Biomass Survey - Questions for Industries/Businesses

We are a group of graduate students surveying biomass production and utilization and its economic, social and environmental impacts on society. Sustainability is a key to withstand extreme environmental conditions and control everlasting climate change in today's world. We have created this survey solely based on your interests and expertise. We believe your contribution to this survey will be of great help in understanding the current status of biomass production and its economic and environmental impacts.

Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus:
Mohammed Antar - Ph.D. Student
Dongmei Lyu - Ph.D. Student
Mahtab Nazari - Ph.D. Student
Ateeq Shah - MSc Student

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* 1. Your affiliation

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* 2. Your location

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* 3. What is your area of interest related to biomass utilization?

Biomass production

Bioheat/biopower utilization

Transportation biofuel

High-value bioproducts

Other (please specify)

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* 4. Canada is one of the most resource-based countries globally but is still far behind in biomass and biofuel production as an underpinning to the overall bioeconomy. Please rank the following in terms of importance for addressing this shortfall, from 1 to 5, where 1 is the most important and 5 is the least important.

	1	2	3	4	5
Insufficient government encouragement through legislation	Insufficient government encouragement through legislation 1	Insufficient government encouragement through legislation 2	Insufficient government encouragement through legislation 3	Insufficient government encouragement through legislation 4	Insufficient government encouragement through legislation 5
Excessive regulation	Excessive regulation 1	Excessive regulation 2	Excessive regulation 3	Excessive regulation 4	Excessive regulation 5
Insufficient government encouragement through subsidies and other financings	Insufficient government encouragement through subsidies and other financings 1	Insufficient government encouragement through subsidies and other financings 2	Insufficient government encouragement through subsidies and other financings 3	Insufficient government encouragement through subsidies and other financings 4	Insufficient government encouragement through subsidies and other financings 5
Insufficient research and development	Insufficient research and development 1	Insufficient research and development 2	Insufficient research and development 3	Insufficient research and development 4	Insufficient research and development 5
Poor public perception	Poor public perception 1	Poor public perception 2	Poor public perception 3	Poor public perception 4	Poor public perception 5

Other (please specify)

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* 5. The followings are actions that consumers/producers/farmers/stakeholders could take to enhance biomass production and utilization. Please rank these actions in terms of importance for enhancing biomass production and utilization, from 1 to 4, where 1 is the most important and 4 is the least important.

	1	2	3	4
Inform their sector as much as possible, including organizing meetings, etc.	Inform their sector as much as possible, including organizing meetings, etc. 1	Inform their sector as much as possible, including organizing meetings, etc. 2	Inform their sector as much as possible, including organizing meetings, etc. 3	Inform their sector as much as possible, including organizing meetings, etc. 4
Encourage politicians to consider and support the development of this sector	Encourage politicians to consider and support the development of this sector 1	Encourage politicians to consider and support the development of this sector 2	Encourage politicians to consider and support the development of this sector 3	Encourage politicians to consider and support the development of this sector 4
Promote utilization of biobased energy and other bio-materials	Promote utilization of biobased energy and other bio-materials 1	Promote utilization of biobased energy and other bio-materials 2	Promote utilization of biobased energy and other bio-materials 3	Promote utilization of biobased energy and other bio-materials 4
Encourage related research	Encourage related research 1	Encourage related research 2	Encourage related research 3	Encourage related research 4

Other (please specify)

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* 6. Would you be willing to attend a training course, workshops or study-tours regarding biomass and biofuel production? If yes, which aspects you like to consider? If no, what is your concern?

Yes (Please explain)

No (Please explain)

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* 7. In what year did this business begin its operations in Canada?

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* 8. Did this business begin its operations as a spin-off company? If yes, from which type of organization was this business a spin-off?

Yes, other similar business

Yes, academia

Yes, government or legal agency

Other (please specify)

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* 9. Potential biomass sources to fuel the bioeconomy are listed below; please rank these in terms of which you think are essential options for renewable energy generation considering the economy, environment, and global food security. Please rank them from 1 to 3, where 1 is the most important and 3 is the least important.

	1	2	3
Agricultural biomass	Agricultural biomass 1	Agricultural biomass 2	Agricultural biomass 3
Forest biomass	Forest biomass 1	Forest biomass 2	Forest biomass 3
Food waste	Food waste 1	Food waste 2	Food waste 3

Other (please specify)

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* 10. Below is a list of recognized obstacles to the use of agricultural residues as feedstock for biofuel production. In terms of importance, please rank these from 1 to 3, where 1 is the most important and 3 is the least important.

	1	2	3
Lack of support	Lack of support 1	Lack of support 2	Lack of support 3
lack of awareness	lack of awareness 1	lack of awareness 2	lack of awareness 3
Lack of facilities	Lack of facilities 1	Lack of facilities 2	Lack of facilities 3

Other (please specify)

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* 11. To what extent is the collection and transportation of biomass from the field an obstacle for biofuel production across Canada?

