Products In Germany Research Articles

Biochar production from late-harvest grass – Challenges and potential for farm-scale implementation

Grasslands play a crucial role in European agriculture and ecology, but are often underutilized due to low-value end-products. The utilisation of late-harvest grass for biochar and heat generation on farm-level is being studied as a potential negative emissions technology. Technical (energy provision and carbon sink), economic (cost vs. benefit), political (regulatory framework) and social (SWOT) perspectives are being evaluated. Technical feasibility has been demonstrated with three different farm-scale technologies and the energetic and carbon-sink potential evaluated. When a continuously operating allothermal unit is evaluated, 35 % of the input biomass energy content can be utilized for heating a farm, in combination with the potential to provide a carbon sink. The cost-benefit analysis shows important monetary savings when including the agronomic value (based on the market price) of the produced biochar. An assessment of the regulatory framework of biochar production in Germany presents a multitude of regulations applying to such technologies some of which provide a hurdle to navigate and may incur excessive costs for farmers as small-scale biochar producers. A SWOT analysis of a case in Brandenburg, Germany highlights strengths and opportunities, but also obstacles such as lack of infrastructure and regulatory support. This study highlights the need for further development of suitable technology and research on the long-term economic and carbon sink potential of biochar.

An integrative and prospective approach to regional material flow analysis: Modeling the decarbonization of the North Rhine‐Westphalian steel industry

AbstractNorth‐Rhine Westphalia is the center of the German and European steel production. Its steel industry is heavily based on the primary production route and emits up to 30 Mt CO2 annually. One possible and increasingly prominent alternative to reduce these emissions is the hydrogen‐based direct reduction. While this technology allows for a near climate‐neutral production of primary steel, it poses substantial impacts on regional energy and material flows. Hence, the aim of this paper is to quantify the alterations in energy and material flows over time via integrating top‐down energy and material flow models with bottom‐up process models. The resulting values of emissions, energy, and material flows are then used to develop prospective scenarios that depict the requirements and consequences of potential pathways toward a climate‐neutral steel production by 2045. The outcomes show that decarbonizing the North Rhine‐Westphalian steel industry leads to an additional demand for renewable energies of up to 52.5 TWh per year, which represents 10% of the current electricity production in Germany. As securing the green electricity demand is a large challenge, the study also analyzes the impact of a partial recourse to natural gas as a reducing agent in combination with other measures like carbon capture and utilization/storage. The results show that such a recourse would reduce the electricity demand to 36.8 TWh. Hence, the paper illustrates relevant implications of the different scenarios, which can be used by policymakers to develop more realistic and resilient strategies for reaching carbon neutrality.

Import options for chemical energy carriers from renewable sources to Germany.

Import and export of fossil energy carriers are cornerstones of energy systems world-wide. If energy systems are to become climate neutral and sustainable, fossil carriers need to be substituted with carbon neutral alternatives or electrified if possible. We investigate synthetic chemical energy carriers, hydrogen, methane, methanol, ammonia and Fischer-Tropsch fuels, produced using electricity from Renewable Energy Source (RES) as fossil substitutes. RES potentials are obtained from GIS-analysis and hourly resolved time-series are derived using reanalysis weather data. We model the sourcing of feedstock chemicals, synthesis and transport along nine different Energy Supply Chains to Germany and compare import options for seven locations around the world against each other and with domestically sourced alternatives on the basis of their respective cost per unit of hydrogen and energy delivered. We find that for each type of chemical energy carrier, there is an import option with lower costs compared to domestic production in Germany. No single exporting country or energy carrier has a unique cost advantage, since for each energy carrier and country there are cost-competitive alternatives. This allows exporter and infrastructure decisions to be made based on other criteria than energy and cost. The lowest cost means for importing of energy and hydrogen are by hydrogen pipeline from Denmark, Spain and Western Asia and Northern Africa starting at 36 EUR/MWhLHV to 42 EUR/MWhLHV or 1.0 EUR/kgH2 to 1.3 EUR/kgH2 (in 2050, assuming 5% p.a. capital cost). For complex energy carriers derived from hydrogen like methane, ammonia, methanol or Fischer-Tropsch fuels, imports from Argentina by ship to Germany are lower cost than closer exporters in the European Union or Western Asia and Northern Africa. For meeting hydrogen demand, direct hydrogen imports are more attractive than indirect routes using methane, methanol or ammonia imports and subsequent decomposition to hydrogen because of high capital investment costs and energetic losses of the indirect routes. We make our model and data available under open licenses for adaptation and reuse.

