innovative, inexpensive and highly robust biotechnology solutions, including our trademarked Cigar® systems, to effectively harness and optimise the energy potential from industrial, agricultural and food processing wastes.
Full Associate	AECOM website	Richard Gapes email
AECOM (NYSE: ACM) is a global provider of professional technical and management support services to a broad range of markets, including transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water and government.
Full Associate	Beca Carter website	Humphrey Archer email
Beca supplies engineering and related consultancy services to many markets including waste, defence, education, healthcare, transportation and power.
Full Associate	East Harbour Energy website	Brian Cox email	Logo to come
details to come
Full Associate	Jaakko Pöyry Consulting website	Marcel Vroege email	Logo to come - requested
Pöyry is a global consulting and engineering company dedicated to balanced sustainability and providing expertise in the fields of industry, energy, urban & mobility and water & environment.
OA	Allan Estcourt Consulting website
OA	BECA Infrastructure website
OA	Catalyst R&D website
OA	Empower Consultants website
OA	Fuel Technology email
OA	PFS Consultants Limited email

Energy Companies

	Company Name/ Contact	Contact	Logo
Full Associate	Vector website	Vernon Lu email	Logo to come
OA	Counties Power website

Equipment Manufacturers and Technology Suppliers

	Company Name/ Contact	Contact	Logo
Sustaining Member	Switch website Full Company Profile	Dougal Ferguson email
Switch specialises in importing and distributing heating solutions for home, commercial and industrial customers. Switch focuses on heating systems which use wood pellet fuel, but also imports and distributes the Apricus range of evacuated tube solar water heating, and can integrate these into a complete renewable heating system. The Switch range of products is available from their nationwide network of retailers.
Full Corporate	Brightwater Engineers website Brief Company Profile	Hugh Grey email
Brightwater offers a professional turn-key service. This extends from the initial concept and design engineering, production of full working drawings, workshop manufacture, site installation to final start-up commissioning with full project management and total quality control throughout. With its associated companies, Brightwater is large enough to tackle most projects but small enough to still offer clients personalised service. Brightwater also offers the option of several Build Own and Operate scenarios. BOO (Build, Own and Operate), BO (Build and Operate), and BOOT (Built, Own, Operate and Transfer of Ownership).
Ordinary Corporate	RCR Energy Ltd website Brief Company Profile	Philip Gedye email
RCR Energy is a full scope provider in New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands. With a comprehensive range of in-house and licensed combustion technologies and agencies for global brands of boilers, burners and ancillary products, RCR Energy is well placed to cater for all industrial heat and power applications. Products include: Steam, Hot Water, Thermal Oil, Hot Air, Agencies. Services include: Automation, Electrical, Engineering, Manufacturing, Pressure Vessel Materials, Project Management, Commissioning, Troubleshooting, Training and, Tuning and Optimisation.
Ordinary Corporate	Waste Solutions (CPG) website Brief Company Profile	Jurgen Thiele email
Waste Solutions Ltd is a leading supplier of waste energy & biogas system design services and of carbon emission abatement schemes in Australasia. Waste Solutions is a world leader in the development and deployment of wastewater treatment and waste to energy solutions. For more than 35 years the team at Waste Solutions has researched, developed and implemented many innovative, inexpensive and highly robust biotechnology solutions, including our trademarked Cigar® systems, to effectively harness and optimise the energy potential from industrial, agricultural and food processing wastes.
Full Associate	Clarke Energy website	Martin Smith email
Leading the field in decentralised power generation, combined heat and power, green energy and waste treatment solutions.
Full Associate	LentiKat's a.s. website	Alzbeta Bouskova email
LentiKat's business focus is the development, production and application of biocatalysts for industrial applications in: Waste water treatment, Distillery, Pharmacy - production of robust biocatalysts and the Food industry.
[BANZ Chairman]	Living Energy website	Rob Mallinson email
Living Energy provides a range of services to customers ranging from pre-feasibility assessments and full feasibility studies, right the way through to system installation, fuel supply, training and even total energy supply - taking the hassle out of making the switch to wood.
Full Associate	Nu-Way Energy NZ Ltd website	Paul Bowie email
Nu-Way Energy (NZ) Ltd is owned by the Enertech group, a world leading burner and boiler manufacturer with manufacturing facilities in Sweden, germany, UK, Norway and Belgium.
OA	Clean Combustion Technologies website
OA	Distributed Energy and Waste Solutions (DEWS) email
OA	Fogarty Industries website
OA	Parkwood Pellet Fires website
OA	Spark Biomass Energy website
OA	Vortex Engineering website

