IEA IETS Task 11 – Industry-based Biorefineries towards Sustainability

Biorefineries that produce fuels, chemicals and energy from biomass are a central element of a future climate-neutral, circular economy. To contribute effectively to climate targets, these plants must use energy and resources as efficiently as possible. This is precisely where Task 11 comes in – an international research network under the Technology Collaboration Programme “Industrial Energy-related Technologies and Systems” of the International Energy Agency.

Task 11 collects and shares technologies and concepts for industrial biorefineries – both stand-alone facilities and entire biorefinery pathways that are integrated into existing industries such as pulp and paper, chemicals or steel. The core question is how biorefineries can be planned and operated so that they achieve net-zero or even negative emissions and fit seamlessly into a future-proof supply of energy and raw materials.

Austria plays a particularly active role in Task 11 and leads the Subtask on “Technology Pathways towards Negative and Net-Zero Emission Biorefineries”. The national contribution pools domestic research on new biorefinery processes, on the use of biogenic CO₂ (bio-CCU/bio-CCS), and on assessment methods that allow the climate impact and energy efficiency of different approaches to be compared in a transparent way.

Within the international network of experts, case studies are analysed, emerging technologies are systematically recorded and compiled in a continuously updated compendium. Through publications, workshops and networking activities, the results feed into Austrian and international initiatives on the energy transition and the bioeconomy. In this way, Task 11 helps to initiate new collaborations and to strengthen the long-term competitiveness of sustainable biorefineries in Austria.