Biomass, Wood, Energy, Bioproducts - UPR BioWooEB

Internal Research Unit (UPR) PERSYST Department

UR BioWooEB works to address the energy and environmental issues facing southern countries, such as access to decentralized electricity supplies in rural areas, optimization of the energy efficiency of cooking on a domestic scale, the development of building materials capable of resisting tropical and Mediterranean climates, and the development of carbon materials for effluent treatment.

Residual woody biomass © A. Rival, CIRAD
Residual woody biomass © A. Rival, CIRAD

It is developing the concept of “cascading” uses for biomass. It applies an integrated approach to the standing biomass-materials-energy continuum, using different types of raw materials (wood from natural or planted forests or agroforests, crop stems, bamboo, canes, crop waste, etc). With its partners in the South, it works to build knowledge of and expertise in coordinating biomass availability and its various uses (materials, energy). It designs efficient processing techniques suitable for small-scale use in southern countries.

The aim is to optimize the performance of biomass supply chains in tropical and Mediterranean countries, in liaison with the stakeholders concerned, by assessing and managing the compromises to be struck between the different uses and contexts. In this way, the unit contributes to ensuring the sustainability and efficiency of the ligno-cellulose resources generated by agriculture and forestry.