Scoping study on biomass-to-liquid and potential Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production
Namibia is facing the challenge that its open semi-arid savannah rangelands are gradually turning into densely bush-covered land, affecting biodiversity, water availability and grazing capacity. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), through GIZ, is implementing the Bush Control and Biomass Utilization Project in partnership with the Namibian Ministry of Environment. The project aims to manage bush encroachment by promoting sustainable bush thinning and biomass utilization. This initiative has created jobs and profitable value chains, but theres a need for diversified sources of income beyond product sales. In the context of Power-to-X (PtX), woody biomass can serve as an energy carrier or carbon source, especially biogenic waste. Namibia has a unique resource - woody vegetation from landscape restoration efforts - that distinguishes it from other PtX partner countries and complements its solar and wind potential. This woody biomass covers approximately 45 million hectares and has been increasing over the last few decades.
The objective of this study was to assess the potential of using local residual biomass from bush encroachment for the production of PtL-SAF and other high potential PtX products. The study can be downloaded from the link on this page.
