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Regional Growth in a Sustainable Biofuture

Final Program & Abstract Book

Mercure Brisbane, Queensland 14-16 November 2016

2 Bioenergy Austral ia Conference 2016

Bioenergy Australia is grateful to the following, who at the time of publishing this brochure have given their support in many different ways:

Platinum Sponsor

Gold Sponsors

Gala Dinner Sponsor

Silver Sponsors

Additional Sponsors

Exhibitors

Acknowledgements

Conference Secretariat

Bioenergy Australia 2016 Conference Secretariat

C/ – The Association Specialists Pty Ltd PO Box 576, Crows Nest NSW 1585 Australia

TEL: +61 2 9431 8600 (main switch) FAX: +61 2 9431 8677

BEASLEY‘S

3bioenergyaustral ia.org

Welcome 4

General Information 7

Exhibition & Poster Area 9

Conference Program 10

Poster Presentation 17

Oral Abstracts 18

Session One 19

Session Two 23

Session Three 29

Session Four 49

Session Five 72

Session Six 96

Session Seven 116

Session Eight 132

Poster Abstracts 133

Post Conference Information 157

CONTENTS


Bioenergy Australia is an information and networking forum of gov-ernment and private sectors organisations, fostering the develop-ment of sustainable energy and products from biomass.

This will be our seventeenth annual conference, being held for the first time in Brisbane.

The conference program has more than 110 oral presentations, covering government policies and programs, bioenergy projects and project development case studies, and covers biomass feedstocks and supply aspects, biomass heat and power, pyrolysis, hydrothermal processing, gasification, conventional and advanced liquid biofuels, algae for biofuels and materials, biochar, biorefining, biogas, energy from waste, trade in biomass, R&D and commercialisation, plus overarching aspects such as finance and investment, life cycle analyses, greenhouse gas emissions and sustainability issues.

Keynote presentations plus three sessions provided by the leadership of IEA Bioenergy, an international collaboration in bioenergy will give important perspectives that can assist bioenergy development in Australia. Australia’s participation in IEA Bioenergy is being funded by ARENA from its Emerging Renewables Program.

We are pleased to again welcome Professor Ian Lowe, AO as our dinner speaker. Ian gave a stimulating speech at our 2001 conference, in the early days of Bioenergy Australia.

An integral part of the conference is presented posters. This year we are providing a generous $550 prize for the best poster. This will also be awarded at the closing plenary session. Our closing plenary session will again feature a moderated panel discussion and open forum to build on the information arising in the presentations across the program, to identify beneficial pathways for Queensland and Australia. The topic this year will be ‘Rewind from 2014. How did we achieve the Biofuture?’. We will again be providing a worthwhile incentive for delegates to attend this grand finale, but you will need to be present at the closing session to qualify!

The conference includes a sponsors’/trade exhibition. The conference also includes a technical excursion to several bioenergy facilities in the region on Wednesday 16 November 2016. This provides an excellent networking and educational opportunity for delegates who wish to attend this extra day.

Bioenergy Australia is very grateful to its sponsors who enable us to have a relatively low registration fee, to maximise attendance at this important event, as we inevitably move to a low carbon future and diversify our economy away from fossil fuels towards a sustainable bioeconomy.

On behalf of Bioenergy Australia, we welcome your participation at Bioenergy Australia 2016, Australia’s premier bioenergy event. This year’s conference again promises to be a most informative and stimulating event. We welcome your attendance.

Dr Stephen Schuck Colin Stucley Bioenergy Australia Manager Chairperson Bioenergy Australia (Forum) Ltd

WELCOME


WELCOMEThe future is bright for the biofutures sector in Queensland.

We lead Australia in our unique mix of raw materials, location to international markets, highly skilled expertise, research capability, business advantages, and now, government vision and leadership.

The Queensland Biofutures 10-Year Roadmap and Action Plan is the Queensland Government’s commitment and plan for our vision for a $1 billion sustainable and export-oriented industrial biotechnology and bioproducts sector by 2026. We have committed almost $20 million in funding over the next three years to making this plan a reality so that Queensland plays a strong leadership role and takes a significant share of a global industry expected to be worth US$1.1 trillion in five years’ time.

Our biofutures plan is comprehensive and provides targeted support to the sector at every level.

The Queensland Biofuels Mandate, which will take effect on 1 January 2017, will help grow the Queensland biofuels industry and boost jobs, especially in regional Queensland.

The Biofutures Acceleration Program, opening mid-November for Expressions of Interest, will support and attract new biorefineries producing biofuels and other bioproducts to come to the state.

The Biofutures Commercialisation Program will help scale-up new industrial biotech and bioproduct research and technology to reach commercial feasibility.

The Biofutures Industry Development Fund closes a gap in the funding and investment cycle, helping companies with well-advanced projects complete the final stages of due diligence so they can better attract venture capital.

Tying it all together is Biofutures Queensland, a dedicated team that works across government, industry and the research sector to drive development, investment, marketing and R&D to facilitate the growth of the entire sector. No matter which part of the sector you come from, Biofutures Queensland is your front door to getting support from the Queensland Government for your project.

Before the year is out the Queensland Government will also partner with the US Navy to bring together the biofutures supply chain and help build new collaborations and partnerships that address supply chain challenges and exploit opportunities so we can rapidly develop the entire industry.

It is with great pleasure that I welcome every delegate, speaker and honoured guest to beautiful Brisbane and the Bioenergy Australia 2016 Conference. Whether your focus is on research and development, industry or investment, Queensland wants you to be part of our biorevolution.

Dr Anthony Lynham MP Minister for State Development, Natural Resources and Mines

MINISTERIAL

Dr Anthony Lynham MP Minister for State Development, Natural Resources and Mines


Mercure Hotel Brisbane

85/87 North Quay, Brisbane City, QLD 4000 Tel: +61 7 3237 2300 Web: http://www.mercurebrisbane.com.au

The Mercure Brisbane Hotel’s ideal location on Brisbane River, at the heart of Brisbane CBD. With newly renovated room and suite accommodation, luxury amenities and exceptionally personalised service, this hotel is near South Bank Lifestyle Market and the Queen Street Mall and only 15 minutes from Brisbane Airport.

VENUE FLOOR PLAN

VENUEConference


REGISTRATION DESK

The registration desk will be located in the Pre Function Area of the Mercure Brisbane Hotel. Please visit the registration desk to pick up your name badge and conference material.

Opening hours: Monday, 14 November 2016 0730 – 1730 hours Tuesday, 15 November 2016 0730 – 1700 hours

SPEAKER PREPARATION AREA

Speakers are asked to check their audio visual material before presenting. There will be a speaker preparation desk located the Mitchell Room. We ask that you check in with the audio visual technician at least 2 hours prior to your scheduled presentation.

Please note that all speaker presentations will be retained by the audio visual technician (unless specifically requested in writing by the speaker to not be included) and will be distributed to all delegates after the conference via email.

POSTERS & TRADE EXHIBITION

The poster display and trade exhibition will be held in Pre-Function Area and Chelsea Lane of the Mercure Hotel Brisbane on Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 November 2016. Morning, lunch and afternoon tea refreshments will be served in this area to enable you to view the posters and visit all exhibitors, whose support of the event is much appreciated.

INTERNET

High speed complimentary wifi access is available in all function spaces of the Mercure Brisbane using the wifi access code: Bioenergy

CAR PARKING

Mercure Brisbane’s car park is externally owned by Secure Parking and is available at $36.00 per 24-hour period. The car park is accessible off the Mercure front driveway, take a ticket upon entry and present it at Reception prior to exiting for the first time to have your ticket validated. Alternatively, you can secure a spot on the Secure Parking website - www.secureparking.com.au.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

The Mercure Hotel Brisbane is only 15 minutes’ drive from Brisbane Airport. Taxi ranks are conveniently located at both the International and Domestic Terminals. At the Domestic Terminal, the taxi rank is located centrally in front of the baggage hall. A Brisbane Airport access fee of $3.60 applies to all pick-ups originating from an airport taxi rank. The access fee is paid by the passenger to the taxi driver and, as with all charges, may only be applied after the passenger has entered the taxi and the meter is started. There is no airport charge for set down.

