Bio-based Energy Scenarios: Looking for Waste

Bioenergy remains as a reference of global sustainable energy production. There is a plethora of raw materials, which may be used as biomass for energy - including agricultural residues and straws, wood, and urban garbage, which may be put under the semantic term of “waste”. These are a surplus material for the co-production of valuable and sustainable biofuels, chemical compounds, electricity and heat. In order to understand global efforts on knowledge production and their relations with Research & Development (R&D) efforts in this bioeconomy field, this paper presents a Science, Technology and Innovation evolutionary map of biobased “waste” materials. Two methodological approaches are integrated: scientometrics global analysis of scientific production and innovation scenarios, through patent categories. Results show a huge pattern of investments in the last decade - which changes from chemical to biological technical bases. They also profile the R&D areas from the engineering processes and technological development demands. The design of technological fields is essential for studies of decision support, for the evaluation of positions of industrial development of institutions or countries, to understand the dynamics of S&T&I for strategic positioning.