Economic analysis of hydrogen production in Germany with a focus on green hydrogen, considering all three major water electrolysis technologies

Economic analysis of hydrogen production in Germany with a focus on green hydrogen production and comparison with alternative processes.

Categorisation of Biogas Plant Operators in Germany with Regards to Their Intention to Use Straw Pellets as Innovative and Sustainable Substrate Alternative

The cultivation of renewable raw materials on arable land is challenged by the ongoing fuel-versus-food debate resulting from increases in maize cultivation, shorter crop rotations and land competition. Accordingly, the current legal framework for biogas production in Germany focuses on limiting cultivation of traditional biogas substrates, such as silage maize, and promoting the use of various alternatives, such as waste materials and by-products. One new sustainable substrate alternative is the use of cereal straw compacted to pellets. Although straw pellets generally have good fermentation properties, they are still rarely used in German biogas production. Since earlier research on agricultural production practices in general has shown that farmers can be divided into groups regarding their acceptance behaviour and the speed to successfully adopt innovative practices and technologies on their farm, this study addresses the research question: How can biogas plant operators in Germany be categorised with regards to their intention to use straw pellets as innovative and sustainable substrate alternatives? In order to answer this question an exploratory factor analysis and subsequent hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted with survey data obtained from German biogas plant operators (n = 309) in early 2021. Based on variables indicating the intention to use and use behaviour regarding straw pellets in biogas plants, four clusters are identified. Plant operator’s innovativeness, perceived risk and the influence of social environment show differences between the clusters. Additionally, the characteristics of the innovation “straw pellets”, such as economic performance and sustainability, were assessed differently by the four clusters of German biogas plant operators. While the clusters do not show significant differences in the socio-demographic characteristics, they do so in the farm characteristics (farm activities besides biogas production, size of the plant, the proportion of slurry/dung and silage maize). According to the results two of the four clusters have a higher acceptance of straw pellets, which also means that they are earlier in considering the actual use. The initiation of regional working groups, information campaigns and financial incentives can support plant operators, especially in the two clusters of potential early adopters, in accepting straw pellets. This should ultimately result in a faster and wider use of straw pellets as substrates in the whole biogas sector.

Illusio der Autonomie: Carolin Amlingers Studie über literarische Arbeit

Carolin Amlinger's <i>Schreiben. Eine Soziologie literarischer Arbeit</i> is a large-scale, but still coherent analysis of contemporary literary production in Germany. Inspired by Pierre Bourdieu's field theory, trained in critical theory, and based on interviews with authors she interpreted using qualitative methods, Amlinger combines three approaches: a history of the (West) German literary market and the development of the literary public sphere from 1871 to the recent present, an account of institutions in the present-day German literary scene, and an analysis of the habitus of contemporary authors. Amlinger shows how literary work today is characterized by a blurring of the boundaries between market and public. According to her observation, this development goes hand in hand with an essentialization of authorship – an understanding that justifies precarious work with the promise of creative self-realization. As the review argues, this results in an analytical balancing act: on the one hand, to show how literary writing and the notion of it are reshaped, and at the same time to remain sensitive to the resistance of literary practices and to concepts of authorship that oppose a neoliberal notion of labor. Amlinger's refraining from complementing authors' self-conceptions with observations of actual practices and the products of literary labor make it difficult for the study to consistently pursue both perspectives.

Fair-washing in the market for structured retail products? Voluntary self-regulation versus government regulation

Regulation of the market for structured retail investment products in Germany switched from voluntary self-regulation to government regulation. In 2014, issuers of structured retail products subscribed to the “Fairness Code” as an instrument of self-regulation. A key measure of the Fairness Code was the mandatory disclosure of an “Issuer Estimated Value” (IEV) to provide information about hidden investment costs for the retail customer. In 2018, this measure became obsolete, since the new EU regulation on Packaged Retail and Insurance-Based Investment Products (PRIIPs) prescribed a direct disclosure of investment costs. We compare these instruments of voluntary self-regulation and government regulation and analyze issuers’ disclosure policies under both regimes. The new regulation effectively forces issuers to report actual costs correctly. In contrast, the self-regulated IEV was of limited use for retail investors, because (i) its definition was ambiguous, and (ii) issuers exploited this opaqueness by reporting disproportionately high IEVs. Hence, under voluntary self-regulation issuers professed transparency and fairness, but continued to hide costs in their prices.

Second hepatitis C virus transmission by blood components since introduction of mandatory NAT screening in Germany.