Airtrain offers convenient services between the Airport, Brisbane City and the Gold Coast, as well as transfers between the Domestic and International Terminals. The closest station to the Mercure Hotel Brisbane is Roma Street, approximately a 25-minute journey, and a 7-minute walk from Roma Street Station to the Mercure Hotel Brisbane.

The Airtrain departs every 15 minutes during peak hours and runs between the following times:

Weekdays: 5.04am - 10:04pm Weekends: 6:04am - 10:04pm

For the full Airtrain schedule and fare details please see www.airtrain.com.au.

NAME BADGES

All delegates will be given a name badge at registration. We ask that you wear your name badge at all times, as it is the official entrance pass to all sessions, exhibition/poster area, teas and lunches each day.

CREDIT CARDS

Credit cards accepted at the registration desk are MasterCard, Visa and American Express. American Express cards will incur a 3.5% credit card processing fee on the full amount.

HOTEL ACCOUNTS

All delegates are reminded to pay their hotel account prior to departure from the hotel. Each delegate is responsible for the payment of incidentals and room costs incurred as part of their stay.

INFORMATIONGENERAL


DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY

The Organising Committee, including the Bioenergy Australia Conference Secretariat, will not accept liability for damages of any nature sustained by participants or loss or damage to their personal property as a result of the conference or related events.

CERTIFICATE OF ATTENDANCE

Certificates of attendance will be emailed to all delegates after the conference.

CONFERENCE DINNER

Sponsored by:

Date: Monday, 14 November 2016

Time: 1930 – 2300 hours

Venue: Burke, Wills and Leichhardt Room, Mercure Brisbane Hotel

Cost: Included in Full Delegate Registration Fee

Extra Tickets: $110.00 per person

Dress: Smart Casual

Dinner is proudly sponsored by Hitachi Zosen Inova Australia . A great evening of food and wine is planned for the Conference Dinner. We hope all delegates and their guests will join us on this occasion to make it an enjoyable evening. Our guest speaker will be Professor Ian Lowe AO.

Professor Ian Lowe is emeritus professor of science, technology and society at Griffith University, and adjunct professor at Sunshine Coast and Flinders Universities. He is the author of more than 500 publications and of 20 books,

including Bigger or Better? Australia’s population debate (2012) and The Lucky Country? Reinventing Australia (2016).

His contributions to environmental science have won him a Centenary Medal, the Eureka Prize and the Prime Minister’s Environment Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement. He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2001 for services to science, technology and the environment.

He has served on many advisory bodies to all levels of government, and was president of the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) from 2004–2014. In 2015 Lowe was appointed to the Expert Advisory Committee for the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission in South Australia.

OPTIONAL SITE TOUR

A full day Site Tour has been arranged in conjunction with the Bioenergy Australia 2016 Conference. The cost to attend includes transportation and lunch. Site tour numbers will be limited. To secure your place, please register and pay via the online registration form.

Date: Wednesday, 16 November 2016

Time: 0830 – 1715 hours* (Please meet at the front entrance of the Mercure Brisbane Hotel at 0800 hours to check-in for the tour and load onto the buses)

Cost: $130.00 per person

Dress Code: Long trousers, long sleeves, hat and covered footwear

Schedule*:

Time Site

8:30 AM Depart Mercure Brisbane

9:00 AM Queensland Centre for Advanced Technologies (CSIRO)

10:15 AM UQ Pinjarra Hills – Algal biofuels

11:50 PM XXXX Brewery Milton - Anaerobic digestion

After lunch, group will split into two

3:00 PM Bus 1: Ecotech Biodiesel Narangba

4:55 PM Bus 1: Mercure Brisbane Drop Off

2:30 PM Bus 2: Visy Gibson Island - Fluidised bed combustor/AD

3:55 PM Bus 2: Airport Drop Off

4:40 PM Bus 2: Mercure Brisbane Drop Off

*Please note: Times are subject to change. The tour will make a stop at Brisbane Airport for anyone catching a domestic or international flight, before returning delegates back to the Mercure Brisbane Hotel. If you are booking your return flights, please do not book a departure time earlier than 1715 hours, in case the tour is delayed.


Table Number Exhibitor

1 Clarke Energy

2 Quantum Power Limited

3 Thermo Fisher Scientific

4 Vyncke

5 RUD

6 Ductor Corporation

7 Optimal Group

8 HRL Technology Group Pty Ltd

9 Country Carbon

10 Queensland University of Technology

11 Beasley’s Putzmeister

12 Department of State Development

13 Griffith University

14 Aquatec Maxcon

15 Living Energy

16 Polytechnik Biomass Energy Pty Ltd

17 HRS Environmental

18 Transit Projects

19 Evo Energy

20 RIRDC

The Exhibition and Poster Area will be held in Pre-Function Area and Chelsea Lane of the Mercure Hotel Brisbane during the following times:

Monday, 14 November 2016 1055 – 1730 hours

Tuesday, 15 November 2016 0830 – 1700 hours

Morning/afternoon tea refreshments and lunch will be served in this area to enable you to view the posters and visit all the exhibitors, whose support of the event is much appreciated.

POSTER AREAEXHIBITION &


Conference Program


Monday, 14 November 2016

07:30 – 17:30 Registration Open

09:00 – 10:35 SESSION ONE: Day One Plenary – Framework for Bioenergy Chair: Colin Stucley Chelsea Room

09:00 – 09:05 Welcome Colin Stucley, Chair of Bioenergy Australia & Stephen Schuck, CEO of Bioenergy Australia

09:05 – 09:15 Official Opening The Hon Mark Bailey MP, Minister for Main Roads, Road Safety and Ports and Minister for Energy, Biofuels and Water Supply

09:15 – 09:35 Queensland’s Biofutures Revolution Professor Ian O’Hara

09:35 – 09:55 Can Bioenergy help in meeting the 2020 Renewable Energy Target Amarjot Rathore, Office of the Clean Energy Regulator

09:55 – 10:15 Financing Bioenergy in Australia: Experience and insights from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation Henry Anning, Clean Energy Finance Corporation

10:15 – 10:35 ARENA’s Activities in Bioenergy Matthew Walden, ARENA

10:35 – 11:00 Morning Tea and Poster Presentations in the Exhibition Area

1100 - 1300 SESSION TWO: Day One Plenary – Bioenergy Perspectives Chair: Colin Stucley Chelsea Room

1100 - 1120 Life cycle GHG assessments of cellulosic ethanol concepts Jesper H Kløverpris, Novozymes, Denmark

1120 - 1140 *The potential of drop-in biofuels and biomass-to-biojet in particular John N Saddler, University of British Columbia, Canada

1140 - 1200 *Bioenergy in Austria Manfred Wörgetter, Bioenergy 2020+ GmbH, Austria

1200 - 1220 *Overview of Advances in United States’ Bioenergy Arena James J Spaeth, U.S. Department of Energy, Golden, United States of America

1220 - 1240 *The role of Bioenergy in a low carbon economy Kees Kwant, Chairman IEA Bioenergy, Netherlands Enterprise Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs, The Netherlands

1240 - 1300 Prospects for Thermo-Chemical Conversion of Biogenic Resources in Australia Marc Stammbach, Hitachi Zosen Inova Australia

1300 – 14:00 Lunch and Networking – Exhibition and Posters in the Exhibition Area

PROGRAM

* Bionenergy Presentations


14:05 - 15:45 SESSION THREE: Bioenergy Developments

Feedstocks Chair: Mark Brown Chelsea Room

*IEA Bioenergy Task 42 ‘Biorefining in a Future Bioeconomy’ Chair: Ed de Jong Glanworth Room

Investing in Bioenergy Chair: Paul McCartney Hopewell Room

Sustainability, GHG and Life Cycle Analyses Chair: Annette Cowie Taldora Room

14:05 – 14:25 *IEA Bioenergy Task 43 – Workshop on Mobilisation of forest biomass supply chains for bioenergy, biofuels and bioproducts, Mark Brown, University of the Sunshine Coast

*Second generation Biorefineries – Optimisation Opportunities and Implications for Australia, Geoff Bell, Microbiogen

