Day 1 :
Keynote Forum
Ferruccio Pittaluga
University of Genoa, & president, Tecnoforest Ltd. Italy
Keynote: A Novel Woodchip-Gasification Process for Clean Syngas Feeding of Dual-Fuel Diesel Gensets
Time : 10-10:30
Biography:
Ferruccio Pittaluga, recently retired, has been full professor of Thermal Machines at the University of Genoa. Now continues his teaching activity as contract professor. His fields of interests have been Thermo-Fluid Dynamics, Combustion & Gasification, Atmospheric Emissions. In 1998 he established DIME/SCL, the Combustion Laboratory of the University of Genoa, of which has been in charge up to his retirement in 2015. The participation to numerous National and EC-funded R&D programmes, mostly dealing with environmental sustainability of combustion processes, has granted, in the years, rich support for research activities and technological developments. In 2011, with a few of his former doctoral students, he was co-founder (and since then, president) of Tecnoforest, an academic spin-off (now an innovative SME) addressed at rapid growth forestation, wood gasification and biomass-based renewable energy cogeneration. Tecnoforest has been for some years Italian representative of APL gasifiers (USA).
Abstract:
Starting from 2011, the innovative SME Tecnoforest Ltd. (formerly an academic spin-off of the University of Genoa) has addressed its activity towards the testing of existing, and the development of new, small-scale woodchip gasification technologies aimed at assuring electric and thermal self sufficiency to rural enterprises of the forestry and farming sectors (www.tecnoforest.wordpress.com). On the other hand, the high pollutants content of their products (syngas and biochar), common to both downdraft and updraft gasifiers, has become apparent as the main obstacle preventing, in absence of hardly affordable abatement provisions, a widespread penetration in both the agricultural and renewable-energy sectors.
Thanks to the novel ‘batch’ gasification process recently developed at Tecnoforest Ltd., a tar-free syngas is released from gasifier’s top nozzle, whilst a solid residue made up of a highly clean biochar is produced at the bottom, at all suitable, as attested by official certification, for both agronomic and other, quite diversified, applications. The said process takes place, in batch modality, within a reactor provided by tilting capability so to allow discharging the hot biochar at the end of the process, after which a new ‘gasification cycle’ can immediately re-start. Details are given in refs. [6,7]. The name of the biochar-producing gasifier is SynChar: it is available for online purchase at website [8].The same basic process, which in SynChar relies on natural convection, can be converted to forced-air continuous operation by providing the reactor with a bottom air-blower as well as a side-mounted woodchip feeder, i.e. a hopper-auger motorized unit. In this case, the tar-free syngas can be fed to a water-heater burner or conveyed to an air unit-heater. Most suited applications would be for greenhouse heating, maybe even with the distinct advantage of allowing to induce carbonic fertilization of the ambient-air, to be, of course, limited to sunshine hours. If the woodchips’ dimensions are kept in the range of 1 to 3 cm and their humidity content does not exceed 25%, the gasification process turns out quite efficient, as attested by a remarkably low solid residue, just made up of clean ash. The name of the syngas-generator for thermal applications is SynBurner: its main characteristics with detailed performance data are presented in refs. It too is available for online purchase at website.
- Biomass Processing Technologies, Biomass Applications, Biomass Conversion Technologies, Pellets & Densified Biomass, Biomass Resources, Biomass Energy Resources, Pyrolysis, Biomass Power & Thermal, Bioenergy Conversion Methods and Bioenergy Applications
Location: Online
Session Introduction
Donatella Danzi
Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources - National Research Council (IBBR-CNR). Bari, Italy
Title: Assessment of Durum Wheat Straw Genotypes with Improved Saccharification Efficiency
Time : 11:00-11:20
Biography:
Donatella Danzi has obtained PhD in Plant Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Bari (Italy). During the PhD course she worked on identification and characterization of plant genes involved in the production of fuctional molecules. After that period, she continued her activity with post-doc within the frame of a project on plant phenotyping using high throughput phenotyping platform to evaluate the response to water and nutrient stress in plants. She is involved in a research regarding the assessment of digestible fibers and sugars in wheat straw, comparing different wheat genotypes in order to identify the most profitable genotype as feedstock for biofuel production.
