On June 5, experts from the fields of politics, science and business met to discuss the first draft of the position paper “Swiss Wood-Based Bioeconomy”, which is being developed jointly with SATW – Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences & SKB – Swiss Coordination Committee for Biotechnology.
Wood resources in Switzerland: It is not the usable potential that is important, but the actual growth. When calculating the resources of the available woody biomass, it is not the usable potential but the actual growth of the wood resources that is important. Since only about 45% of what grows is used, there is still a great deal of usable potential in the forest and in old growth, in the extreme case up to 8,695,000 (fm) = unused growth, industrial wood, energy wood & residual wood.
If this untapped potential is not mobilized, the trees and the bound CO2 will rot in the forest and it is irrelevant for the climate whether the CO2 is formed by natural rotting processes or by the combustion of wood. The residual and waste wood deserves our attention, the quantities make it.
Long-term CO2 storage has priority. The focus should be on products that store CO2 over a very long period of time. Wood in long-lasting and repairable products such as building materials or furniture is to be preferred over the use of wood as an energy source in the first processing stage.
Since large-volume and low-priced products such as solvents, chemical building blocks or biofuels cannot be sustainably and economically produced from wood in Switzerland, the aim should be to produce high-quality products in volumes adapted to Switzerland. Biochar is definitely an interesting option for long-term storage, but aspects of regulation and further research into applications need to be considered in more detail.
Important factors to consider for possible productions are:
Transport (over 100 km complicate usability)
Available quantity in good and reproducible quality
Economic efficiency calculation (investments, operating costs, material costs)
A number of innovative Swiss companies are currently active in various areas of the wood-based bioeconomy and use wood-based raw materials from the EU area.
At the EU level, the following initiatives are underway in the context of the wood-based bioeconomy:
New European Bauhaus by Ursula Van der Leyen (70% of existing buildings in Europe need to be renovated)
Wood Circus (first transformation processes in the wood industry, such as sawmilling & wood-based panel production):
WoodPoP (public platform for the creation of a better coordination in legislation for the wood-based circular economy)
Bioregions – status of available forest biomass and active stakeholders
Feedback, input, and questions about the future and the topics of the wood-based bioeconomy in Switzerland are very welcome.
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