How to Maximise Funding Certainty, Gary Sofarelli, The Foresight Group

*Bioenergy: Is it good for the climate?, Annette Cowie, NSW DPI

14:25 – 14:45 Bridging the gap between forest biomass producers and users: a case study from the North coast of NSW, Fabiano Ximenes, NSW Department of Primary Industries

*Zambezi Biorefinery: “Pure” glucose from 2nd generation feedstocks, Ed de Jong, Avantium Chemicals BV, The Netherlands

Bioenergy From STP’S: Farm Or Factory, Peter Donaghy, Queensland Urban Utilities

A method and guidance for undertaking life cycle assessments of bioenergy products in Australia, Jonas Bengtsson, Edge Environment

14:45 – 15:05 Optimising Mallee supply chain for biomass production in Western Australia, Mohammad Reza Ghaffariyan, University of the Sunshine Coast

*Overview on Biorefining activities in Austria, Michael Mandl, TBW Research, Austria

How is Biomass Energy Faring in Australia?, Sohum Gandhi, Enriva Pty Ltd

Life Cycle Assessment of Biofuels in Australia, Tim F Grant, Lifecycles

15:05 – 15:25 Producing improved feedstocks to facilitate the development of bioenergy and biomaterials industries, Robert Henry, University of Queensland

*Bioenergy demonstration projects in Canada: Lessons learned, key factors for success, knowledge and technology gaps, Eric Soucy, Natural Resources Canada

Commercial fast pyrolysis – Technology and Australian markets, Colin Stucley, Enecon Pty Ltd

Life cycle assessment of various food waste treatment alternatives including co-digestion in two Australian local government areas, Joel Edwards, RMIT University

15:25 – 15:45 Forest and wood product feedstocks for biorefinery innovation, Phil Hobson, Queensland University of Technology

*Corn Stover Value Chain: From Farm to Sugar, Murray McLaughlin, Bioindustrial Innovation Canada

Achieving Investment Ready Status for Bioenergy Projects, Jennifer Lauber-Patterson, Frontier Energy

Sustainable Bio-Plastic Production through Landfill Methane Recycling, Kirsten Heimann, James Cook University

15:45 – 16:05 Afternoon Tea and Poster Presentations in the Exhibition Area

16:05 – 18:00 SESSION FOUR: Bioenergy Developments

Feedstocks and Upgrading Chair: Mark Brown Chelsea Room

Pyrolysis and HTL Chair: Colin Stucley Glanworth Room

Biogas Chair: Bernadette McCabe Hopewell Room

Algae Chair: Connie Crookshanks Taldora Room

16:05 – 16:25 Effect of alkaline and hydrothermal pretreatment on chemical and physical composition, and methane yields of sugarcane bagasse and trash, Prasad Kaparaju, Griffith University.

Pyrolysis Oil Leaps Forward- An Excellent Option for Australia, Douglas Bradley, Climate Change Solutions, Canada

Transportation of biomass with hydraulic driven piston pumps to get energy from waste, Peter Peschken, Putzmeister Solid Pumps GmbH, Germany

* IEA Bioenergy Review on the State of Technology of Algal Biofuels, James D. (Jim) McMillan, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA



16:05 – 16:25 Effect of alkaline and hydrothermal pretreatment on chemical and physical composition, and methane yields of sugarcane bagasse and trash, Prasad Kaparaju, Griffith University.

Pyrolysis Oil Leaps Forward- An Excellent Option for Australia, Douglas Bradley, Climate Change Solutions, Canada

Transportation of biomass with hydraulic driven piston pumps to get energy from waste, Peter Peschken, Putzmeister Solid Pumps GmbH, Germany

* IEA Bioenergy Review on the State of Technology of Algal Biofuels, James D. (Jim) McMillan, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA

16:25 – 16:45 The Promise of CRISPR-Cas9 Genome Editing for Bioproducts and Biofuels, Susan Pond, The University of Sydney.

Hydrothermal Liquefaction - New Paradigm for Sustainable Bioenergy, Corinne Drennan, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA

AURORA Waste to Energy Facility, David Leinster, Aquatec Maxcon

Algae and Biogas: Establishment of large scale demonstration centre for algal-bacterial digestate treatment and algae biomass production, Robert Reinhardt, Algen d.o.o., Slovenia

16:45 – 16:50 Mid-size pellet production facility - key factors for driving a positive ROI, Tony Esplin, Recycling Technologies Group Pty Ltd

Hydrothermal Processing of Different Components of Mallee Biomass in Hot-Compressed Water, Sui Boon Liaw, Curtin University *This paper was subject to peer review.

Revolutionising the biogas industry, Ari Ketola, Ductor Corporation

Lowering the costs of microalgal feedstock for bioenergy, Peer M Schenk, University of Queensland

16:50-17:10 Microwave Assisted Removal of Lignin and Xylan from Eucalyptus, Negin Amini, Monash University

Operational performance of a novel biomass gasification reactor for converting lump biomaterials into renewable syngas, Denis Doucet, Wildfire Energy

Update on biogas use at Australian piggeries and recent research and development, Alan G Skerman, Agri-Science Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries

Engineering a Heat-Tolerant and Ectoin-Producing Microalga in One Strike, Kirsten Heimann, James Cook University

17:10-17:30 Burning for the unloved: Economic evaluation of forest biomass from natural disturbance for bioenergy, Mathieu Béland, Laval University, Quebec, Canada

Grinding Pyrolysis - Development of a Novel Technology, MD Mahmudul Hasan, Curtin University

The economics of biogas plant maintenance and optimisation works, Jason Hawley, Finn Biogas

Towards A Solar Powered Economy: Developing New Economic Opportunities, Ben Hankamer, The University of Queensland

17:30 – 17:50 The influence of pretreatment of woody and stramineous biomass on the behaviour of trace elements during thermochemical conversion, Joanne Tanner, Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University

Optimising Pyrolysis Conditions for Thermal Conversion of Beauty Leaf Tree (Calophyllum inophyllum L.) Press Cake, Nanjappa Ashwath, School of Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University

The integration of anaerobic digestion and intermediate pyrolysis to maximise the energy recovery from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste, Marie Kirby, Animal Production, Welfare and Veterinary Sciences, Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire, UK

19:30 – 23:00 Pre Dinner Drinks and Conference Dinner Conference Dinner Speaker – Professor Ian Lowe AO



Tuesday, 15 November 2016

07:30 – 17:30 Registration Open

08:30 – 10:30 SESSION FIVE: Bioenergy Developments

Emerging Feedstocks Chair: Ian O’Hara Chelsea Room

Energy from Waste Chair: Heather Bone Glanworth Room

*IEA Bioenergy Task 37 – Energy from Biogas Chair: Jerry Murphy Hopewell Room

Regional Growth Chair: Jackson Gerard Taldora Room

08:30 – 08:50 Agave, The Feedstock for the Global Bioeconomy, José Ignacio del Real Laborde, Australian Agave Pty Ltd

Bioenergy – A Waste Management Perspective, Darrell Corbett, J J Richards & Sons Pty Ltd

*Biogas in the circular economy, Clare Lukehurst OBE, United Kingdom

Estimating socio-economic key performance metrics for transportation biofuels, Philip Peck, Lund University, Sweden

08:50 – 09:10 Prospecting for novel energy-rich plant biomasses, Rachel A Burton, ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, University of Adelaide

The potential for energy from waste in Australia, Joyanne Manning, ARUP

*The role of Biogas in supporting intermittent renewable electricity, Jerry Murphy, University College Cork, Ireland

Using smart transitioning to a low carbon future to create regional economic growth, Brian Cox, Bioenergy Association of New Zealand

09:10 – 09:30 Fungal biotechnology for bioenergy, Scott E Baker, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA

* Small scale Waste to Energy – drivers and barriers, Inge Johansson, Energy and Bioeconomy, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Borås, Sweden

*IEA Bioenergy - Task 37 Energy from Biogas: Knowledge sharing opportunities for Australia during the 2016-2018 triennium, Bernadette McCabe, Nation Centre for Engineering in Agriculture, USQ

Bioenergy in Tasmania Developments and Opportunities, David M Hurburgh, Department of State Growth – Tasmania