Abstract:
The increasing worldwide demand for energy combined with the depletion of fossil fuel reserves and concerns about climate change, have increased the interest in the production of fuels from renewable energy sources. Lignocellulosic biomass has considerable potential as feedstock for the production of biofuels and biochemicals, contributing to decreasing carbon dioxide emissions, one of the drivers of climate change. The global production of cereals straw, a by-product left after grain harvest, represents an abundant source of biomass for lignocellulosic-based biorefineries. The conversion of the lignocellulosic biomass to final biobased products such as alcohols mainly requires a three-steps process: 1) pretreatment; 2) acid or enzymatic hydrolysis; 3) fermentation. An efficient digestibility of the lignocellulosic materials is fundamental for the overall feasibility of any final bioproduct. In the present work a set of durum wheat genotypes, selected from a germplasm collection, was used to analyze some phenotypic traits and biochemical aspects of the cell wall. These characteristics were correlated with the their enzymatic digestability. The main objective was to identify the most profitable genotype(s) to be used as feedstock for bioethanol production. A significant variability was observed within genotypes in the release of sugars after enzymatic hydrolysis. The results evidenced that the lignin content was the major component of the cell wall determining recalcitrance to the enzymatic process. As for association to phenotypic traits, positive correlations were found with plant height and uronic acids content. The possible role of other cell wall components is also discussed.
Aurel Lunguleasa
Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania
Title: Energetic Aspects of Oak and Larch Pellets Obtained from Sawdust Biomass
Time : 11:20-11:40
Biography:
Aurel Lunguleasa has completed his PhD at the 1999 from Transilvania University of Brasov. He is member of Department of wood Engeneering and design of wooden products. He has published more than 50 papers in reputed journals from which 26 ISI Web of science, and over 15 in the field of biomass, pellets and briquettes. He has expertize in the field of Wood science, biomass, quality control and menagement, wooden composites.
Abstract:
This paper aims to present the energetic problems of lignocellulosic biomass in the form of pellets. The main energetic characteristics of lignocellulosic biomass, such as calorific value, ash content, and calorific density are presented as a comparison between oak and larch biomass. From an experimental point of view it was shown that the oak and larch pellets obtained within the work had small differences in density, but after the torrefaction treatment they considerably increased their calorific value. There have been observed increases of up to 30% of the calorific value, both for oak and larch sawdust. The final conclusion of the paper is that although the role of vegetal biomass has diminished significantly in the last few years, it has not yet said its last word. The role of lignocellulosic biomass, as a sustainable fuel, will increase as fossil fuels will be diminish, and when the world's population will realize that fossil fuels are exhaustible and that others type of fuels have to be replaced instead.
Biruk Abate
Bahirdar University, Ethiopia
Title: Biomass Conversion from Municipal Solid Wastes to Useful Products - Case of Bahir Dar City Near Lake Tana Basin
Time : 1:40-2:00
Biography:
Biruk Abate is currently working as lecturer at Bahirdar University, Ethiopia.
Abstract:
Bahir Dar is a rapidly urbanizing city of the Amhara National Regional state in Ethiopia. Generation of municipal solid waste is increasing annually at anxious rate. The accumulation of hazardous wastes, available landfill sites shortage, and seriously practicing of environmental issue regulations on the waste sites bring concerned problems on the solid wastes’ disposal. The federal and regional bureaus of the environmental regulations are forcing the Bahir Dar city administrator to wisely search possibilities to landfilling. Therefore, diverting waste from disposal sites into useful products generate income and employment opportunities for young people living in the cities. This review study disclosed the possible treatment technology options that can be utilized for conversion of municipal solid waste into useful products such as thermal processing technologies, biological processing technologies; and biomethanation methods. The main feedstock requirements, the process conditions and the treatments of products are briefed and summarized, and the challenges and trends, in particular each technology applicability in the city low- and middle-income context are discussed in detail based on a review of literature and from the experts’ experience. This reviewed study tried to reflect the WTE potential in the city together with the possible technologies, business opportunities and job and at last to keep the city environment clean and safe for the people living therein. More unbiased, well-structured and reproducible evidence from case studies at scale could foster the knowledge transfer to practitioners and enhance the exchange between academia, policy and practice. Therefore, the WTE policies of the city should be improved, evolved or modified that can encourage the suggested WTE process industries along with a few recommendations for the action course in the WTE sector that can support the WTE project developer, investors, suppliers, decision makers and the policy makers for further betterment of the city waste management and planning.
