The 2023 Biomass Innovation Awards already have their winners

The electronic system “ECC in JOTUL F 170 & SCAN 67” to control combustion in wood stoves developed by Jotul Group substantially improves the operation of this type of equipment, reducing its emissions and increasing its efficiency, with easy handling by the user.

Since 2021, firewood is attracting the attention of many domestic consumers, especially due to its lower price compared to other biofuels more affected by inflation. This renewed interest in firewood has been accompanied by an increase of around 25% annually in sales of modern wood-burning stoves, fireplaces, stoves and boilers. It is therefore very wise to improve the performance and control of this equipment that harmonizes traditional use with the highest technology.

The private initiative “MHE+Bosque” that Monte Holiday Ecoturismo is carrying out in the Sierra de Guadarrama of Madrid establishes a synergistic relationship between forest management adaptive to climate change, production of renewable energy in the tourism sector, reduction of the carbon footprint and protection of the forest and people against forest fires.

The biomass obtained from the management of the private oak forest where the complex is located and other nearby forest masses is valued in the campsite's heat network. This model can serve as an example for other companies in the tourism sector and for small and medium-sized mountain towns.

In the Technological Innovation category , in addition to the first prize, worth €2,000, two second prizes of €500 have been awarded to two candidates: the “Haas Turon Hybrid Primary Biomass Crusher” , presented by its distributor in Spain, Técnicas de Gestión and Environmental Machinery, capable of working at normal speed with diesel or electricity both in the field and in the plant; and the “0-EMISSION” , presented by the consortium of companies formed by Comercial Projar, Sugimat, SingularGreen, Comercial J. Huete and Ingelia, which combines new combustion systems with biofilters that allow emissions to be reduced considerably in industrial projects. .

The best Innovative Practice will obtain its reward in the form of promotion through seminars, publications and other visualization actions promoted by the INtercamBIOM network to facilitate its adoption by potential users.

Choice of winners
In the Technological Innovation category, the assessment was carried out by a jury made up of professionals with extensive experience in different areas of biomass and bioeconomy from CEDER-Ciemat, CIRCE Foundation, ASEMFO and AVEBIOM. In the Innovative Practice category, a popular voting process was established, which collected 6,178 votes in 10 days, contributing 50%, while the jury's evaluations weighed the remaining 50%.

In addition to the winners, each and every one of the 32 innovative technologies and practices selected for this double call for awards deserve recognition for their commitment to the revitalization and economic development of the biomass sector in our country.