Biogas facility in Hohenheim

Biogas facility in Hohenheim to become the core of the Baden-Württemberg bioenergy research platform

As of autumn 2006, the facility in Hohenheim is to convert to the large-scale transformation of biomass into electrical energy, gas, heat and fuel. Research will focus on which renewable materials work most efficiently with which technology.

The foundation stone was ‘laid’ in the grounds of the experimental station of the University of Hohenheim. However, this time it was not a stone but a lime tree. By planting this symbol of sustainability, Minister Peter Hauk and Professor Dr. Hans-Peter Liebig, Vice Chancellor of the University of Hohenheim, marked the start of construction of the most modern biogas facility in Germany and the kicking-off of the Baden-Württemberg bioenergy research platform. The Baden-Württemberg government is contributing a total of 2.4 million euros to the establishment of the bioenergy platform.

Planting a lime tree: Klaus Saiger, Managing Director of FairEnergie, Agricultural Minister Peter Hauk (2nd from the left), District Administrator Thomas Reumann, Mayor Margarete Krug and Vice Chancellor of the University of Hohenheim Prof. Dr. Liebig. The tree is referred to as “cooperation lime tree” or tongue in cheek as “tilia conspirata”

The “Unterer Lindenhof” experimental station is part of the University of Hohenheim and an ideal place for establishing the new biogas facility. Extensive stabling, field and grassland areas, laboratories and plant areas form a suitable environment for the recycling of biomass and are practically able to produce all the raw materials to be tested on site. The biogas facility can be used by all partners for research and development work, including the institutes of the University of Hohenheim and all other interested scientific and industrial institutions that are part of the interdisciplinary research platform.

In Sweden, biogas is mainly produced from residual biogenic wastes. The raw gas is washed to attain the quality of natural gas and, following compression, used as fuel in buses and cars.

Dr. Hans Oechsner, Head of the State Institute for Farm Machinery and Farm Structures at the University of Hohenheim, explains the concept: “We intend to carry out cooperative projects that also have a demonstrative character. Many institutions were involved in the planning phase and they came up with numerous complex approaches. We will focus on biogas production as well as biogas purification and utilisation.” The long-term intention is to replace natural gas with green gas produced from biomass, which will be used in petrol engines in cars. In order to achieve this, researchers will open completely new paths of inquiry such as testing the use of Stirling engines. “Stirling engines do not need much maintenance, which is a particular benefit in our work,” said Oechsner.

Oechsner is already working on procedural aspects that he hopes to integrate in the new pilot plant. One of his objectives is the fermentation of biomass without using liquid manure as substrate, i.e. solid waste fermentation. Other Hohenheim projects deal with the cultivation of plants that lead to particularly high biogas yields such as what is known as “energy maize”. The researchers are cooperating with commercial plant growers as well as with other research partners such as the State Institute for Agriculture in Weihenstephan.

Enormous know-how and experience are required

The outstanding research know-how in terms of bioenergy that the Hohenheim researchers have gained over the last few years is particularly advantageous for the projects. At the end of 2004, an ultramodern biogas laboratory was put into operation, enabling comparative examinations under controlled conditions. To date, the University of Hohenheim operates 384 small and 28 medium-sized fermenters in order to examine and optimise biogas production.

Feeding of a solid waste dosage system (volume: 45 m³) with renewable materials

“The biogas laboratory was practically the starting point of the whole. Now, we are working on the “upscaling” of the system. The new pilot plant is equipped with two large-scale fermenters, thereby expanding our opportunities. For example, we need these fermenters for investigating gas purification processes. Problems related to process control and process stability can only be examined effectively using large-scale fermenters,” said Oechsner. The purification of gas is extremely important because biogas consists not only of methane but also contains undesired trace gases that might damage combustion engines.