Viral safety of blood products in Germany has improved significantly over the last two decades. We describe the second documented transfusion-transmitted (TT) episode for the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Germany since mandatory nucleic acid amplification techniques (NAT) screening was introduced in 1999. When a repeat donor who had tested negative for anti-HCV tested positive for HCV RNA by NAT in a minipool (MP) of eight, a look-back procedure was initiated. Qualitative, quantitative and genotyping assays were used to investigate the titers of the quarantined fresh frozen plasma (FFP) from the donor and a serum sample from the recipient of the pooled platelet concentrate (PPC). Amplified products of 5'UTR and HVR1 were used for sequence comparison to characterize the HCV genomic identity of donor and recipient samples. All NAT tests utilized in this procedure were able to detect a low HCV RNA titer (~15 IU/ml) in the FFP from the donation. Dilution of FFP by factor 8 was performed to mimic an MP, and the detection rate correlated well with the claimed sensitivity of the tests. Analysis of donor and recipient samples revealed genotype 3a viral transmission confirmed by sequence analysis. This TT HCV case could have been prevented by individual donation (ID) NAT. However, a low titer blood donation in the window period (WP) is very rare. Residual risk calculation for TT HCV in the WP revealed that, compared to MP-NAT testing, ID-NAT would improve blood safety only marginally.

Assessing the demand side management potential in biofuel production; A theoretical study for biodiesel, bioethanol, and biomethane in Germany

AbstractMinimizing the emissions produced during the processing of biofuel, one aim is to reduce or completely replace the amount of the required fossil fuels used for internal process energy. For the transition of process energy from fossil to renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, the energy demand of biomass processing must be adjustable to the fluctuating electricity supply. The flexible adjustment of a system's power demand to follow the current power generation is commonly referred to as demand side management (DSM). This contribution shows the results of a study on the implementation of DSM in biofuel biorefineries. By identifying reference concepts that could represent biofuel production plants, the specific mass and energy consumption for the individual process steps in these reference concepts was analyzed through a literature study. The annual throughput and energy consumption of process steps in biofuel production could then be calculated, enabling the identification of the most energy‐consuming process steps. Subsequently, possible flexible operating load ranges of the respective process steps in biofuel production were identified. These findings allowed an assessment of the potential for different process units of biorefinery systems concerning the quantitative adaptability of the electricity load – the theoretical DSM potential. An approximate theoretical DSM potential of 146 MW has been identified for biofuel production in Germany. This cumulated theoretical DSM potential in biofuel production was compared to that of other industrial processes, demonstrating the magnitude and importance of the implementation of DSM in biofuel production. © 2022 The Authors. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining published by Society of Industrial Chemistry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Decarbonization scenarios for the iron and steel industry in context of a sectoral carbon budget: Germany as a case study

CO2 emissions from global steel production may jeopardize climate goals of 1.5 °C unless current steel production practices will be rapidly decarbonized. At present, primary iron and steel production is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels, primarily coke. This study aims to determine which decarbonization pathways can achieve the strongest emission reductions of the iron and steel industry in Germany by 2050. Moreover, we estimate whether the German iron and steel industry will be able to stay within its sectoral carbon budgets for a 1.5 °C or 1.75 °C target. We developed three decarbonization scenarios for German steel production: an electrification, coal-exit, and a carbon capture and storage (CCS) scenario. They describe a phase-out of coal-fired production plants and an introduction of electricity-based, low-carbon iron production technologies, i.e. hydrogen-based direct reduction and electrowinning of iron ore. The scenarios consider the age and lifetimes of existing coal-based furnaces, the maturity of emerging technologies, and increasing recycling shares. Based on specific energy requirements and reaction-related emissions per technology, we calculated future CO2 emissions of future steel production in Germany. We found that under the decarbonization scenarios, annual CO2 emissions decrease by up to 83% in 2050 relative to 2020. The reductions of cumulative emissions by 2050 range from 24% (360 Mt CO2) under the electrification scenario up to the maximum of 46% (677 Mt CO2) under the CCS scenario compared to a reference scenario. This clearly demonstrates that the technology pathway matters. Nevertheless, the German steel sector will exceed its sectoral CO2 budget for a 1.5 °C warming scenario between 2023 and 2037. Thus, drastic measures are required very soon to sufficiently limit future CO2 emissions from German steel production, such as, a rapid decarbonization of the electricity mix, the construction of a hydrogen and CCS infrastructure, or early shutdowns of current coal-based furnaces.