09:30 – 09:50 Microbial oil production from sugarcane industry by-products by filamentous fungi, Zhanying Zhang, Queensland University of Technology

Biomass CHP plants: global best practices in an Australian perspective, Kevin Vandewalle, Vyncke, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

*Biomethane market potential - opportunities and challenges ahead, Mattias Svensson, Energiforsk - Swedish Energy Research Centre, Malmö, Sweden

Achieving Critical Mass-CLEAN Cowra Inc Perspective Advancing and Developing the model for utilising biomass as a driver for sustainable community outcomes, Dylan Gower, CLEAN Cowra Inc

09:50 – 10:10 The Current Status of Development for a Sustainable Biofuel from the Legume Tree Pongamia pinnata, Peter Gresshoff, University of Queensland

Addressing the barriers to greater penetration of gasification-based bioenergy, San Shwe Hla, CSIRO Energy

*Monitoring and process control of biogas plants, Günther Bochmann, IFA Tulln - BOKU University, Tulln, Austria

Waste biomass to renewable energy: value proposition for sugarcane industry, Ihsan Hamawand, University of Southern Queensland

10:10 – 10:30 Engineering and recovery of high levels of oils from leaves: game-changing pathway to low-cost sustainable biofuel feedstocks, Allan Green, CSIRO

Assessing the impact of biomass and waste feedstock quality on gasification plant cost and performance, Andrew C Beath, CSIRO Energy

*Resource recovery via distributed biogas production, Saija Rasi, Natural Resources Institute Finland

Wastewater utilities in the circular economy, Matthew Mulliss, Queensland Urban Utilities

10:30 -10:55 Morning Tea and Poster Presentations in the Exhibition Area



10:55 – 12:35 SESSION SIX: Bioenergy Developments and Supply

Feedstocks/Biomass Trade and Supply Chains Chair: Mark Brown Chelsea Room

Heat and Power Chair: Steve Schuck Glanworth Room

Biogas Chair: Bernadette McCabe Hopewell Room

*IEA Bioenergy Task 39 – Liquid Biofuels Chair: Jack Saddler Taldora Room

10:55 – 11:15 * Long term strategies on sustainable biomass imports in European bioenergy markets, Luc Pelkmans, VITO NV, Belgium.

Development of Gas Turbine Technology to Allow the Utilisation of Solid Biomass Fuels without Gasification, Bevan Dooley, BTOLA

Wastewater + food waste = Bioenergy factory, Philip Woods, Sydney Water

*Advanced Liquid Biofuels Developments in the USA, James D. (Jim) McMillan, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA

11:15 – 11:35 Production of fuel pellets. What-How-Why?, Peter Lange, CPM Europe B.V., The Netherlands

Biomass for heat and power generation - Efficiencies and emissions of advanced wood waste fueled energy plants depending on the feedstock and plant design, Christian Jirkowsky, Polytechnik Biomass Energy Pty Ltd, New Zealand

Cost Effective Energy Recovery Using Co-Digestion – An Update, Chris K Hertle, GHD Pty Ltd

*Overview on advanced biofuels technologies, Dina Bacovsky, Bioenergy 2020+, Austria

11:35 – 11:55 Selecting Feedstocks And Selecting Products For Chemicals From Biomass, Geoff Covey, Covey Consulting

The latest innovations in the use of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology, Carlo Minini, Turboden S.R.L, Brescia, Italy

Biogas production from sugarcane wastes to reduce fossil fuel use in the sugar industry, Ian M. O’Hara, Queensland University of Technology

*Management of inhibitors of biocatalysts in biochemical conversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks, Leif J. Jönsson, Umea University, Sweden

11:55 – 12:15 Biochar Chair: Mark Brown Chelsea Room

PNG Biomass - Markham Valley Power - an Environmental and Social Large Scale Power Project, Francis Kabano, Markham Valley Biomass

Small-scale high pressure water scrubbing technology to upgrade biogas produced from sugar cane bagasse to transport grade biomethane, Prasad Kaparaju, Griffith School of Engineering,

*Integration of Licella’s Cat-HTR into Canfor Prince George Pulp Mill, Steve Rogers, Licella Pty LtdRecent implementations

of Pyrocal’s technologies for conversion of biomass residues to heat and char, James Joyce, Pyrocal Pty Ltd

12:15 –12:35 Woody biomass to charcoal – prospects for Australian forest and metal industries, Mark Cooksey,CSIRO

Yorke Biomass Energy Project, Terry Kallis, Yorke Biomass Energy

Case Study on Improving Biogas Quantity and Quality on an Anaerobic Cogeneration Plant with ACTI-Mag™, Michael Romer, Calix Limited

*Comparison of Biofuels Life Cycle Assessment Tools for Sugarcane Ethanol Assessment in Brazil, Antonio Bonomi,Brazilian Bioethanol Science and Technology Laboratory, Campinas, Brazil

12:35 – 13:40 Lunch and Networking – Exhibition and Posters in the Exhibition Area



13:40 – 15:20 SESSION EIGHT: Day Two Closing Plenary Chair: Colin Stucley Chelsea Room

ABBA – Resource Assessment Chair: Julie Bird Chelsea Room

Community and Policy Chair: Paul McCartney Glanworth Room

Biogas Chair: Prasad Kaparaju Hopewell Room

Liquid Biofuels Chair: Heather Bone Taldora Room

13:40 – 14:00 Australian Biomass for Bioenergy Assessment,

Dave Rogers, Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia

Mary Lewitzka, RenewablesSA

Kelly Wickham, Sustainability Victoria

Martin Moroni, Private Forests Tasmania

Kelly Bryant, Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation

Fabiano Ximenes, NSW Department of Industry

Ana Belgun, Data61 CSIRO

Rebecca Dengate, Data61 CSIRO

Phil Hobson, Queensland University of Technology

Mohammad Reza Ghaffariyan

How resilient is the social licence of energy cropping? Alex Baumber, The University of New South Wales

Continuous anaerobic digestion of pre-treated synthetic medium with focus on lipid degradation, Peter W Harris, National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture, USQ

REACH Technology for Converting Biomass into Jet Fuel and Diesel, Karl Seck, Mercurius Biorefining, USA

14:00 – 14:20 Developing a Social Licence for Bioenergy - The Northern Rivers Experience, Natalie Meyer, Sustain Energy

Process monitoring and control in the AD of abattoir wastewater – Upscaling from Lab to large scale, Thomas Schmidt, University of Southern Queensland

The Ethtec Cellulosic Ethanol Pilot Plant and Commercialisation Project, Russell Reeves, Ethanol Technologies Limited

14:20 – 14:40 Bioenergy Policies and Status of Bioenergy Implementation, Dina Bacovsky, Bioenergy 2020+, Austria

The effect of temperature and waste composition on organic loading thresholds in anaerobic co-digestion, Mike Meng, Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland

Carbon Neutral Growth and the role of Alternative Jet Fuel, Robert Boyd, International Air Transport Association, Geneva, Switzerland

14:40-15:00 Why did Ecotech advocate for a mandate?, Doug Stuart, Ecotech Biodiesel

On the acclimation of anaerobic digestion to important chemical inhibitors and the impact of operator intervention, Stephan Tait, Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland

Glycell – Leaf Resources’ pretreatment process for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fuels and chemicals, Les Edye, Leaf Resources

15:00-15:20 Biofuels Policy – The New Frontier, Mark Sutton, Biofuels Association of Australia

Process improvement of energy and value extraction from red meat processing waste, Bernadette McCabe, University of Southern Queensland

Advanced Biofuels Investment Readiness Programme, Amy Philbrook, Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)

15:20 – 15:40 Afternoon Tea and Poster Presentations in the Exhibition Area

15:40 - 16:50 SESSION EIGHT: Day Two Closing Plenary Chair: Colin Stucley Chelsea Room

15:40 – 16:40 Panel Discussion: Rewind from 2040. How did we achieve the Biofuture? Jackson Gerard, Simon Roycroft, Brian Cox, Col Stucley Moderator: Heather Bone