As part of the new bioenergy research platform, the researchers also intend to investigate the direct combustion of biomass for use in the production of heat. This might require the drying of biomass, which can be achieved with the powered combustion of the biogas in an energy efficient way. Another alternative for converting biomass into gas is seen in thermochemical gasification. Like anaerobic fermentation, this process also leads to gases – though through physical and chemical means. The bioenergy platform of the “Unterer Lindenhof” experimental station is also open to researchers, who wish to carry out further investigations associated with this technology.


leh - 19.05.2006
© BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH

For further information, contact:
University of Hohenheim
State Institute of Farm Machinery and Farm Stuctures
Dr. Hans Oechsner
Garbenstrasse 9
70599 Stuttgart
Phone: [phone] - 2683
Fax: [phone] - 2111
E-mail: [e-mail]

Bioethanol for petrol stations

In order to cater to the growing biofuels market for cars, Südzucker Bioethanol GmbH based in Mannheim has established the largest bioethanol production plant in Europe. In February 2006, E85, a fuel consisting of 85 percent bioethanol and 15 percent petrol, was launched on the German market. The fuel, which is marketed as "CropPower85", is offered to users of flexible fuel vehicles as an alternative to fossil fuels.

Increasing oil prices, the continuously growing demand for fuels along with the foreseeable exhaustion of crude oil fields, political instability in petrol producing countries, and concern about the global climate have led all politicians regardless of their orientation to demand the increased use of renewable energies. The EU Commission instituted guidelines for the promotion of road biofuels, in support of the establishment and development of an effective biofuel industry. These guidelines enable EU Member States to exempt duties for automobile biofuels. Germany introduced an exemption to the excise duty on mineral oil for pure and blended biofuels on 1 January 2004. It will be valid until 31 December 2009. This particularly concerns the biodiesel that is made from rapeseed oil and bioethanol produced from sugar- and starch-containing plants.

Südzucker relies on biodiesel

Bioethanol production (Photo: Project Renew Fuel)

As one of the first large German companies, Südzucker AG, which is based in Mannheim/Ochsenfurt relies on the growing use of bioethanol in the automotive sector. In 2003, Südzucker founded Südzucker Bioethanol GmbH and invested 200 million euros into its construction in Zeitz (Saxony-Anhalt). The plant is one of the largest of its kind in Europe and was put into operation commencing in April of 2005. Under the brand name “CropEnergies” and the slogan “creative regeneration of power”, the facility produces 260,000 m³of bioethanol annually as well as 260,000 tons of high-value protein feed (“ProtiGrain”), and yields 30 million kWh of electricity.

Südzucker is a globally active food and feed company with revenue of 4.8 billion € and 17,500 employees. As one of Europe’s leading sugar producers, the company produced more than 5 million tons of sugar from sugar beets in 2004. In Europe, the production of bioethanol from wheat is cheaper than its production from sugar beet. Therefore, the bioethanol production plant in Zeitz uses wheat as the main raw material (700,000 tons/year) with lower amounts of other types of crops and sugar beet.

"The fuel of the future"

Nikolaus August Otto, inventor of the Otto Engine (Photo: German Museum)

The technologies used in the production of ethanol have already been established and the use of ethanol in cars is additionally not new. In contrast, the inventor of the Otto Engine, Nikolaus August Otto, used ethanol as an automotive fuel as early as 1860 when he developed a combustion engine prototype. Fifty years later, Henry Ford designed his legendary Model T on the understanding that ethanol would be the fuel for this “car of the people”. He said: “The fuel of the future is going to come from fruit such as that of sumac out by the road, or from apples, weeds, sawdust – almost anything.“

The pan-European EN228 standard allows the use of up to 5 vol. percent bioethanol or up to 15 vol. percent ETBE (ethyl tertiary butyl ether) as a direct fuel additive. ETBE consists of up to 47 percent ethanol and is produced by mixing ethanol and isobutylene and subsequently reacting them with a catalyst. ETBE is mainly used in France and Sweden where it can be blended with petrol for use as an automotive fuel.

