Our motto: moving toward the biobased economy: replacing oil with biomass.

About this service

Biomass as feedstock for the biobased economy. Biomass is the collective name for organic material originating from living organisms. Biomass can be turned into a feedstock for many biobased applications, often substituting fossil oil and gas. Biomass has diverse applications, including its conversion into electricity, heat and biogas, as raw material for building and fiber applications and as a source for charcoal and bedding material for livestock.



Some biomass applications require processing steps, such as drying, sieving or densification into pellets or briquettes.

FSG focuses on five types of biomass: switchgrass, wood, bamboo, reed and straw. Wood and Straw are general categories and include multiple biomass sources, such as wheat and rice straw and willow and poplar wood. Each of these biomass sources can be developed separately or in combinations, depending on soil and site conditions and market opportunities. Find out more about biomass and our activities here.

For who?

We offer this service particularly to land owners and natural resource managers who seek alternative cultivation options for unused, less productive or marginalized land. But also governments, knowledge institutes and companies are targeted with an interest in developing biobased activities.

Our approach

FSG consultancy services cover the entire supply chain. This includes development and implementation of integrated crop plans - suitable for a variety of soil and site conditions – biomass business analyses, marketing models and tailor-made training packages. We also support companies in the process toward biomass certification.

Our services

Biomass prospect assessment

We analyze specific site and soil conditions for land owners, taking into account productive opportunities as well as limitations such as (temporary) flooding, drought and erosion. Data gathered and analyzed will serve as basis for integrated crop plans (below). This service results in a report, including the site and soil analysis, crop plan recommendations, financial analysis, market studies and suitable marketing models.

Integrated crop plan development

This service involves elaboration of the biomass crop plan, which is the result of the biomass prospect assessment (above). The crop plan may include multiple biomass types, such as perennial grasses, woody biomass (Short rotation coppice), agricultural byproducts, reed and other biomass or combinations thereof. It includes a complete description of cultivation and harvesting methods and the operations are aligned with international sustainability and carbon certification systems. This service results in a complete sustainable and profitable plan for biomass cultivation.

Biomass Certification

For increased income and access to markets, FSG assists companies and land owners in all steps required for certification of their biomass operations in accordance with international standards. These include sustainability standards, such as FSC (only woody biomass), NTA 8080, RED, as well as carbon standards such as VCS, CDM and CAR.

Training

Multiple tailor made training packages are offered to a variety of stakeholders involved in biomass cultivation, harvesting, processing and commercialization. This includes training and capacity building regarding certification requirements.

Marketing and market research

FSG helps organizations with marketing of biomass. This may involve setting up a new local organization, trained by FSG to organize supply of biomass, its processing, logistics and sales all in one, for different types of domestic and international markets. Prior to the development of integrated crop plans (above), market studies are carried out, to identify real sales potential for the biomass developed.

Setting up biomass supply chains

With the right biomass, crop plans and developed capacities, FSG supports organizations and companies in setting up viable supply chains linked with domestic and international markets.