16:40- 16:50 Close of Conference, Awards Ceremony



1. Synthesis and performance characterisation of bi-functional catalyst for biodiesel production Ali Al-Saadi

2. Case study for the biodigestion of Biostill distillery Biodunder Jo-Anne Blinco

3. Fuel properties of flowering plants Suryakant Chakradhari

4. Agave - Foundation for the expanding Bioeconomy. A case study Don Chambers

5. Modelling the potential location of profitable microalgae farms for biofuel in the world Diego F. Correa

6. Selecting Feedstocks and Selecting Products for Chemicals From Biomass Geoff Covey, Covey Consulting

7. Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) and rayon: Opportunities for innovation, diversification and development for the Australian forest and wood products sector Mihai Daian

8. Biogas production from microalgae using anaerobic digestion and nutrient recycling: Towards a sustainable closed loop Lina Maria Gonzalez Gonzalez

9. Bio-product and waste water/CO2 remediation potential of a nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Kirsten Heimann

10. A review of hydrothermal liquefaction technology and its potential for upgrading biodigester digestate to fuels and chemicals Phil Hobson

11. Low Temperature Catalytic Conversion of Solid Organic Material into Liquid Fuel Barrie King

12. Optimal land-use scenarios for food and energy crops at the landscape scale – Perspective on biodiversity conservation in agriculture in Australia Saori Miyake

13. Assessing suitability and production potential for dedicated bioenergy crops in Queensland Phillip Norman

14. Proposed White Bay Power Station Boiler House no. 2 Brewery / Distillery, and District-scale Bioenergy scheme Anthony J Parrington

15. Proposed White Bay Power Station Data center, and utilisation of a District-scale Bioenergy scheme Anthony J Parrington

16. Proposed Western Sydney Transport Network, and enhanced Camellia Bioenergy scheme Anthony J Parrington

17. The application of Industrial Symbiosis methodologies to the Woodlawn Bioreactor, and Woodlawn Wind farm Anthony J Parrington

18. Development Status of Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis for the Manufacture of Renewable Fuels Greg Perkins

19. Energy from Waste Gases, Liquids, Industrial By-products and Biogas Bradley Prior

20. The recovery of water and nutrients following anaerobic digestion of food waste Matthew Reilly

21. Evaluation of Agave genotypes for bioethanol production Deepa Rijal

22. Investigation of oil quality output of a traditional pyrolysis process Sascha Stegen

23. Enzymatic conversion of methane to methanol James Strong

24. Evolution and stratification of off-gasses in stored wood pellets Fahimeh FYP Yazdanpanah

PRESENTATIONSPOSTER


Oral Abstracts


DAY 1: Monday 14 November

Chelsea Room SESSION 1: Day One Plenary – Framework for Bioenergy 0915 – 0935

QUEENSLAND’S BIOFUTURES REVOLUTION

Michael BurkeDepartment of State Development

Queensland is on track to secure a valuable share of a global biobased market that is expected to be worth US$ $1,128 billion by 2022. The Queensland Government’s vision, set out in the Advance Queensland Biofutures 10-year Roadmap and Action Plan (Biofutures Roadmap) sets us on a path to capitalise on this opportunity by developing a A$1 billion industry over the next decade. Twenty actions are being delivered under the Biofutures Roadmap, including a:

• $5 million Biofutures Industry Development Fund

• $5 million Biofutures Commercialisation Program

• $4 million Biofutures Acceleration Program.

The Biofutures Roadmap builds on Queensland’s competitive advantages to unlock more value from its primary industries, transition the economy from fossil fuels and create the jobs of the 21st century. The Biofutures Roadmap is the first industry roadmap under the Queensland Government’s A$405 million Advance Queensland initiative that is creating an environment which fosters the state’s emerging and priority sectors that have been identified as having global growth potential.

The Queensland Government’s industrial biotechnology, bioproducts and renewables energy initiatives position Queensland as a regional leader in the growing bioeconomy.

PRESENTING AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Michael Burke is currently the Director of the Biofutures Sectoral Team with the Queensland Department of State Development. Michael has previously held senior policy and industry development roles within the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for the intensive animal and broad acre cropping industries. Michael’s background is in aquatic animal husbandry and spent 15 years in a research capacity at the Bribie Island Aquaculture Research Centre. Michael has a Master of Aquaculture and post-graduate degree in aquatic animal health.

PRESENTATIONSORAL




CAN BIOENERGY HELP IN MEETING THE 2020 RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGET

Amarjot RathoreOffice of the Clean Energy Regulator, ACT, Australia

The new Renewable Energy Target is for large-scale generation of 33 000 gigawatt hours in 2020. It is estimated over 5000 megawatts of installed renewable capacity is required to meet the total cumulative demand for large-scale generation certificates through to 2020.

Amar Rathore, General Manager at the Clean Energy Regulator, will outline the opportunities that are available for bioenergy projects to use proven, existing, off-the-shelf technologies to generate renewable electricity under the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target and take advantage of the current market conditions.

Bioenergy projects are in a unique position to provide baseload power to the grid and contribute to meeting the target. With a high price currently available for large-scale generation certificates there is a strong business case for investing in this area.


Amar Rathore is the General Manager of Technical Assessment and Support Branch at the Clean Energy Regulator. Prior to this, he was responsible for RET Market Operations at the former Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator. Mr Rathore has over eighteen years of experience in the Australian Public Service, and eight years’ experience working on electricity generation, transmission and distribution projects in India.

Mr Rathore has a master’s degree in Engineering (Electrical Power Systems) from Punjab University (India) and a post graduate diploma in Information Technology from University of New South Wales. Mr Rathore is a member of the Institution of Engineers Australia and Electric Energy Society of Australia.




FINANCING BIOENERGY IN AUSTRALIA: EXPERIENCE AND INSIGHTS FROM THE CLEAN ENERGY FINANCE CORPORATION

Henry AnningClean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), Brisbane, QLD, Australia

This presentation will outline the role of the CEFC in the waste to energy and bioenergy market, describe the features of each of the different types of finance structures and share case studies of some of the bioenergy and waste to energy investments we have made. It will also cover the CEFC Innovation Fund, a unique program supporting the growth of innovative clean energy technologies and businesses.

Bioenergy is an important renewable energy source. It is market proven and tested internationally. The CEFC is looking to work with the industry to help unlock Australia’s significant potential in bioenergy.

Bioenergy currently provides approximately 1% of Australia’s electricity generation. The Australian bioenergy industry has significant growth room to catch up to the OECD average of 2.4%. In Europe, there are over 12,400 biogas plants in operation. The Clean Energy Council estimates that the Australian sector has the potential to increase six-fold by 2020 with the right support in place. Australia is well placed to be a leader in this market given its expansive land mass, significant agricultural industry and proven innovation capability.

CEFC’s current proposals pipeline for bioenergy-related projects totals almost $3 billion in total project investment value. Since inception, the CEFC has committed almost $200 million in waste-to-energy and bioenergy projects, with a total project value of more than $400 million. CEFC investments have supported a diverse range of projects, including energy from food waste, animal waste, landfill gas and municipal solid waste.

Industries using bioenergy are able to reduce their electricity or fuel costs, increase competitiveness and reduce carbon emissions. Continued development of bioenergy in Australia can provide opportunities for growth, employment and skills development in rural and regional areas, while reducing CO2 and other emissions.


Henry Anning has been heavily involved in the CEFC’s bioenergy and energy from waste financing programs. He was previously an Associate Director at Low Carbon Australia where he focussed on bioenergy sector finance and industry engagement. Prior to that, he spent seven years in management consulting and with a global engineering consulting firm. He holds degrees in Business and Science, and post-graduate qualifications in Law. He has recently completed an MBA.




ARENA’S ACTIVITIES IN BIOENERGY

Matthew WaldenARENA

An update from ARENA


Matt is a Transaction Specialist at the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and specialises in the identification and execution of investment opportunities. Matt is responsible for managing a number of ARENA’s bioenergy portfolio concepts and projects and manages ARENA’s Large Scale Solar Competitive Round. Prior to ARENA, Matt specialised in providing financial, commercial and policy advice in the renewables and general infrastructure sectors. Matt is an ICAA Business Valuation Specialist, a Chartered Accountant and has a post graduate qualification in Applied Finance.