The direct addition of bioethanol to automotive fuel is economically more interesting since this does not require the cost-intensive etherisation step. Unfortunately, a higher ethanol proportion in fuel is currently only possible in flexible fuel vehicles (FFV). In the USA and Brazil, a large number of newly registered cars are FFVs equipped to use fuels containing any ethanol-petrol blend. In Europe, Ford, Saab and Volvo have already started marketing FFV car versions. More than 10,000 FFVs have already been sold in Sweden.

“CropPower85” at German petrol stations

Flexible fuel vehicle (Photo: Saab)

In order for German car drivers to be able to purchase flexible fuel vehicles and use Co2-neutral bioethanol, the appropriate car fuel must be available at petrol stations. Commencing in February 2006, E85, a blend of approximately 85 percent bioethanol and 15 percent regular petrol is currently marketed as “CropPower85” at the OIL! petrol stations in Hennef, Troisdorf and Saarlouis. CropPower85 costs approximately 35 percent less than premium petrol. With an octane number of more than 110, CropPower85 is one of the most powerful fuels that has ever been available at German petrol stations. In addition, the fuel is low in sulphur and aromatic compounds, and thereby it considerably reduces the emissions of the gases that are harmful to the climate and human health.

CropPower85 is produced by the Südzucker facility in Zeitz. With the market introduction of CropPower, Südzucker Bioethanol GmbH and the OIL! petrol stations (with already more than 200 petrol stations in Germany) have led to the foundation of an area-wide petrol station network, selling E85 as an attractive alternative for users of FFV.

Enormous growth potential

The biofuels directive 2003/30/EC put into effect by the EU Commission as part of the guidelines aiming at promoting biofuels intends to increase a meagre 2% market share for biofuels in 2005 to 5.75 in 2010. For Germany, this means an increase in the bioethanol production from 700,000 cubic metres to 1.8 million cubic metres, requiring approximately 5 million tons of crops. A further increase to 25 percent would be possible since, as estimated by Südzucker, the theoretical production potential for bioethanol in Germany accounts for 8 million cubic metres. Surplus crop stocks might cover approximately 66 percent of this amount, crops originating from areas that are being closed might cover 25 percent and surplus sugar stocks might cover the remaining 9 percent.

The production of bioethanol is a very costly process. Therefore, planning reliability is highly important. Dr. Lutz Guderjahn, CEO of Südzucker Bioethanol GmbH, explains that the further development of bioethanol production in Germany mainly depends on how quickly politicians will be able to find a solution to the existing tax exemptions for biofuels, which are set to cease at the end of 2009, and thus will create confidence in further investments in Germany within this sector.


EJ – 23.05.06

For further information, contact:
Südzucker Bioethanol GmbH
Gottlieb-Daimler-Str. 12
68165 Mannheim
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Bio-diesel should soon become cheaper

The Kornwestheim-based system exporter Hezinger GmbH wants to act in future as a global supplier of photobioreactors for the breeding of algae, in order to promote the extraction of biofuels from the vegetable oil of algae as an alternative to the use of wheat, rapeseed and maize. In cooperation with renowned partners, a process-optimised reactor plant for the mass breeding of algae has been developed that will significantly reduce the costs of the manufacture of bio-diesel. Hezinger Algaetec GmbH, founded at the end of last year, intends to bring the new system onto the market in the coming autumn.

System export, motor racing marketing and now renewable energies – the entrepreneurial spirit of Steffen Hezinger, Managing Director of Hezinger GmbH Plant Export from Kornwestheim near Stuttgart, appears to be unlimited. For his latest project, in which everything revolves around the breeding of algae for the manufacture of bio-diesel, the motto is: ‘Production of biomass not on a laboratory scale, but on a grand scale’.