Not an obstacle

Minor obstacle

Moderate obstacle

Major obstacle

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* 12. To what extent does unreliable biomass quality such as high moisture content be an obstacle for the country's biofuel net?

Not an obstacle

Minor obstacle

Moderate obstacle

Major obstacle

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* 13. What was the primary biomass used by your business in Canada?

Agricultural biomass

Forestry biomass

Marine and aquaculture materials or products

Food processing or slaughtered by-product

Other (please specify)

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* 14. Please rank the list of potential primary suppliers of your business' biomass from 1 to 4, where 1 is the most important and 4 is the least important.

	1	2	3	4
Farmers	Farmers 1	Farmers 2	Farmers 3	Farmers 4
Foresters	Foresters 1	Foresters 2	Foresters 3	Foresters 4
Grain suppliers	Grain suppliers 1	Grain suppliers 2	Grain suppliers 3	Grain suppliers 4
Municipalities	Municipalities 1	Municipalities 2	Municipalities 3	Municipalities 4

Other (please specify)

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* 15. Where does the primary biomass (identified in Question 14) used by your business come from, and in what percentages? (List of places including provinces and countries)

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* 16. In the past five years, which type of biomass has your business used for any reason? Please rank the sources below from 1 to 9, where 1 is the most frequently used, and 9 is the least.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Forest residue	Forest residue 1	Forest residue 2	Forest residue 3	Forest residue 4	Forest residue 5	Forest residue 6	Forest residue 7	Forest residue 8	Forest residue 9
Crop residues	Crop residues 1	Crop residues 2	Crop residues 3	Crop residues 4	Crop residues 5	Crop residues 6	Crop residues 7	Crop residues 8	Crop residues 9
Horticultural crops	Horticultural crops 1	Horticultural crops 2	Horticultural crops 3	Horticultural crops 4	Horticultural crops 5	Horticultural crops 6	Horticultural crops 7	Horticultural crops 8	Horticultural crops 9
Pulse seeds	Pulse seeds 1	Pulse seeds 2	Pulse seeds 3	Pulse seeds 4	Pulse seeds 5	Pulse seeds 6	Pulse seeds 7	Pulse seeds 8	Pulse seeds 9
Forage materials	Forage materials 1	Forage materials 2	Forage materials 3	Forage materials 4	Forage materials 5	Forage materials 6	Forage materials 7	Forage materials 8	Forage materials 9
Grains	Grains 1	Grains 2	Grains 3	Grains 4	Grains 5	Grains 6	Grains 7	Grains 8	Grains 9
Oilseeds	Oilseeds 1	Oilseeds 2	Oilseeds 3	Oilseeds 4	Oilseeds 5	Oilseeds 6	Oilseeds 7	Oilseeds 8	Oilseeds 9
Potato	Potato 1	Potato 2	Potato 3	Potato 4	Potato 5	Potato 6	Potato 7	Potato 8	Potato 9
Livestock manure or livestock products	Livestock manure or livestock products 1	Livestock manure or livestock products 2	Livestock manure or livestock products 3	Livestock manure or livestock products 4	Livestock manure or livestock products 5	Livestock manure or livestock products 6	Livestock manure or livestock products 7	Livestock manure or livestock products 8	Livestock manure or livestock products 9

Other (please specify)

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* 17. Did your business aggregate, bale, clean, collect, dry, modify, refine or separate biomass for the production and development of bioproducts?

Yes (Please explain)

No (Please explain)

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* 18. Which of the following factors are obstacles to your business's development? Please rank them from 1 to 4, where 1 is the most important and 4 is the least important.

	1	2	3	4
Biomass cost and quality	Biomass cost and quality 1	Biomass cost and quality 2	Biomass cost and quality 3	Biomass cost and quality 4
Lack of finance	Lack of finance 1	Lack of finance 2	Lack of finance 3	Lack of finance 4
Skilled human resources	Skilled human resources 1	Skilled human resources 2	Skilled human resources 3	Skilled human resources 4
The marketplace	The marketplace 1	The marketplace 2	The marketplace 3	The marketplace 4

Other (please specify)

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* 19. Which of the following factors motivates your business to develop the biomass sector? Please rank these, from 1 to 4, where 1 is the most important and 4 is the least important.

	1	2	3	4
Profitability	Profitability 1	Profitability 2	Profitability 3	Profitability 4
Meeting customers' requirements	Meeting customers' requirements 1	Meeting customers' requirements 2	Meeting customers' requirements 3	Meeting customers' requirements 4
Reducing environmental impact	Reducing environmental impact 1	Reducing environmental impact 2	Reducing environmental impact 3	Reducing environmental impact 4
Marketing opportunity	Marketing opportunity 1	Marketing opportunity 2	Marketing opportunity 3	Marketing opportunity 4

Other (please specify)

Thank you for your feedback!