The Biomasud certification system of the quality and sustainability of solid biofuels (http://biomasud.eu/), was created within the BIOMASUD interreg IV project in 2013 with the aim of covering all typical Mediterranean biomass resources used as solid biofuels in small and medium heating installations: domestic, commercial, institutional etc. The label is owned by several partners established in Spain, Portugal and France.Presently, the label includes wood chips and pellets, olive stones and some types of nut shells. Also within Biomasud project, a GIS tool that provides information about sustainable biomass resources and costs available in different Mediterranean countries was updated and upgraded with new information about agroindustrial residues and pellets production and producers Presently, some solid biofuel companies are already producing under the Biomasud quality label in Spain, and others have also shown the interest to adopt it in Spain and Italy, but there is a strong need for development of the label along the whole Mediterranean area where the biomasses and solid biofuels under the label are widely produced and used in the domestic sector market out of any standards. Moreover, there is also a need to extend the label to new biomasses that are used in the Mediterranean area and which are not covered by the label, this making therefore more difficult their appropriate combustion in stoves or small-medium size boilers. Finally, it is also important to mention that, in order to improve the label, a research is needed to develop new and/or review the existing Biomasud label analytical limits and sustainability tools along the value chain, including, the GHG calculation procedure. In the described context, the overall goal of the project is the improvement, dissemination and market development of the Biomasud label in order to promote the sustainable use of the Mediterranean autochthonous solid biofuels in the domestic sector.

CBE4I aims at the development of a novel, fuel-flexible biomass updraft gasification based technology for a highly energy efficient, almost zero emission and zero waste process heat supply for flexible implementation at industrial settings satisfying the specific demands of industry. Low-value biomass residues which are available in large quantities shall be applied. CBE4I shall provide either (i) heat at different temperature levels which can be applied for indirectly heated processes via product gas combustion in an almost zero-emission gas burner with integrated three-way catalyst flexibly coupled with different boiler types (hot water, thermal oil, steam) or (ii) process heat and a clean product gas via product gas extraction with integrated thermal and catalytic tar reforming for utilisation in gas burners for direct heating. A novel flue gas condensation concept with directly coupled heat pump shall boost efficiency up to 120% (related to the NCV of the fuel). A newly developed condensate treatment shall allow for a direct discharge into sewers and regarding ash utilisation a new concept for application of biomass ashes in fertilizer production shall be developed. Moreover, CBE4I shall include the necessary fuel pre-treatment technologies and fuel logistics suitable for industrial sites. The latter comprise space saving on-site fuel logistics and on-line fuel quality assessment based on a new intelligent crane system. The methodology applied to reach these goals relies on technology development tasks (based on process simulations, CFD aided design of the single units, test plant construction, performance and evaluation of test runs), a technology assessment part covering risk assessments, LCAs, techno-economic, environmental and overall impact assessments as well as targeted dissemination activities. A market study shall investigate and define the framework conditions and application potentials of the CBE4I technology in different industrial sectors.

The project aims at the development of a new fuel flexible and highly efficient residential biomass heating technology (20 - 130 kW). It is based on the successful UleWIN wood chip and pellet boiler concept consisting of a fixed-bed updraft gasifier directly coupled with a Low-NOx gas burner and a hot water boiler, which shall be further developed for fuel flexible operation (utilisation of forest residues, SRF, miscanthus, olive stones, nut shells and agro-pellets). Moreover, a compact flue gas condensation system with integrated condensate neutralisation, also capable to operate with highly acidic flue gases from agricultural fuel combustion, shall be developed to increase the efficiency of the whole system up to 110% (related to the fuel NCV). An advanced control system as well as measures for improved system integration shall additionally increase the annual utilisation rate up to 95%. It is expected to achieve at the end of the project a TRL of 5. These objectives are very relevant to the work programme since they focus on highly efficient and fuel flexible residential heat production at almost zero CO and OGC emissions, by 50% reduced NOx emissions (compared with conventional boilers) as well as ultra-low PM emissions below 13 mg/MJ (even when utilising K-rich fuels). Since this shall be reached by primary measures only, fuel flexible heat generation will be possible at reduced heat generation costs in comparison to present heating systems. To fulfil these goals an overall methodology shall be applied which is divided into a technology development part (based on process simulations, computer aided design of the single units, test plant construction, performance and evaluation of test runs) as well as a technology assessment part covering risk, techno-economic, environmental and overall impact assessments, market studies regarding the possible potentials for application of the new technology as well as dissemination activities.