“Our goal is to make the industrial breeding of micro-algae significantly cheaper than has been possible up to now,” says Steffen Hezinger. Although algae can be bred using current systems, such as tube or flat-plate reactors, the economic quantities necessary for the manufacture of bio-diesel cannot yet be achieved. “If I have to fill 40 football pitches with reactors, then the system is simply not efficient to operate. Profitability is indispensable if I want to achieve long-term success in the bio-diesel market.”

Hezinger Algaetec GmbH banks on mass breeding of algae.

Conversion of carbon dioxide to biomass (image: Hezinger Algaetec GmbH )

In his search for an efficient solution, the business graduate is therefore banking on concentrated competence in the fields of plant construction, design and lighting technology. To this end he has brought internationally-renowned and global market-leading partners in the fields of algal biology and system planning on board. He found support for market research and staff recruitment at BioRegion STERN Management GmbH.

The result of the cross-industry cooperation is a photobioreactor with which production areas can be utilised not only horizontally, but also vertically. The core idea is to bring light into the system and to the algae, instead of the other way around. Steffen Hezinger admits that the idea is not really new, but the decisive point is the process optimisation. “The key factor is the innovative lighting technology that makes it possible to operate a reactor with a height of six metres and an internal diameter of 30 metres virtually without external energy.”

Renewable energy from Kornwestheim (Photo: Hezinger Algaetec GmbH )

Hezinger Algaetec GmbH cannot provide exact figures at the present time, but the prototype test under series conditions was successful; meaningful results are expected from the middle of the year onwards. A decision will then be made as to how Hezinger Algaetec will continue: both the raising of external capital and a strategic cooperation are conceivable according to Steffen Hezinger. In the long run he is aiming to offer entire reactor systems to cover everything from the breeding of algae and the utilisation of biomass from algae to the finished product bio-diesel. Consideration is already being given in Kornwestheim to cooperations with companies offering appropriate peripheral systems…

Source: BioRegio STERN Management GmbH - 15.03.08

Further Informations:
Timo Enderle
Technology Management
Hezinger Algaetec GmbH
Max-Planck-Straße 1
D-70806 Kornwestheim
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail]

No Competition for milk and bread

A study by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology has proven that biomass energy sources are gaining in significance. At the same time, growing conflicts of use could be diminished by new biofuels.

Biomass will continue to become more and more significant as Germany’s number one regenerative source of energy. At the same time, the competition between energy producers and food producers over the use of agricultural and forestry land is intensifying. New biomass energy sources point to a way out of this conflict as they use straw and logging remains. These are the main results of a recently published study by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) funded by Baden-Württemberg’s Ministry for Nutrition and Rural Areas. The KIT is a cooperation between the Karlsruhe Research Centre and the University of Karlsruhe.

Straw – a seminal energy source even for fuel production (Photo: KIT)

“Yet this will also create a controversy as to whether our fields should be used for the production of food or energy plants,” says Dr. Ludwig Leible (Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) of the Karlsruhe Research Centre), senior researcher of the study. This politically sensitive issue affecting both ethics and consumers could be partly offset by so-called second-generation biofuels. The great advantage of second-generation biofuels is that they do not compete with bread and milk.

The novel, fully synthetic biofuels will be produced from straw and logging remains - as opposed to biofuels that are produced from rapeseed or bioethanol that is produced from maize. These materials are not suitable either as foodstuff nor do they require additional cultivable land. In addition, second-generation biofuels are purer, ecologically safer and more adaptable (for example, they comply with more stringent CO2 limits) than petroleum fuel. Project leader Ludwig Leible: “The new biofuels will strengthen our non-dependency on petroleum and help us lower the CO2 emissions from road traffic according to the objectives set by the EU, without transforming our fields into fuelling stations”.

Diesel from straw and logging remains

bioliq® pilot plant at the Karlsruhe Research Centre (Photo: KIT)

With regard to the competitiveness of biofuels, the economic “break even” has not yet been reached, according to the calculations of KIT scientists. But it is within reach: If an efficient gathering and distribution of the biomass can be assured, it would already be possible to produce diesel from straw and logging remains for about 1 euro per litre. With petroleum costing 130 US$ per barrel (current price: 78 US$), this type of fuel would be able to compete with traditional diesel – even without subsidies such as petroleum tax exemptions.