Chelsea Room SESSION 2: Day One Plenary – Bioenergy Perspectives 1100 – 1120

LIFE CYCLE GHG ASSESSMENTS OF CELLULOSIC ETHANOL CONCEPTS

Jesper H Kløverpris1, Nassera Ahmed1, Patrick McDonnell2, Sander Bruun3, Ingrid K Thomsen4, Niclas S Bentsen3 1. Novozymes, Bagsværd, ZEALAND, Denmark 2. BEE Holdings, Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico 3. University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark 4. Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark

There is general agreement about the potential of cellulosic ethanol to drastically reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but also uncertainty about some parameters. This presentation concerns three studies of life cycle GHG emissions from biorefinery concepts based fully or in part on cellulosic feedstocks.

All results are sensitive to methodological choices, maturity of enzyme technology, assumptions about electricity replaced by co-produced bioelectricity, impacts on soil organic carbon, and potential indirect impacts from land use change. Yet, all studies indicate large climate benefits of cellulosic ethanol.

• Straw-based ethanol This study includes advanced modeling of carbon and nitrogen flows in the soil (conducted by the University of Copenhagen). Results indicate GHG savings in the range of 90-160% when comparing to gasoline on an energy basis (MJ to MJ). The savings in the high end of the range occur due to large credits for co-products such as excess bioelectricity, biogas, and biofertilizers. The study is intended for publication in the peer-reviewed literature.

• Cellulosic and sugar-based ethanol This study was conducted for a concept combining conventional sugar-based ethanol and cellulosic ethanol from various feedstocks in a dry tropical region with low land utilization/cropping intensity. A consequential assessment showed GHG savings of 89% compared to average US gasoline whereas an attributional assessment (the RSB method) showed 72% GHG savings. The study has been critically reviewed by three international experts.

• Advanced ethanol from Miscanthus This study considered cellulosic ethanol production from Miscanthus grown on existing cropland. A consequential assessment (incl. indirect land use change) indicates GHG savings of 83-94% compared to marginal gasoline whereas an attributional assessment (based on the method in EU’s Renewable Energy Directive) indicates GHG savings of 73-95%. Results are still preliminary.


Dr. Kløverpris holds a master degree in environmental engineering and finalized his PhD in 2008 on the subject of global land use change caused by regional changes in crop demand. His dissertation earned the Young Scientist LCA Award from SETAC Europe. Dr. Kløverpris has published several scientific papers on the issue of land use change in peer-reviewed journals and has also served as a reviewer of the agriculture/bioenergy section of IPCC’s 5th Assessment Report. Dr. Kløverpris has conducted numerous life cycle assessments of biological solutions for various industries but specializes in the broader sustainability assessment of bioenergy for which he is the main responsible at Novozymes, the world’s largest producer of enzymes.




THE POTENTIAL OF DROP-IN BIOFUELS AND BIOMASS-TO-BIOJET IN PARTICULAR

John N Saddler, Susan van Dyk, James (Jim) D. McMillan University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

IEA Bioenergy Task 39 has been, and continues to, investigate the challenges and potential of technologies for producing drop-in biofuels. The report published in 2014, “The potential and challenges of drop-in biofuels” (www.task39.org), is currently undergoing an update. There continues to be, considerable interest in developing biofuels that can be readily integrated into the existing petroleum fuel infrastructure in a “drop-in” fashion, particularly by sectors such as aviation where there is no alternative, sustainably produced, low carbon emitting fuel source. There are several ways to produce drop-in biofuels including, oleochemical processes, (i.e. the hydroprocessing of lipid feedstocks), thermochemical processes, such as gasification, pyrolysis/HTL folowed by catalytically upgrading/hydroprocessing, and biochemical processes, such as the biological conversion of biomass (sugars or cellulosic materials) to longer chain alcohols and hydrocarbons. In the near-term biojet fuels will likely be produced via the oleochemical route. However, longer-term, biojet production will likley be based on lignocellulose feedstock using thermochemical platforms.

Canada has vast forest resources and an innovative forestry industry that could potentially support an evolving biojet sector. British Columbia has been at the forefront of increased wood residue utilization as exemplified by the established pellet sector. The University of British Columbia has been working with partners such as Boeing to assess the viability of producing biojet from forest residues based on thermochemical conversion technologies. This work is continuing through the recent ATM Project, funded by the Green Aviation Research and Development Network (GARDN), with project partners including Boeing, WestJet, Bombardier, skyNRG, Air Canada and Noram Engineering. The project is focused on producing biojet through upgrading of biocrude from pyrolysis and hydrothermal liquefaction. In addition to a focus on the technical challenges, the project is currently investigating the supporting policy framework that will be essential for development of biojet production in this region.


John (Jack) Saddler is the endowed Professor of Forest Products Biotechnology / Bioenergy (originally an NSERC Industry Chair) and Dean Emeritus, Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Canada’s highest recognition for scientists. He has received many other awards such as the 2016 Linneborn award from the European Bioenergy Organization, the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO’s) Scientific Achievement Award, the Charles D. Scott award for contributions to the field of “Biotechnology for fuels and Chemicals”, the British Columbia Life Sciences Leadership award and the Canadian Renewable Energy Association’s (CRFA’s) Green Fuels Industry Award. He is the Co-Task leader of Task 39, liquid Biofuels, with Jim McMillan.




BIOENERGY IN AUSTRIA

Manfred Woergetter, Theodor Zillner, Dina BacovskyBioenergy 2020+ GmbH., Wieselburg, LOWER AUSTRIA, Austria

The contribution highlights the role of bioenergy in Austria, gives an overview of the driving forces toward a zero carbon society and bioenergy RD&D activities.

The pillars of the Austrian energy strategy are the promotion of energy efficiency and renewable energies as well as energy security. Renewable energy sources have reached a share of 33 %. The total primary energy supply of renewable energy sources comprises biomass with 61 %, followed by hydropower with 33%. Bioenergy doubled from 1990 to 2014; the share of total final energy consumption increased from 9.3 % in 1990 to 18 % in 2014.

The success is based on the long-lasting R&D policy of the Austrian Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology. Beside others the Ministry supports Austria´s participation in IEA Bioenergy since the first days of the Agreement. Bioenergy R&D follows the Austrian Energy Research Strategy 2010 and a Bioheating R&D Agenda. The bioenergy policy is strongly influenced by an active and “green” civil society; the Austrian Biomass Organzation, a national bioenergy lobby group, is a strong voice toward sound development.

Pre-competitive research has been concentrated in the Bioenergy2020+ Ltd. Research on bioenergy and biobased industries is also carried out at Universities in Vienna, Graz, Linz, and Innsbruck as well as in two large publicly-owned research institutes and at the K+ “Wood” Competence Centre. The work on biobased systems of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis is acknowledged worldwide.

Austria´s industry is involved in R&D through industrial companies that are engaged in power plant and process engineering, power stations and control centres. Last not least a range of SMEs are strongly engaged in the development and production of bioenergy technologies. In the biorefinery sector companies like Lenzing, Mondi, Heinzl, Sappi, and Agrana are working on integrated valorisation pathways.


Born in Austria, graduated as Mechanical Engineer from TU Graz. Since 1975, R&D work on of biomass for energy and industry at FJ-BLT, an Institute of the Federal Ministry for Agriculture & Forestry. His work is concentrated on the production and use of transport biofuels, on small scale biomass heat production and sustainability & policy issues. Chairman of the Renewable Raw Material Working Group of the Ministry, editor of the “Renewable Raw Material Newsletter”, Leader of the policy subgroup of IEA Bioenergy Task 39, Key Researcher in the Bioenergy2020+ Competence Centre.



Chelsea Room SESSION 2: Day One Plenary – Bioenergy Perspectives 1200 –1220

OVERVIEW OF ADVANCES IN UNITED STATES BIOENERGY ARENA

James J SpaethU.S. Department of Energy, Golden, CO, United States

Overview of the US Bioenergy program activities including developments in areas such as feedstock resource availability, sustainable landscape design, algae, biorefineries, bioproducts to compliment biofuels development, synthetic biology, and more.


