Agricultural Biomass and Bioenergy in Austria. An Analysis of Their Economic and Environmental Significance

Arable farming plays an important role in Austrian agriculture. For some years now, manufacturing has been increasingly using agricultural raw materials to produce new and innovative products. Significant domestic investments have significantly reduced the high net export ratio of wheat. Domestic processing creates employment and added value and shortens transport routes. As the analysis shows, the cascading use of plant raw materials contributes to efficient use in processing by industry and in animal feed. This creates resources that can be used for the sustainable production of energy sources. Scenario estimates quantify the effects of investments and production expansions in the starch industry on employment and value added. Plastics based on fossil raw materials could be produced on the basis of renewable raw materials with considerable environmental benefits.