In the conclusion to their research, KIT scientists advocate the development of innovative technologies for fuel production from biomass. This would include the bioliq® process developed at the Karlsruhe Research Centre. According to Ludwig Leible “bioliq® offers the additional advantage of dual use. As the need arises, biomass can either be processed as fuel or as important basic chemical materials such as methanol”. The bioliq® process is currently being prepared at the KIT Energy Centre for market introduction.

Source: Justus Hartlieb, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) - 19.09.07

Biofuels Roadmap

On 21st November 2007, the German Minister of Agriculture, Horst Seehofer, and the German Minister of the Environment, Sigmar Gabriel, presented a strategy on Germany’s climate and energy policy in the biofuel sector – the "Biofuels Roadmap".

Biodiesel (Photo: BMU / Brigitte Hiss)

“The Biofuels Roadmap makes an important contribution to the government’s climate and energy policy as well as to the development of Germany’s rural areas. The Roadmap is a clear commitment to sustainability. The promotion of biofuels is an important opportunity for the economy as well as for developments in rural areas,” said Seehofer in Berlin.

“Biofuels can make an important contribution to climate protection in cases where they lead to a significant reduction of CO2. Laws will be put in place in order to guarantee that this is taken into account. In addition, we will also ensure that imported biomass is only used if it has been cultivated in a sustainable way. It is irresponsible to use palm oil as a so-called climate-friendly raw material in Germany considering that areas in other parts of the world are cleared and moors drained to enable its production,” said Federal Minister of the Environment Sigmar Gabriel.

Biofuels Roadmap

At the “biofuels” roundtable, the two ministries came together along with representatives from the car industry, the mineral oil industry, agriculture and the biofuel industry to work out a joint strategy for the increase of the proportion of biofuels relative to overall fuel consumption over the next few years. This led to the “Biofuels Roadmap”, a paper on the expansion of biofuel use in Germany. Outstanding goals that form part of this strategy are the increase of the proportion of bioethanol added to Otto fuel from currently 5 % vol to 10 % vol and the increase in the amount of biodiesel added to regular diesel to 7 % vol. A higher percentage is currently technically impossible due to the quality requirements of the car industry.

  Biofuels Roadmap  (124 kb)

The German Federal Ministry of Agriculture specifically supports research and development in order to improve the efficiency of biofuels and their contribution to climate protection and economisation of resources.

Sustainability directive and certification

The commitment to the sustainable production of biomass for biofuels helps prevent undesirable developments. In the field of biofuels, BMELV and BMU are currently working on a sustainability directive, which will support production and use of biofuels with certification. Sustainability criteria are, for example, the sustainable cultivation of agricultural areas, certain requirements for the protection of natural habitats or a specific potential for the reduction of CO2. The German government also promotes an internationally recognised system for the sustainable production and certification of biomass for energy on the international level, for example through the Global Bioenergy Partnership.

Source: German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) - 21.11.2007

Bioenergy - the rising star among renewable resources

Who could have imagined bioenergy rather than wind bioenergy supplying more than 50% of all energy produced from renewable resources? Statistics show that the proportion of wind, water, solar energy, biomass and soil heat is constantly growing. Estimates for 2005 show that 6.4 percent of all energy production comes from renewable sources; in 1998, the comparable proportion was as low as 3.1 percent.

Available renewable energy sources (Figure: BEE)

Mineral oils, natural gas, black and brown coal and nuclear energy are still the principal resources that satisfy our hunger for energy. Funding programmes, quota and political specifications have so far been unable to overturn this David and Goliath relationship between sources of energy. However, the enormous costs of fossil energy are gradually making renewable energies economically viable resources.

