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tcbiomass2011 Conference Highlights:
Positive Energy & Valuable Insight
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"I am impressed by the speakers and the high-level audience.
Very efficient place to meet the right people."
Gerhard Muggen, BTG Bioliquids
"The conference has been extremely valuable and insightful to a new student in the area of thermochemical conversion of biomass. It was also great to meet [and network with] various people. I recognize their names from the publications I've read, and [it's] good to meet them face-to-face."
Mariam Ajam, University of Cape Town, Sasol Advanced Fuels Laboratory
"This conference was very informative. Great networking opportunities."
John Erickson, Black & Veatch |
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tcbiomass2011—the second international conference on thermochemical (TC) biomass conversion science—was a successful event which presented the latest research and innovations in the exciting field of bioenergy for the further deployment of clean energy technologies. Through 3-days, 5 keynotes, 38 oral presentations and 105 posters were presented on research in biomass gasification, pyrolysis, upgrading of pyrolysis oil, and pretreatment.
 This premier forum for technology exchange brought together representatives from business and government from around the world to meet with experts in the biomass sector and share insights to accelerate progress towards renewable and sustainable energy goals.
The conference was co-sponsored by Gas Technology Institute, CRI Catalyst Company, Albemarle, U.S. Department of Energy, Envergent Technologies, Haldor Topsøe, National Science Foundation, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Iowa State University, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, U.S. Department of Agriculture, American Chemical Society, Advanced Biofuels USA, Biomass Power & Thermal Magazine, Biorefining Magazine, HART Energy, and Renewable Energy World.
The co-chairs of the 2011 event were Vann Bush of Gas Technology Institute and Kyriakos Maniatis of the European Commission.
Attendance
The conference drew over 360 attendees from 24 countries and 185 organizations, providing an energetic and engaging meeting. The demographic of the participants included senior experts and young researchers, major corporations and entrepreneurial startups, academics and plant operators.
Keynote Speakers
Five keynote speakers highlighted the conference and set the tone.
- Kyriakos Maniatis, Directorate General for Energy of the European Commission, presented the EU perspective on the need for thermochemical biomass conversion.
- Valerie Sarisky-Reed, Conversion Team Lead from the U.S. Department of Energy, discussed the DOE's vision of the role of thermochemical conversion in the U.S. for biomass utilization. In her talk, she discussed the value of biomass conversion to transportation fuels to increase U.S. jobs, utilize U.S. resources, and reduce foreign oil imports.
- Hans Sohlström, Executive Vice President of UPM-Kymmene, presented UPM's views that bioenergy will play an important role in the future of the forest products industry.
- Dave Cepla, Managing Director of Envergent Technologies, discussed Envergent's rapid thermal processing (RTP) pyrolysis technology and its current goals to sell pyrolysis equipment to produce pyrolysis oil for heat and power applications.
- Paul Nash, Head of New Energies for Airbus, reviewed the aviation industry's views on the need for biomass-derived drop-in aviation fuels.
Day-by-Day Synopsis
Day One: The first day of the conference was devoted to new R&D on biomass conversion through gasification. Program chairs for this session were Richard Bain of National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Lars Waldheim of Waldheim Consulting. New developments in commercial gasification technologies such as the Carbona gasifier, the Chemrec gasifier for black liquor, and the Enerkem Technology for conversion of municipal solid wastes (MSW) were discussed. Lanza Tech discussed their technology for biochemical conversion of syngas to ethanol. New research was also presented in tar reforming, sulfur tolerant reforming catalysts, the influences of gasification conditions on syngas quality, and the influence of feedstock on gasification product gas and tar content.
Day Two: The second day was concentrated on new R&D on biomass conversion through pyrolysis. Program chairs for this session were Robert Brown of Iowa State University and Akwasi Boatang of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). New developments in the Bioliq pyrolysis process and the BTG pyrolysis process were discussed. New research was presented in IH2, catalytic pyrolysis, pyrolysis oil stability, pyrolysis of organic acid salts, coprocessing of gas oil and upgraded pyrolysis oils, lignin pyrolysis and pyrolyic pathways to increasing lignin-derived monomer/oligomer ratio.
The first and second day of the conference also featured numerous posters sessions with 105 posters on new research and development in gasification, pyrolysis, upgrading and pretreatment.
Day Three: The third day focused on research on the upgrading of pyrolysis oil and biomass pretreatment. The program chair for the upgrading session was Doug Elliott of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). An array of research papers was presented on upgrading catalytic pyrolysis oil to gasoline and diesel, the use of bimetallic Ni-Cu catalysts in pyrolysis oil upgrading, the competition between hydrotreatment and polymerization during pyrolysis oil deoxygenation, and upgrading pyrolysis oils to feedstocks suitable for refineries. The biomass pretreatment session was chaired by Corrie Nichol from Idaho National Laboratory (INL). New research was presented on biochar from agricultural waste, biomass torrefaction and particle size reduction, and hydrothermal carbonization.
Awards
Don Klass Award
 Dr. Suresh Babu was presented with the Award for Excellence in Thermochemical Conversion Science, a prestigious award that is a tribute to the notable Dr. Donald L. Klass, who was president and one of the original founders of the Biomass Energy Research Association (BERA). Dr. Babu works in the Global and Regional Solutions Directorate at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, NY, where he’s responsible for Biomass Program Development for NE Biomass.
Student Poster Challenge
tcbiomass2011 hosted a competitive student poster contest to help connect today’s top engineering students with global bioenergy experts. Program Committee members Kyriakos Maniatis (European Commission), Suresh Babu (Brookhaven National Laboratory) and Paul Grabowski (U.S. Department of Energy) judged 29 poster contestants throughout the conference.
- Winner (1st Place): Kaige Wang, from Iowa State University on "Pyrolysis of Lipid-rich Biomass for Fuel and Chemical Production".
- Runner up (2nd Place): Jatara Wise, from Texas A&M University on "Mineral Nutrient Recovery in Pyrolysis Co-products for Varied Feedstocks".
The post-conference "buzz" is still running high and the energy level is already building for tcbiomass2013.
We thank our sponsors for their generosity and support. |
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