Rudina Bleta
UniteÌ de Catalyse et Chimie du Solide (UCCS) - UMR 8181 - Univ. Artois, CNRS, Centrale Lille, ENSCL, Univ. Lille, F-62300 Lens, France
Title: Immobilization of Candida Antarctica lipase B in a Silicified Hydrogel Support and its Application as Bioreactor
Time : 11:40-12:00
Biography:
Rudina Bleta has completed her PhD from Nancy University and postdoctoral studies from University Paul Sabatier at the CIRIMAT-Carnot Institute in Toulouse. In 2012, she joined the Professor Monflier’s team at the UCCS-Artois as a lecturer. Her research expertise consists in developing new synthesis approaches, especially from soft chemistry routes, to design novel nanostructured porous materials, with a specific focus on the development of heterogeneous catalysts for environmental and sustainable energy applications.
Abstract:
Supramolecular hydrogels have attracted increasing interest in recent years because of their ability to incorporate high levels of proteins, cells, antibodies, peptides and genes [1-2]. In this work, we propose a new approach to confinement of Candida Antarctica lipase B (CALB) within a supramolecular silicified hydrogel based on Pluronic F127 and α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) [3]. After functionalization of the matrix, the catalytic performance of the supported biocatalyst was evaluated in the oxidation of 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), a fully biosourced alternative to terephthalic acid used in the production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) [4]. Our results revealed that while CALB immobilized in conventional sol-gel silica yielded exclusively 5-formylfuran-2-carboxylic acid (FFCA), confinement of the enzyme in the silicified hydrogel imparted a 5-fold increase in DFF conversion and afforded 67% FDCA yield in 7 h and almost quantitative yields in less than 24 h. The hierarchically interconnected pore structure of the host matrix was found to provide a readily accessible diffusion path for reactants and products, while its flexible hydrophilic-hydrophobic interface was extremely beneficial for the interfacial activation of the immobilized lipase.
Navin Singhania
Barracuda Technologies Inc. San Francisco (USA)
Title: Biomass / Agro Waste to Natural Fibers for Circular Materials: Barracuda Technologies
Time : 12:00-12:20
Biography:
Navin Singhania is Supervisor of Barracuda Technologies Inc. San Francisco (USA). He also provide Environmental Consulting service.
Abstract:
There are millions of tons of agri residue being wasted or burnt every year throughout the globe. Some research estimates put this number much beyond one billion tons per year. Biggest contributors are rice straw, Palm EFB/waste, tree replacements and such. A lot is burnt. Little is used to make energy/power. But this requires incineration which generates GHG’s and pollution. The value generated from these wastes have been little to none in macro terms. Conversion to natural fibers opens up a whole new world of applications and value generation. Many high value products and applications have been developed and proven. Barracuda labs have developed a process to make very potent natural fibers from these wastes via a series of pretreatments and defibrillation of this biomass in a chemical free environment. The entire process is very environmentally friendly. These fibers are tweakable in terms of its properties as per the desired application. The inherent moisture level and oil content (if any) doesn’t seem to be an issue for the Barracuda process but rather, the moisture is an advantage as it reduces water consumption in the entire value chain. The fibers produced has been successfully used in many applications like molded fiber and non-woven applications like kraft paper and packaging. It’s a clean process and doesn’t generate any on-ground or in-air effluent. Water is mostly recycled or used by the end application. This process is a very good fit for the PPP model (People, Planet and Profits). The value generated is quite good e.g. molded fiber application say tableware products are today sold in the range of $3000 to $5000 per MT at wholesale level.
Spirchez Cosmin
Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania
Title: The Importance of the Physical and Energetic Properties of Straw Briquettes
Time : 12:20-12:40
Biography:
Spirchez Cosmin is lecturer since 2017 at Faculty of Wood Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov. Has published over 90 articles and 5 books. Responsable and memebr in the research projects. Participant at exhibitions in wood industry field (Hanovra-Germany, Bucharest, Brasov).