A sign of the growing significance of renewable energies is the fact that they are now also very much part of the industrial, political and employment agendas. The driving force behind the growing demand for renewable energies is the Renewable Energy Law (electrical energy market), the new EU guideline on biofuels and the Regenerative Heat Law (heat market), which the Federal Ministry of Environment Ministry intends to discuss soon.

Bio - a broad field

The term ‘bioenergy’ has come to be used as a collective term referring to all kinds of energies produced from solid, fluid or gaseous biomass. According to the FNR’s (Agency of Renewable Resources - project management organisation of the Federal Ministry for Agriculture) definition, biomass is all organic substance produced or originating from plants or animals. Experts group energy that is produced from biomass into renewable resources, energy plants and organic waste.

Germany supports renewable resources: More than 1.4 hectares (=12%) of the entire agricultural area are used to grow industrial and energy plants (Figure: Agency of Renewable Resources, FNR)

Renewable materials include fast-growing tree species (such as poplars), certain annual energy plants, sugar- and starch-containing field fruit used to make ethanol as well as oil fruit such as rape, which is used for the production of fuel (biodiesel). The extended definition of bioenergy to eventually include organic waste from agriculture and forestry, industry and private households, is set to influence the statistical information in a big way. Organic waste will then include waste and residual wood, straw, grass, leaves, manure as well as sewage sludge and organic domestic waste.

Solar energy that is already stored

Bioenergy is no more than stored solar energy that is converted by photosynthetic plants into organic matter. In contrast to other renewable resources, plants can be seen as the natural storage medium of solar energy. Different technologies and methods are used to convert biomass, depending on the type of energy required and the purpose to which it is put. The classical process is the production of heat from wood that is cut into small pieces, pressed into pellets and burnt. This technology, which is also used in large-scale energy production, is primarily used for the small-scale production of heat although it can also be used for the production of electricity.

Purification to precede utilisation

Solid organic fuels are converted into solid, fluid or gaseous secondary energies in thermochemical, physicochemical and biochemical processes. Although a considerable amount of research is devoted to pyrolysis technology (liquefaction of biomass or BtL (biomass to liquid)), it is – according to expert opinion – still at the research and development stage. Numerous research institutions are currently developing different research and pilot technologies.

A biogenic, fluid energy source with a relative high-energy density can be transported easily and universally used. Suitable raw materials include wood-like fuels, straw or energy crops. Following gasification, fluid fuel is synthesised from the gas produced. The development of such designer fuels also involves partners from the mineral oil industry and car manufacturers. There is one particular German company that hopes to be able to produce 1 million tons of bioenergy per year by 2010.

Experts regard the gasification of biomass as a sustainable process for the production of electrical power. Nevertheless, the production of fuel gas is associated with numerous problems such as the problems of purification. Oil and fat extracted from rape or sunflower seeds can also be used for the production of bioenergy. Purified oil can be used as fuel in specific engines or for the production of heat and power (combined heat and power plant). Currently, these oils play a subordinate role (0.15 million tons in 2005). The use of fuels produced by the esterification of oils that can be used similarly to fossil diesel fuel is more common. The best-known example of this type of fuel is biodiesel (1.7 million tons in 2005).

Biogas is a true multi-talent

Biogas, a methane-containing gas mixture that is generated during the anaerobic degradation of organic substances, is becoming increasingly popular, thanks to the Renewable Energy Law. The gas, i.e. the methane contained therein, can be processed and used in gas burners or engines. Although the large-scale process engineering technology (in the case of gas from purification plants) has been established, problems are still encountered in the use of the heat produced. Potential applications are seen in its use as fuel. The major proportion of biogas activities in Germany is concentrated in Southern Germany.