Extreme weather events cause significant crop yield losses at the farm level in German agriculture

Extreme weather events frequently cause severe crop yield losses, affecting food security and farmers’ incomes. In this paper, we aim to provide a holistic assessment of these impacts across various extreme weather events and multiple crops. More specifically, we estimate and compare the impact of frost, heat, drought and waterlogging on yields of winter wheat, winter barley, winter rapeseed and grain maize production in Germany. We analyse 423,815 farm-level yield observations between 1995 and 2019, and account for extreme weather conditions within critical phenological phases. Furthermore, we monetarize historical yield losses due to extreme weather events on a spatially disaggregated level. We find that drought is a main driver for farm-level grain yield and monetary losses in German agriculture. For instance, a single drought day can reduce winter wheat yields by up to 0.36%. It is estimated that during the period 1995–2019, summer drought led to yield losses in winter wheat, which, on average, caused annual revenues to sink by over 23 million Euro across Germany. We find that the impacts of extreme weather events vary considerably across space and time. For example, only the most important winter rapeseed production region in the North of Germany was prone to winter rapeseed yield losses due to heat during flowering. Moreover, waterlogging and frost are generally less relevant from an economic point of view, but can nevertheless cause crop- and regional-specific damage. Our analysis provides stakeholders with information for weather-related risk management and adaptation strategies.

The role of information in consumer preferences for sustainable certified palm oil products in Germany.

Food products are often subject to information asymmetries, which are commonly supposed to be reduced by labels and certifications. However, as the number of labels increases, consumers tend to get confused, bored or impatient and stop using them to make product choices. This study uses data from a discrete choice experiment, conducted in Germany, to analyze consumers’ preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for sustainability indicators on products that contain palm oil as an ingredient. Since information is crucial to the assessment and awareness of, or attendance to, labels on consumer products, this study assesses the effect of factual information on preferences as well as attribute-processing strategies. We use a hybrid latent variable model that allows us to jointly examine the response to the stated choice component and the responses to attribute processing questions, thus capturing attribute non-attendance (ANA) to specific labels while controlling for heterogenous preferences. Our results reveal that the attribute ‘organic’ receives the highest monetary valuation in the overall sample as well as in the information intervention, and the no-information intervention groups. The results also show that providing additional information tends to change consumers’ non-attendance patterns as well as WTP values. In particular, the information intervention tends to increase consumers’ WTP and decreases their ANA for sustainability-indicating attributes. The findings suggest that the attribute ‘organic’ has the potential to be ranked highest across the entire latent variable structure, making it the most promising attribute for promoting sustainable palm oil use across consumer groups.

Is it just the distance? Consumer preference for geographical and social proximity of food production

Consumption of locally-produced food is one important contribution to promote a more sustainable economy. Several previous studies have focused on distance declarations, denoted as geographical proximity of food production, and how it affects choice. All without consensus about what distance should hold for local food. Other previous research has identified social proximity as a local-related product characteristic that drives perception and choice (e.g., family-run farms). However, there is no previous study providing a clear picture regarding the choice behavior and preference relationship of geographical and social proximity attributes (particularly when the distance declaration of locally-produced food varies). To fill this research gap, we employed a between-subjects experiment (i.e., varying the distance declaration of local food) in combination with a choice-based conjoint analysis to understand consumer preferences for geographical and social proximity of food production in Germany. Results indicate a higher preference and willingness to pay for food with greater geographical and social proximity, with the effects more pronounced for geographical proximity. A follow-up analysis provides novel insights by explaining preference heterogeneity for geographical and social proximity attributes with important implications for research and practice.

Is blue hydrogen a bridging technology? - The limits of a CO2 price and the role of state-induced price components for green hydrogen production in Germany

The European Commission aims to establish green hydrogen produced through electrolysis using renewable electricity and, in a transition phase, hydrogen produced in a low-carbon process, or blue hydrogen. In an extensive cost analysis for Germany up to 2050, based on scenario data and a component-based learning rate approach, we find that blue hydrogen is likely to establish itself as the most cost-effective option, and not only as a medium-term low-carbon alternative. We find that expected CO2 prices below €480/tCO2 have a limited impact on the economic feasibility of electrolysis and show that substantial increases in excise tax on natural gas could lead blue hydrogen to reach a sufficient cost level for electrolysed hydrogen. Unless alternatives for green hydrogen supply through infrastructure and imports become available at lower cost, electrolysed hydrogen may require long-term subsidies. As blue hydrogen comprises fugitive methane emissions and financing needs for green hydrogen support have implications for society and competition in the internal market, we suggest that policymakers rely on hydrogen for decarbonising only essential energy applications. We recommend further investigations into the cost of hydrogen infrastructure and import options as well as efficient subsidy frameworks.

