Land use and land use change

Land use is the starting point for the production of all types of biomass and food. The space required for this is a finite resource on this planet. Sustainable and efficient land use is therefore a key issue and requires ecological and social principles to be implemented on a global scale. Land-use change as a result of increasing land consumption can have serious consequences. On the one hand, these include changes in the carbon storage of the land cover which cause greenhouse gas emissions (summarised using the acronym LULUCF in Kyoto jargon). The consequences may also be reflected in the loss of biodiversity through changes to soils, influences on water bodies or other ecosystem services. In a global context, the social aspects of land-use change are also often of crucial importance.

We have developed models to take account of land-use changes in greenhouse gas emission analyses, and to include other environmental and socio-economic consequences in life cycle assessments and further sustainability studies, and we work closely with international experts on these issues. Details on our innovative model, how land-use changes can be allocated to individual products, and in particular how this affects the CO2 footprint of the products, can be found here.

Projects

BioMates

Reliable Bio-based Refinery Intermediates

The four-year project aims at manufacturing intermediate products made from wood-like or stalk-like non-food biomass, e.g. from agricultural residues and perennial grasses, which are suitable for…

INPLAMINT

A sustainable agriculture has to find ways to optimize nutrient efficiency as fundamental criteria of a bio-based economy. This project is motivated by the central hypothesis that novel plant…

COSMOS

COSMOS aims at reducing the dependence on imported coconut and palm kernel oils and fatty acids and on castor oil as sources for medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA, C10–C14) and medium-chain polymer…

D-FACTORY: The Micro-Algae Biorefinery

The research project "The Micro-Algae Biorefinery (D-FACTORY)" aims at developing a concept for a microalgae biorefinery that is used for the sustainable production of Dunaliella algae and its…

PUFAChain

The Value Chain from Microalgae to PUFAs: technological, environmental and integrated sustainability assessments

The research project "The Value Chain from Microalgae to PUFA" (PUFAChain) aims at creating a profound scientific and technological basis for the industrial production of high-value products from…

OPTIMA

The project, coordinated by the University of Catania, focused on the Mediterranean region where marginal lands are usually characterised by poor water availability.

Wissenschaftliche Studie

BIOCORE

The project focused on the production of a wide range of products from non-food biomass feedstocks using an innovative Organosolv technology.

SUPRABIO

The SUPRABIO project researched, developed and demonstrated a toolkit of novel generic processes that can be applied to a range of biorefinery concepts.

BIOLYFE

The BIOLYFE project improved critical process steps and demonstrated the whole supply chain, from feedstock sourcing via fuel production to product utilisation.

Wissenschaftliche Studie

Ecological Effects of using Palm Oil as a Source of Energy

In this project, ifeu analysed the ecological effects of the use of palm oil as a source of energy and identified optimization potenatial.

Wissenschaftliche Studie

Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment of Stationary Energetic Use of Imported Biofuels: The Case of Palm Oil

The study analyses the characteristics of palm oil, possibilities of using it for energy as well as the environmental, economic and social consequences thereof.

Optimisation for the sustainable expansion of biogas production and use in Germany

Supported by measures like the Renewable Energies Act, the use of biogas has become increasingly relevant in recent years. However, despite the fact that both production and use of biogas are…