Abstract:
In the paper shown the importance of the physical and energetic properties of straw briquettes. The density is much than the firewood. The value of density obtained is 1184 kg/m3. The porosity is very low and as aresult the flame produced during combustion is more dense than that produced by the burning.The value of Gross calorific is 19619 kJ/kg, and 19767 kJ/kg for net calorific value. The ash of content is 5.8%. Straw briquettes are considered a much better wooden fuel so the advantages are: improvement of physical characteristics, shrink storage volume 12Ë1, improvement burning behaviour with a much higher calorific compared to wood (1 ton of briquettes = 5 cubic meters of wood), increasing the volume of energy density in relation to the consumption of material, very few scrap after combustion and boilers much clean, easy in manipulation, contains no additives or chemical liants, burn almost without smoke, no CO2 emissions, during combustion doesnˈt cane the flame. Biomass is the most important source of renewable energy which will play an important role in world energy. The role of the use of energy resources in biomass become all the more important as energy development and independence strategies target 20% renewable sources by 2020. At the moment, the use of biomass provider about 5% of total energy consuption at European level, and in countries Sweden, Austria, biomass provide 15-20%.
Martyna Zywalewska
Department of Engineering and Chemical Sciences, Karlstad University, Sweden
Title: Possibilities to Increase Carbon Sequestration in Forest Ecosystems Through Biochar Soil Application
Time : 12:40-1:00
Biography:
Martyna Zywalewska, is a student of Chemical Sciences, department of Engineering, Karlstad University, Sweden. She worked on 2 projects. Entitled :Evaluation of nutritional pellets with enriched biocarbon from forest industrial residual products, NärSkog and Fosbe - Research Environment For Circular Forest-Based Bioeconomy.
Abstract:
In the last years, interest of natural fertilizers has increased, their production, form and potential. At the same time from year to year growth harvested annually of forest, at a whole of world. Therefore, more and more research is being conducted which reports on the increasing potential of using biochar in agricultural production systems, as natural fertilizer. Growing problems of environmental protection related to progressive soil degradation, intensifying effects of climate change, energy production and waste management require the search for new, more effective and cheaper solutions. One of the proposed solutions to current problems in the area of environmental protection is biochar, i.e. carbonate obtained in the process of pyrolysis of plant biomass and organic waste. Biochar and its use is not a new solution - it has been used in agriculture for centuries. However, in recent years its properties and potential applications have been rediscovered and it can now be concluded that the traditionally known carbonate, in response to modern needs and applications in the field of environmental protection, has gained a new "brand" and functions as a biochar. Substrates for the production of biochar include a diverse group of materials, which include: energy crops, forest waste, agricultural biomass, sewage sludge, organic fraction of municipal waste or residues from agri-food processing. The choice of substrates depends, among others on physicochemical properties (e.g. water and organic matter content, particle size), potential applications (e.g. for energy production, agricultural purposes, for removing contaminants), logistics aspects and the pyrolysis process and its parameters. Biochar due to such physicochemical properties as high content of organic carbon in stable form and mineral substances, significantly developed porosity and specific surface, can be successfully used: in bioenergetics as a renewable fuel; for carbon sequestration in soil; in the composting process as a structural material or additive limiting ammonia emissions; in the production of organic fertilizers based on biochar; to improve the properties of agricultural land; for removing impurities from aqueous solutions, municipal and industrial wastewater, and process gases; in the remediation of soils contaminated with organic and inorganic compounds, and to reduce pollution of groundwater and surface waters through the retention of e.g. biogenic components in soil. The use of biochar in environmental protection brings many benefits, including such as the possibility of replacing fossil fuels with a renewable fuel, improving soil properties, e.g. increasing the amount of carbon in the soil or water capacity of the soil, reducing the consumption of organic and inorganic fertilizers and plant protection products, and thus the risk of ground and surface water pollution. Despite the many benefits identified, biochar production and its introduction into the environment can also pose some risks.
Abdeen Omer
Energy Research Institute, United Kingdom
Title: Biogas: Usefulness, existing Technology and Major Hurdles
Time : 1:00-1:20
Biography:
Abdeen Mustafa Omer (BSc, MSc, PhD) is an Associate Researcher at Energy Research Institute (ERI). He obtained both his PhD degree in the Built Environment and Master of Philosophy degree in Renewable Energy Technologies from the University of Nottingham. He is qualified Mechanical Engineer with a proven track record within the water industry and renewable energy technologies. He has been graduated from University of El Menoufia, Egypt, BSc in Mechanical Engineering. His previous experience involved being a member of the research team at the National Council for Research/Energy Research Institute in Sudan and working director of research and development for National Water Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Sudan. He has been listed in the book WHO’S WHO in the World 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010. He has published over 300 papers in peer-reviewed journals, 200 review articles, 17 books and 150 chapters in books.
