Innovation Roadmap on Bio-based Feedstocks, Fuels and Industrial Products — Biomass Availability

Globally, the annual production of biomass from plant vegetation is equal to five times the world's annual consumption of energy and chemicals. The volume of fossil carbon used for energy and fuels is ten times that used for the production of chemicals and plastics. It is possible and even plausible that all global chemical markets could be supplied using biomass and that a major portion of global energy and fuel needs could be met using biomass in combination with other sources of renewable energy such as wind power.

BIOCAP Inventory Study

Canada is well endowed with natural bioresources. It has 10 percent of the world's forests. The BIOCAP Canada Foundation estimates that Canada's reserve of timber resources is equivalent to 69 times its annual consumption of fossil fuels. On an annual basis, the renewable resource residues from forestry, agriculture and related manufacturing industries are equivalent to approximately 18-27 percent of the energy Canada derives from fossil fuels.

DuPont Canada Inc.'s products include resins, films, automotive finishes, crop protection products and industrial chemicals. One of its goals is to lower its environmental footprint through energy efficiency and biofeedstocks.

A detailed analysis was carried out by the BIOCAP Foundation to assess the capacity of Canada's biological resources — in particular, agriculture and forestry — to support a bio-based economy. In a bio-based economy, the agriculture and forestry sectors are involved in the large-scale production of bio-based energy (e.g., fuels), industrial chemicals and feedstocks in addition to the production of food, feed and fibre.

The analysis explored forest production, agricultural production and municipal waste streams.

Land Area:

Of Canada's 998 million hectares of total land area, about 42 percent is forested, with about 245 million hectares or 25 percent of the total considered timber productive forest. A further 67.5 million hectares (6.8 percent) make up agricultural land, of which 36.4 million hectares (3.6 percent of total) are cropland.

Standing Biomass/Bioenergy Stock:

The 245 million hectares of timber productive forest in Canada have a biomass carbon stock of about 15 835 million tonnes of carbon. The energy content of this resource amounts to 566 exajoules, or about 69 times Canada's annual energy demand met by fossil fuels.

Annual Harvest:

The annual biomass harvest from Canada's forestry and agricultural sectors is about 143 million tonnes of carbon. This level is similar to the annual atmospheric emissions of carbon from fossil fuel use in Canada, which amounted to about 150 million tonnes of carbon in 1998.

The annual energy content of the biomass harvest in Canada amounts to 5.1 exajoules, which is 62 percent of the energy derived from fossil fuel combustion. A 25-percent increase in forestry and agricultural production in Canada could provide about 1.25 exajoules a year in biomass energy, an amount equal to about 15 percent of the energy that Canada now derives from fossil fuels.

Dow AgroSciences Canada Inc. produces pest management and biotechnology products that improve the quality and quantity of the earth's food supply and contribute to health.

Residue Biomass:

There are large residual or residue biomass carbon streams that are associated with existing agriculture and forestry or with municipalities:

• Of the more than 66 million tonnes of carbon a year in the residual or waste biomass carbon stream, about 60 million tonnes may be considered "available" feedstock for a bio-based economy. This represents about 42 percent of the entire forestry and agricultural harvest.
• The energy content of this biomass resource, conservatively estimated to be in the range of 1.5 to 2.2 exajoules a year, is equivalent to 18 to 27 percent of the energy that Canada derived from fossil fuels in 2000.

These facts illustrate the major potential of Canada's vast forestry and agricultural resources to provide a renewable and sustainable supply of bio-based energy, chemicals and materials to help meet the needs of society. In addition, residue products from fisheries and aquaculture could provide considerable amounts of valuable fish oils, fatty acids and chitin. The potential of alginates in conversion to energy and chemicals requires further study and could be significant.

An economy based on biomass feedstocks would help the nation meet its international climate change commitments while stimulating the rural economy and encouraging innovation and economic growth. Certainly, when it comes to a bio-based economy, Canada has a Natural Advantage relative to other developed countries of the world ⁶.

Figure 2 — The Energy Potential of Canada's Biomass Carbon

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⁶ David B. Layzell and Susan M. Wood, "Canadian Biomass Inventory: Feedstocks for a Bio-based Economy", report prepared for Industry Canada (Kingston, ON: BIOCAP Foundation, 2003). Return to text

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