Mr. Spaeth serves as the U.S. DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office Demonstration & Market Transformation Program Manager. His current portfolio includes a DOE investment of over $1 billion in projects focused on the development of advanced biofuels including renewable hydrocarbons and cellulosic ethanol. Previous to this position Mr. Spaeth has served DOE since 1994 in various roles including: Senior Advisor for the Pacific Region; Director for the Office of Commercialization & Project Management; Biomass Program Team Leader; and Legislative Fellow for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Prior to joining DOE, Mr. Spaeth worked for over 10 years in the aerospace industry in engineering and business development positions with McDonnell Douglas and Boeing.




THE ROLE OF BIOENERGY IN A LOW CARBON ECONOMY

Kees W KwantRVO.NL, Netherlands Enterprise Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs, UTRECHT, Netherlands

IEA scenario’s show that Bioenergy plays a crucial role in reaching the climate goals. This paper will describe the options the society has to achieve these goals with biomass in a sustainable way. Smart agriculture is crucial to increase the production of more sustainable biomass and biorefineries are essential to valorise the biomass and improve the environmental friendly conversion to materials and energy. Policies to explore and support these developements in the EU and Netherlands will be presented.


Kees W. Kwant has a background in Fluid Dynamics and Technology Development from the Technical University Twente.

He worked at industry DSM to develop fermentation processes and was programme manager of the national solar energy programme of the Netherlands.

He has extensive experience in developing and implementation of bioenergy in the Netherlands and abroad, develop sustainability and chaired the working group on the GHG calculation methodology.

At present he is Liaison Biobased Economy and the linking pin between research and implementation in the framework of the Biobased and Renewable Energy Programs of RVO in the Netherlands. He participates in the EU programs: www.biomasspolicies.eu He holds the Chair of the IEA Bioenergy Implementing Agreeement and is Executive member for the Netherlands www.ieabioenergy.com




PROSPECTS FOR THERMO-CHEMICAL CONVERSION OF BIOGENIC RESOURCES IN AUSTRALIA

Marc R StammbachHitachi Zosen Inova Australia Pty Ltd, North Sydney, NSW, Australia

Australia has great potential to convert biogenic resources into renewable energy and a diverse range of bioproducts. The available and emerging thermo-chemical technologies include pyrolysis, gasification, combustion and hydrothermal conversion. Anaerobic digestion is also relevant and contrasted due its similarity in terms of output, e.g. biomethane to syngas. These conversion routes are discussed in terms of stakeholder acceptance, policy drivers, Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) and Commercial Readiness Indicators (CRI).

A driver for thermo-chemical conversion of biogenic materials is to reduce landfills, with their persistent issues of leachate seeping into groundwater and greenhouse gases escaping into the atmosphere.

The support for the newer conversion technologies is laudable, but the large scale industrial deployment is at least a decade away in Australia. Hence, it is also important to enable the short-term roll-out of the more proven technologies by reviewing some of our policies and regulations. Thus we can achieve improved near-term deployment prospects while also working on long-term sustainability issues.


Dr. Marc Stammbach is Managing Director of Hitachi Zosen Inova Australia. Marc designed, marketed and built recycling and processing facilities for more than 30 years in environmental and large-scale investment industries in Australia and Europe. His resource recovery experience includes recycling, composting, dry anaerobic digestion, mechanical-biological treatment and residual waste-to-energy.

Marc is a Chemical Engineer and holds a Doctorate in Science from ETHZ, Zurich, and a Business Degree from IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland.



Chelsea Room SESSION 3: Bioenergy Developments Feedstocks 1400 – 1420

IEA BIOENERGY TASK 43 – WORKSHOP ON MOBILISATION OF FOREST BIOMASS SUPPLY CHAINS FOR BIOENERGY, BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS

Mark BrownUniversity of The Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore Dc, Qld, Australia

IEA Task-43 addresses critical issues regarding sustainable bioenergy supply chains, including social, economic and environmental consequences of feedstock production and supply. The objective is to promote sound bioenergy development that is driven by well-informed decisions in business, governments and elsewhere. Task 43 recently hosted a workshop in Vancouver Canada on best practices in mobilising forest biomass supply chains.

The workshop included academics, students, experts, industrial and community stakeholders from different countries discussing opportunities, challenges, best practices and knowledge gaps for mobilisation of forest biomass supply chains for the sustainable production of bioenergy and bioproducts. The workshop centred on presentations of case studies covering a range of geographic regions, feedstocks, end-products and maturity of project development, including cases developed by groups of students and a plenary discussion defining/highlighting the critical challenges, opportunities, and best practices.

This presentation will give an overview of the workshop and key outcomes.


Mark is a researcher manager with over 15 years’ experience in forestry and biomass industry applied research. His focus is on research implementation for impact across the entire forest product and biomass supply chain. As the director of FIRC and AFORA, Mark’s experience in partnership building and research implementation is being applied with forestry and biomass collaborators nationally and internationally. Mark is on the editorial committee of the International Journal of Forest Engineering, an executive member of COST Action FP0902 on biomass harvesting, an ISO-TC 248-sustainability criteria for bioenergy committee member, an adviser for INFRES-improved European forest biomass supply chains, and represents Australia on IEA Task – 43 for biomass supply.




BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN FOREST BIOMASS PRODUCERS AND USERS: A CASE STUDY FROM THE NORTH COAST OF NSW

Fabiano Ximenes, Michael Mclean, Rebecca Coburn, John SamuelNSW DPI, Parramatta, NSW, Australia

One of the main impediments for greater utilisation of forestry biomass for bioenergy and high-value chemicals production is often the lack of reliable information on resource availability at a scale required by potential investors. It is well-known that there are substantial volumes of forestry based residues currently wasted or underutilised in low-value applications. In some regions, this situation has been made worse by the decline of previously strong demand for woodchips for pulp production. This issue is particularly critical for the NSW north coast.

In this study we aim to produce a detailed resource characterization assessment within 100 km from key regional hubs (Buladelah, Kempsey and Grafton), including forestry residues and other key biomass sources. For forestry biomass, the work includes field trials to determine biomass availability, characterization of the resource (moisture content, density, calorific value), the potential impact of the extraction of the biomass from the forest (nutrition, greenhouse gas and biodiversity) as well as a cost-benefit analysis.

An important component of the project is the work to connect biomass producers, energy technology providers, local communities and various levels of Government via a series of workshops mid-way through the project, where the newly developed resource availability data will be shared. This will hopefully create opportunities for new markets to develop. In this presentation I will discuss results to date and prospects for rolling out similar programs across different regions in Australia.


Fabiano Ximenes is a Research Scientist with the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries with a Masters in Wood Science (Australian National University). For the last fifteen years his research interests have revolved around biomass and carbon in forest and wood products, and bioenergy in Australia. Fabiano has published numerous papers and technical reports, and he was one of the lead authors of the “Harvested Wood Products” Chapter of the recently published IPCC document titled “Revised Supplementary Methods and Good Practice Guidance Arising from the Kyoto Protocol”.




OPTIMISING MALLEE SUPPLY CHAIN FOR BIOMASS PRODUCTION IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Mohammad Reza GhaffariyanUniversity of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia

Mallee plantations have been integrated into wheat farms in Western Australia as a large-scale and multi-purpose woody crop in 1990s. These types of plantations could be a considerable source of biomass to produce renewable energy. In this project the supply chain of Mallee was modelled using BIOPLAN’s linear programming model to investigate the impact of tree size, extraction distance and transport distance on supply chain costs. The harvesting system included a feller-buncher, front-end loader, in-field chipper and truck. The mobile Bruks chipper was found to be more efficient than Peterson Pacific to chip Mallee trees. The results indicated that harvesting larger tree sizes can slightly diminish chipping cost. Skidding cost was very sensitive to the extraction distance in this case study. Long transport distances in larger management area (to meet higher energy demands) will highly increase the transport cost. From optimised supply chain cost and sensitivity analysis, the best practice for efficient Mallee biomass supply chain was suggested as following; Harvesting Mallee trees when reaching larger size (about 0.3 m3 in this case), Planning average skidding distance to be shorter than 1000-1500 m, Establishing the Mallee plantations closer to energy plant with transport distance shorter than 100 km (with a radius of 50-75 km providing an effective compromise between cost and distance).