Abstract:
There is strong scientific evidence that the average temperature of the earth’s surface is rising and this may be attribute to increased concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2), and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere as released by burning fossil fuels. One of the chief sources of greenhouse gases is burning of fossil fuels. Biogas from biomass appears to have potential as an alternative energy source, which is potentially rich in biomass resources. In the present study, current literature is reviewed regarding the ecological, social, cultural and economic impacts of biogas technology. In this communication an attempt has been made to give an overview of present and future use of biomass as an industrial feedstock for production of fuels, chemicals and other materials. However, to be truly competitive in an open market situation, higher value products are required.
David G. F. ADAMON
National University of Sciences, Technologies, Engineering and Mathematics (UNSTIM/Bénin)
Title: Evaluation of The Energy Potential of Agricultural Waste In West Africa from Three Biomasses of Interest In Benin
Time : 1:20-1:40
Biography:
David G. F. ADAMON is a specialist in biomass energy recovery, consultant in energy efficiency and renewable energies, teacher researcher at the National Institute of Industrial Technology in the department of energy engineering. He has contributed to the development of several political documents as an expert in Benin and has to his credit several articles.
Abstract:
The present report deals with the evaluation of abundant agricultural residues in West Africa based on criteria. These criteria are essentially: the availability of the resource based on a statistical study extended over a period of ten (10) years, the rate of competitive uses of the resource, the critical rate of actual availability and the potential actually available. This study extends the field of knowledge on the physicochemical characteristics of agricultural biomass in countries where the economy is strongly dominated by agriculture. Maize residues come first, followed by cotton, sorghum, rice residues and lastly millet residues. Corn stalks and cobs followed by cotton and millet stems proved to be abundant in the balance of agricultural residues in Benin. This study shows that the biomass resource is more concentrated in the North (Alibori, Atacora, Borgou and Donga), a little less in the center and the South. Similarly, the energy potential of maize residues (stalks and cobs) is very important in the energy balance of the valorization of agricultural biomass and has its source in North Benin where the potential is very remarkable. Added to this is the energy potential of cotton stems. Thus, it is possible to mobilize 458 MW from maize stalks, 205 MW from maize stalks, 6 MW from millet stalks and 62 MW from cotton stalks.
Biruk Abate
Bahirdar University, Ethiopia
Title: Biomass Conversion from Municipal Solid Wastes to Useful Products - Case of Bahir Dar City Near Lake Tana Basin
Time : 1:40-2:00
Biography:
Biruk Abate is currently working as lecturer at Bahirdar University, Ethiopia.
Abstract:
Bahir Dar is a rapidly urbanizing city of the Amhara National Regional state in Ethiopia. Generation of municipal solid waste is increasing annually at anxious rate. The accumulation of hazardous wastes, available landfill sites shortage, and seriously practicing of environmental issue regulations on the waste sites bring concerned problems on the solid wastes’ disposal. The federal and regional bureaus of the environmental regulations are forcing the Bahir Dar city administrator to wisely search possibilities to landfilling. Therefore, diverting waste from disposal sites into useful products generate income and employment opportunities for young people living in the cities. This review study disclosed the possible treatment technology options that can be utilized for conversion of municipal solid waste into useful products such as thermal processing technologies, biological processing technologies; and biomethanation methods. The main feedstock requirements, the process conditions and the treatments of products are briefed and summarized, and the challenges and trends, in particular each technology applicability in the city low- and middle-income context are discussed in detail based on a review of literature and from the experts’ experience. This reviewed study tried to reflect the WTE potential in the city together with the possible technologies, business opportunities and job and at last to keep the city environment clean and safe for the people living therein. More unbiased, well-structured and reproducible evidence from case studies at scale could foster the knowledge transfer to practitioners and enhance the exchange between academia, policy and practice. Therefore, the WTE policies of the city should be improved, evolved or modified that can encourage the suggested WTE process industries along with a few recommendations for the action course in the WTE sector that can support the WTE project developer, investors, suppliers, decision makers and the policy makers for further betterment of the city waste management and planning.