Provivi scales up pheromone production

The crop protection company Provivi is boosting production of an insect pheromone that controls the European grapevine moth. The sex pheromone confuses male moths and makes it difficult for them to mate. To meet high demand after French regulators approved the product last year, Provivi worked with Lanxess to scale up production in Germany via a metathesis route. The firm has since signed a contract with Lanxess for another production campaign.

Cost minimized hydrogen from solar and wind – Production and supply in the European catchment area

Green hydrogen plays a major role in the net-zero greenhouse gas-reduction strategy of the European Union. To supply hydrogen as cheap as possible, a well-balanced production system is needed to handle fluctuations of solar radiation and wind energy. Thus, this paper investigates the onsite hydrogen supply costs in the European catchment area in 2020, 2030, 2040 and 2050. Furthermore, a subsequent transport per pipeline to one of the projected demand centres in Europe (exemplary Germany) is considered. Also, the sensitivity regarding the additional use of salt caverns as hydrogen storage and less restricting supply profiles is assessed as well as the technical annual supply potential for 2030 and 2050. To do so, the optimal system design for minimized hydrogen supply cost for water electrolysis based on photovoltaic and wind turbines is estimated for a 0.5°x0.5° grid using a linear optimization model. For the best locations, coastal regions at the North Sea, Western Sahara and parts of Algeria, onsite hydrogen supply cost decreases from 3€2020/kgH2 in 2030 to 2 €2020/kgH2 in 2050. The technical hydrogen supply potential is tremendous, especially from Northern Africa, and a supply to Central Europe (Germany) via pipeline for around 3€2020/kgH2 is possible in 2050, while a domestic hydrogen production in Germany covering the projected demand would lead to cost up to 4.5 €2020/kgH2. Furthermore, a large scale hydrogen storage e.g. in salt caverns, can reduce the hydrogen supply costs for regions with high seasonality of solar and wind up to 50% and excess electricity to less than 10%, leading to fewer cost deviations between the sub-regions, resulting in lower import costs from Northern and Western Europe than from Northern Africa or Middle East.

(Mis)allocation of Renewable Energy Sources

Policies to incentivize the adoption of renewable energy sources (RES) usually offer little flexibility to adapt to heterogeneous benefits across locations. We evaluate the geographical misallocation of RES associated with the uniform nature of subsidies. We estimate the dispersion of marginal benefits from solar production in Germany and compute the social and private benefits from optimal reallocations of residential solar installations keeping total capacity fixed. We find that total value of solar would increase by 6.4% relative to the current allocation using conservative values for solar penetration. Reallocating all solar and taking into account transmission would yield considerably larger gains.

Deutschlands Ölfelder: Eine Stoffgeschichte der Kulturpflanze Raps (1897–2017)

Deutschlands Ölfelder: Eine Stoffgeschichte der Kulturpflanze Raps (1897–2017)

Circular economy for durable products and materials: the recycling of plastic building products in Germany—status quo, potentials and recommendations

The construction sector is the second largest area for the application for plastics. Due to the long life times of construction products, the implementation of the circular economy faces its own challenges. To investigate this challenge, the study covers a market study for Germany, voluntary take-back and recycling schemes of construction products, as well as the use of plastic recyclates in construction products. In addition, plastic packaging of construction products is covered. Opportunities and barriers to the use of recycled plastics in construction products are derived from the intersection of available technologies, recyclate supply, and technical requirements for construction products. The report concludes with recommendations to various stakeholders on how to promote the use of recyclates in construction products and their packaging. Important points here are the introduction of a recyclate quota for films as construction product packaging and the description of recycling possibilities and recyclate content in the technical documentation of construction products.

Flexibility of Epichlorohydrin Production—Increasing Profitability by Demand Response for Electricity and Balancing Market

The increasing share of variable renewable energies in the power grid is an incentive to explore demand response strategies. Chlor-alkali processes are high potential candidates, according to previous publications. Within Germany’s chemical industry, chlorine production accounts for approximately 20% of electricity use and could play a significant role in power grid stabilisation on the consumer end. This study focuses on the feasibility of load flexibilisation in epichlorohydrin plants, with the second biggest estimated demand response potential for chlorine-based products in Germany. A plant model with allyl chloride storage was created based on real data and literature values. Results from this model, spot market and balancing power prices, and future electricity market scenarios were used in a mixed-integer linear optimisation. We find that benefits from demand response can be generated as soon as additional power and storage volume is provided. The composition of provided types of balancing power bids follows the price trend on the market. Additionally, the computation time could be lowered significantly by running the scenarios in parallel. The results encourage a practical validation of the flexibility of epichlorohydrin production.