In the whole bioenergy chain, biomass production – processing – conversion, considerable time and funds have been spent so far on research solely for biomass production or energy conversion processes. Little attention has been paid yet to measuring and evaluating the performance of perennial and annual crops in an integrated bioenergy chain.

Use of a mixture of crops offers the potential for a year-round operation without the need to store large quantities of materials and feeding systems developed for energy crops and related materials would be capable of handling a wide range of materials with comparable handling characteristics.

Laboratory tests on the different stages of handling, pre-treating and processing these less commonly processed materials are an essential first step towards the development and the evaluation of integrated systems, particularly to compare performance on these materials with performance criteria derived from more orthodox biomass forms such as wood. Measures of product yield and product quality are particularly important.

The overall objective of this project is to evaluate, in terms of technical, financial/economic and environmental feasibility, the whole bioenergy chain from biomass production to thermochemical conversion for a number of perennial energy crops carefully selected to ensure, by successive harvesting, a year-round availability of raw material.