 

Fuel Supply

	Company Name/ Contact	Contact	Logo
Sustaining Member	Biodiesel New Zealand website Full Company Profile	Andre Simcock email
Biodiesel New Zealand and parent company Solid Energy want our bio diesel business to grow and prosper, for the benefit of the country, its customers and suppliers. Sustainability is central to the fuel's appeal and sustainability is central to the way we aim to do business. Every litre of fuel produced locally is one we no longer need to import. Biodiesel New Zealand's high-quality product runs well in almost any diesel vehicle; no conversion kit or additional equipment required. Our customers are fleet operators, tourism businesses, fishing trawlers and businesses using it to run a range of applications including generators, process heat, and vehicles.
Sustaining Member	Natures Flame website Full Company Profile	Eric Gillan email
Nature's Flame is the leading producer of wood pellets in New Zealand, with a record for producing consistently high quality pellets for over four years. The pellet fuel is made from untreated waste wood from local sources, and this is constantly monitored to ensure strict standards are maintained. Wood Pellet Fuel are made for burning in specially designed appliances such as fires for the home or larger scale boilers. Wood Pellet Fuel has very low emissions and is virtually smokeless when burned. Nature's Flame has two fully operational pellet mills in Rolleston and Rotorua, and a third factory currently being built in Taupo. Wood Pellet Fuel can be delivered nationwide in 20KG bags, 1 tonne bulk bags, and in certain areas of the country, in loose bulk form.
Full Corporate	Energy for Industry website Full Company Profile	Grant Smith email
Energy for Industry (EfI) is a leading energy and utility solutions business. EfI can run or own your energy and utility plant, help you to improve energy efficiency and manage external fuel supply. This can involve for instance heat or refrigeration facilities and waste water treatment and, in some cases, small power generation plants. We work with you to ensure best practice performance in the use of energy and utility services, which might involve us fully funding energy improvement projects and sharing the savings with you. The aim is to develop a total energy and utility partnership on a long-term basis.
Full Corporate	Lanzatech website Full Company Profile	Sean Simpson email
Lanzatech was founded in early 2005 to develop and commercialise proprietary technologies for the production of lowest cost fuel ethanol from the carbon monoxide in low-hydrogen waste gases produced by the steel industry. The company is now ready to undertake the next stage of this critical path, the pilot-scale demonstration of its fuel ethanol production from both biomass syngas and industrial waste gas feedstocks. A pilot plant design has been developed that will allow ethanol production from each of these feedstocks to be demonstrate at scale over the next 12 months.
Ordinary Corporate	Gull New Zealand website Brief Company Profile	Dave Bodger email
Only Gull has survived the test of time. We have operated successfully in New Zealand for ten years and our aim is to be around for at least the next ten. Gull is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Gull Group of companies. Gull has earned several "firsts" in Motoring in New Zealand. The first to sell low sulphur diesel in 2002. The first to bring a biofuel to market in New Zealand with Gull Force 10. The first oil company to look to pass on value to the Kiwi motorist rather than put prices up. Gull New Zealand retails 2 grades of biofuel in New Zealand (both E10) and operates a biofuel facility in Queensland as well as retailing biodiesel in West Australia.
Full Associate	Anchor Ethanol Ltd website	Peter Motion email
Anchor Ethanol Limited operates as part of the Fonterra Co-operative Group and has three ethanol plants situated at strategic Dairy sites in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty area. Ethanol manufactured from the various sites are both potable and industrial, with two of the plants having the ability to produce anhydrous ethanol for industrial and fuel grade markets.
Full Associate	BP Oil Ltd website	Barry Blackett email	Logo to come
BP Oil New Zealand is one of the largest oil companies in New Zealand. Established in 1946 we have been supplying fuel and lubricants to New Zealanders for 60 years.
Full Associate	Ecodiesel Limited website	Gary Brockett email
Ecodiesel Limited is a leading manufacturer of biodiesel in New Zealand. We produce a high quality, sustainable biodiesel from tallow, a by-product of the New Zealand meat processing industry.
Full Associate	Flo-Dry Engineering website	Tissa Fernando email
Flo-Dry Engineering offer an in-house developed continuous Reactive Distillation Process based Biodiesel plant capable of converting most difficult feedstock at most competitive economic conversion cost.
Full Associate	Materials Processing website	Peter Fredricsen email	Logo to come
Materials Processing Ltd, the Hamilton New Zealand solid waste recovery experts are based in the Upper North Island carries out a major part of its work at a Kawerau Pulp & Paper Mill where it recovers 95% of wood waste material 10,000 cubic metres a month - that was previously going to an industrial landfill.
Full Associate	NZ Ester Fuels Limited website	Andre Hamman email
NZ Ester Fuels are producers of a New Zealand biodiesel fuel that is created using a unique environmentally friendly process and only sustainable feed stocks. The NZEF facility has a production capability of 2 million litre pa and is designed to process a wide range of feedstocks.
Full Associate	Pomahaka Wood Pellets Limited website	Richard Chay email	Logo to come
details to come
OA	City Firewood website
OA	Maxwell Energy email
OA	Pure Power Technology website
OA	Renewable Oil Corp P/L website
OA	Solray Energy website