High fuel prices have once again brought bioethanol (0.2 million t/2005) to our attention. According to information from FAO experts, agricultural ethanol made from sugar cane can compete with a crude oil price of 35 US $ per barrel. For cost efficiency reasons, biofuel is mainly produced in Latin America. In Europe, in particular in Sweden and France, but also in Germany, increasing efforts are being made to mix ethanol with regular fuels or to offer ethanol (E85) as an alternative for use with standard petrol engines, which is a major objective of Crop Energies (subsidiary of Südzucker). Experts also attest methanol’s growing importance, as it is the simplest of all alcohol fuels. It can be produced by gasification from dry biomass and used in petrol engines and fuel cells.

wp - 22.05.2006

Bioenergy - energy produced from renewable resources

The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology envisages that in the year 2020 twenty percent of all chemicals, materials and fuels will be produced from renewable resources. The Institute sets great store on biorefineries. “Biorefineries” refer to an integrated overall concept for the biochemical and thermochemical conversion of renewable resources. The bioenergy sector in general is very broad and covers the production of gas, electricity, heat and fuels. Enzymes play an important role in the use of renewable raw materials because they cause the raw materials to decompose and prepare them for further processing. Biotechnology therefore plays an important role in enzyme optimisation.

The idea of manufacturing an entire car from plant resources sounds like science fiction. Nonetheless, Henry Ford developed promising concepts as early as 1941: he suggested combining cellulose, soybean flour and formaldehyde resin to produce plastics that could be used as bodywork and interior lining of his car. Ford also envisaged the use of methanol produced from hemp.

Science Fiction or reality?

Baden-Württemberg already has a project that has moved beyond the domain of science fiction: Baden-Württemberg scientists have developed a fuel cell for use in the human body. Such fuel cells can supply implants like cardiac pacemakers with the energy they need to operate. The cells rely purely on oxygen and glucose, which are available in sufficient amounts in human body fluids.

(Photo: SIEMENS AG)

Baden-Württemberg relies on biomass

The use of biomass as an energy source can make a considerable contribution to the type of energy that will be used in the future. The attractiveness of using biomass in Germany is on the increase thanks to the country’s renewable energy legislation. Minister of the Environment Tanja Gönner estimates that the proportion of biofuels used in Baden-Württemberg rose from 2.1 percent in 2004 to more than 3 percent in 2005.

There are different ways of turning biomass into energy: wood is burned in power plants to produce heat; maize straw – currently a very popular energy source – is fermented in biogas plants and then transformed into electricity and heat. It can also be processed into synthesis gas.

It is possible to run cars with plant oil, biodiesel or bioalcohol once the combustion engines have been adapted for use with biofuels. Plants with a high cellulose or sugar content have proved particularly useful. Rape is the basis for biodiesel production.

Renewable energy – a central topic

An effective strategy for sustainable energy supply must encompass three objectives: environmental compatibility, economic efficiency and security of supply. Renewable energy means sustainability and technological innovation. The Baden-Württemberg government has set itself the goal of doubling the proportion of renewable energy used in Baden-Württemberg by 2010. Investment in this field amounted to a total of 189 million euros between 1991 and 2004.

In Baden-Württemberg, bioenergy contributes approximately 1 percent of the total demand for primary energy in Baden-Württemberg. The following biomass types are used as energy sources: wood, plant oil and biodiesel, gas from putrefaction plants and other biogases.

Current research projects in Baden-Württemberg include the Karlsruhe Research Centre, which is investigating a process in which the rapid pyrolysis of wood or straw leads to a tar/coke condensate that is easy to transport. In December 2004, the Institute of Agricultural Technology at the University of Hohenheim put a new biogas laboratory into operation.

(Bio)hydrogen - an energy source of the future?

Hydrogen has become very popular as an energy carrier in the field of solar technology or as an environmentally friendly fuel for running cars and planes as well as block heat and power plants. Biotechnology is involved in the biological production of hydrogen gas. Hydrogen is produced by autotrophic microorganisms which get their energy from converting solar energy into chemical energy. Algae and cyanobacteria are among the most important plant solar collectors. Biohydrogen thus has the potential to be an effective and environmentally friendly energy source.