Biomass for industry: German strategies for the 21 st century

Around 12,000,000 ha of Germany are covered with cropland, the share of non-food crops having risen from 2.5 % in 1993 to 6.3 % in 1999 (760,000 ha respectively). The most important renewable raw material is rapeseed oil (54%), followed by linseed oil (24%), starch (16%) and sunflower oil (3%). To support the energetic as well as the industrial use of biomass, the German and many federal states’ governments provide all in all more than 40,000,000 EURO per year. Concerning the industrial use, the focus is on supporting the following topics: (1) R&D on new production technologies for new raw materials, (2) R&D on new products and (3) the installation of production facilities. To coordinate the biomass activities in Germany several agencies have been founded since, C.A.R.M.E.N. being the one responsible for Bavaria, the largest federal state of Germany.[1] Production technologies: Friolex®, the road to new high-quality oils The enterprise Dr. Frische GmbH at Alzenau developed a new process for producing native oils and fats in cooperation with a worldwide operating manufacturer of centrifuges. The installation of a pilot plant with a capacity of 10,000 to oil seeds per year was subsidized by the Bavarian Ministry of Agriculture. Friolex ® is based on a centrifugal separation process and characterized by high-yields, gentle processing and broad applicabability. Therefore, it is suited for the production of high-quality oils