 

Services

	Company Name/ Contact	Contact	Logo
Full Associate	Biofuel Testing New Zealand website	Ivor Reyes email

 

Operating Utility

	Company Name/ Contact	Contact	Logo
OA	Wastecare Services website

 

Organisation/Government

	Company Name/ Contact	Contact	Logo
Partner	Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority website	Shaun Bowler email
Partner	New Zealand Trade and Enterprise website	Barbara Webster email
Full Associate	Kawerau District Council website	Su Cammell email
The Kawerau District is situated at the heart of NZ's principal forestry growing and processing region and is linked by high quality rail and road infrastructure to the Ports of Tauranga, 90kms away. Kawerau is a well established wood processing centre with sawmills, pulp and paper mills, log manufacturing operations and a highly skilled and internally competitive engineering and maintenance sector. The Kawerau geothermal steam field is tapped at 2,000 to 3,500 metres deep and provides high quality steam with pressure of up to 17 bar(g) and 200oC. The field is currently used for power generation, sawn timber drying and Pulp & Paper manufacture and has huge potential for increased, sustainable production. Kawerau District Council support the expansion of industry in the District and would positively encourage any new initiatives.
OA	Consulate & Trade Office of Canada email
OA	Home Heating Association website
OA	NZ Renderers Group (of the Meat Industry Association) website

 

Researcher/Education

	Company Name/ Contact	Contact	Logo
Full Associate	Canterbury University website	Shusheng Pang email
The research interests Bioenergy Research Group in Department of Chemical and Process Engineering (CAPE), University of Canterbury include combustion and gasification for thermal energy and electricity, fermentation for ethanol and methanol, and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis of syngas for biodiesel.
Full Corporate	CRL Energy website Full Company Profile	email	logo to come - requested
CRL Energy Ltd is an energy and environmental research and consulting company, with specialist knowledge in all aspects of the energy chain and a strong testing and analytical capability.
Full Associate	Massey University website	Ralph E Sims email
The Massey University Centre for Energy Research (MUCER) was established in 1996 following more than 25 years of research and education in the fields of renewable energy, energy management and climate change mitigation under the leadership of professor Ralph Sims.
Full Associate	NIWA website	Rupert J Craggs email
NIWA is a Crown owned research and consultancy company, with a global reputation as experts in water and atmospheric research. Our mission is to conduct leading environmental science to enable the sustainable management of natural resources for New Zealand and the planet.
Full Associate	Scion website	Michael Jack email
Scion is a Crown Research Institute dedicated to building the international competitiveness of the New Zealand forest industry and building a stronger biobased economy.
Full Associate	Waiariki Institute of Technology website	Jonathon Hagger email
The Waiariki National Centre of Excellence for the Forest and Wood Industry's is a custom designed and built facility dedicated providing ongoing educational opportunities for people in the forest and Wood Industry's.

 

Wood Processor

	Company Name/ Contact	Contact	Logo
Full Associate	Carter Holt Harvey Kinleith website	Christopher Brown email
Carter Holt Harvey is Australasia's leading forest products company, with significant interests in wood products, pulp, paper and packaging. Leading Carter Holt Harvey brands include Bestwood, Customwood, Ecoply, Kopine and Pinex, and the company's packaging can be found in most supermarket aisles.
Full Associate	Ernslaw Bioenergy website	Murray Cowan email
Ernslaw Bioenergy is a subsidiary of the forestry company Ernslaw One. We produce firewood at our Naseby operation in Central Otago and fuel chip from both Naseby and Tapanui in West Otago.
OA	Findlater Sawmilling email
OA	Renalls 2004 Limited email

 

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