Mohammad Reza has Forestry background as holds a PhD in Forest Engineering from BOKU University, Vienna, and BSc and MSc of Forestry from Tehran University. He worked at BOKU Vienna University (from 2005 to 2010) as a research assistant and post-doc fellow, exploring efficiency and cost of cable yarding and biomass utilisation in Austria as one of the leading countries in forestry and bioenergy. In April 2010 he has took a research fellowship position at the University of Tasmania to lead forest operations and biomass harvesting projects. Since May 2012 Mohammad Reza has been working as research fellow at the University of the Sunshine Coast to investigate the efficient and sustainable forest operations and supply chains which have resulted in significant economic and environmental benefits for the forest industry.




PRODUCING IMPROVED FEEDSTOCKS TO FACILITATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF BIOENERGY AND BIOMATERIALS INDUSTRIES

Robert HenryThe University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia

The availability of large amounts of feedstocks designed specifically for use in bioenergy and biomaterial production is a key requirement for the establishment of large scale production facilities. We are re-inventing grassy (sugarcane) and woody (eucalypt) biomass to facilitate easy biochemical conversion to sugars as substrate for the production of biofuels and biomaterials. These species are major candidates for biomass production globally with potential for very high biomass yields contributing to minimizing competition with food production. These crops are options for new production zones not currently utilized for agriculture. The genomes of these species are being sequenced and characterized to support their genetic improvement as industrial crops. Whole genome association studies have been conducted to link genetic variation with chemical composition and suitability for conversion. New targets for selection and modification of these species have been identified. The availability of these new feedstocks will greatly enhance the viability of industries based upon their utilization.


Robert Henry conducts research on the development of new and improved products from plants. He is Professor of Innovation in Agriculture and Director of the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, at the University of Queensland. His research targets improved understanding of the molecular basis of the quality of products produced from plants and genome analysis to capture novel genetic resources for diversification of food and energy crops.




FOREST AND WOOD PRODUCT FEEDSTOCKS FOR BIOREFINERY INNOVATION

Phil Hobson, Mark Harrison, Mahmoud Masoud Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

The Australian forestry and wood product industries are challenged to maintain economic viability as a result of increasing production costs, increased competition from imports and variable construction sector activity. As a result there is an increasing need to develop biorefinery technologies, knowledge, and capacity that improves revenue from existing forest products and by-products with rapid paths to market. Integration of value-added bioproducts will be a significant ‘step-change’ for the Australian forestry and wood product industries and offers a genuine opportunity to help these industries mitigate the effects of existing, emerging, and likely future challenges to profitability.

This paper reports on a study undertaken to develop a detailed understanding of the availability, constraints on, and characteristics of biomass feedstocks from forestry and wood product industries in Australia. A range of data sources have been drawn on to develop spatially specific estimates of the volumes and compositional analysis of biomass derived from forestry and wood product industries, including thinnings, off-specification logs, sawdust, wood chips, bark, and end-of-life wood products. This assessment of forestry and wood product derived biomass is the first stage of a larger project aimed at identifying key opportunities for biorefining to add value to existing forestry products and by-products.


Phil Hobson is a Principal Research Fellow at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) with over 25 years research and consulting experience in the commercial, academic and public sectors. Phil has worked extensively on the energy, cost and environmental implications associated with the co-location of advanced cycle biomass power generation and biofuels production. Phil has managed and continues to run research and consulting projects in the area of biomass utilisation for clients including Queensland State Government, Australian Renewable Energy Agency, Forestry and Wood Products Australia, Sugar Research Australia and the Australian sugar milling industry.



Glanworth Room SESSION 3: Bioenergy Developments IEA Bioenergy Task 42 ‘Biorefining in a Future Bioeconomy’ 1400 – 1420

SECOND GENERATION BIO-REFINERIES – OPTIMISATION OPPORTUNITIES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR AUSTRALIA

Geoffrey BellMicrobiogen Pty Ltd., Lane Cove, NSW, Australia

Low oil prices, a concerted effort to delay or stop the rollout of biofuels from incumbents and policy uncertainly has resulted in a slow-down in the rate of growth in the global biofuel industry over the last 2 to 5 years. Despite the difficult macro conditions, 7 commercial scale lignocellulosic ethanol facilities have been developed with a total capacity of approximately 500 million litres at a capital cost of over US$2 billion. These are the first generation of modern lignocellulosic biofuels facilities that take advantage of breakthroughs in yeast, enzyme and process technology achieved over the last decade. These lignocellulosic ethanol bio-refineries are expensive to build and not necessarily profitable in today’s market. However, just as the corn to ethanol industry has made significant efficiency improvements over the last two decades, these new lignocellulosic bio-refineries are in the early phase of their optimisation curve.

Using the corn ethanol industry as a proxy demonstrates the optimisation potential of this new and emerging industry. The corn ethanol producers have lifted unit revenues and efficiencies as much as 15% to 20% and at the same time significantly lowered costs. The next generation of biofuel facilities take cheap, non-food biological materials and transform them into high value products such as ethanol, high value feed and power. Up to 25% to 30% improvements in lignocellulosic bio-refinery improvements have already been identified with many more still to come.

When these new generation non-food based bio-refineries are deployed in a country like Australia, the impact on regions currently devoted to the production of sugar cane and sugar, is expected to be significant. Revenues per hectare are expected to at least double from today’s levels and with optimisation an even higher optimisation outcome is likely. The outlook for sustainably developed, high biomass regions such is looking bright.


Geoff Bell is CEO of Microbiogen, a world leading bio-technology company specialising in yeast, alcohol fermentation and development of novel process and products for the global fuel and feed industries. Through 9 years leading the company, Geoff has taken the company from a small R+D start-up, over the “valley of death” to its current position of multiple global license agreements with commercial products under trial and ready for market. His holds Bachelor Degrees in Science and Economics and a Master of Applied Finance from Sydney and Macquarie Universities. Geoff has over 20 years as a senior analyst in at global investment banks BNP Paribas and Prudential Securities. Roles have included Head of Asia Pacific Research, Australian Research and Global Mining Analyst through his research and investment banking career. He is also currently Australian leader of the IEA Task 42 program.




ZAMBEZI BIOREFINERY: “PURE” GLUCOSE FROM 2ND GENERATION FEEDSTOCKS

Ed de JongAvantium Chemicals BV, BV, AMSTERDAM, Netherlands

Avantium Chemicals (www.avantium.com) is a high tech SME company known of their exploration into novel furan (YXY) chemistry, focused on efficient and low cost conversion of C6 sugars via HMF derivatives into the promising chemical key intermediate FDCA. FDCA can be used as building block for a wide range of applications including polyesters such as PEF, polyamides, resins and plasticizers [1]. Currently, Avantium is working to bring 100% biobased PEF bottles to the market and intends to commercialize the YXY process in a Joint Venture together with BASF.

Many chemical building blocks can be produced from biomass, nowadays mainly from 1st generation based carbohydrates [2] but in the longer term brand-owners want to have the option to choose between 1st and 2nd generation feedstocks. The use of non-edible lignocellulosic feedstocks is an equally attractive source to produce chemical intermediates and an important part of the solution addressing these global issues (Paris targets). Avantium’s strategic objective is to deliver with it’s 2nd generation Zambezi technology the best in class 2G “pure” glucose technology for (bio-)chemical & bioenergy applications for a sustainable future; in parallel delivering value generation from the implementation of this technology. All products streams should be marketed at their highest value [3]. In this presentation particular attention will be given to the Zambezi technology for the production “pure” 2nd generation glucose, hemicellulose streams and lignin.

1. [1]. de Jong, E., Dam, M.A., Sipos, L., Gruter G-J.M. (2012) ACS Symposium Series “Biobased Monomers, Polymers and Materials” (eds Smith, P.B. and Gross, R.) 1-13. DOI: 10.1021/bk-2012-1105.ch001

2. [2]. de Jong, E., Higson, A., Walsh, P., Wellisch, M. (2012). Biofuels, Bioproducts & Biorefining 6: 606-624.

3. [3]. de Jong, E., Gosselink R.J.A. (2014) Lignocellulose-based chemical products. In: “Bioenergy Research: Advances and Applications” (eds. Gupta, V.K., et. al.) Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. pp. 277-313. ISBN: 978-0-444-59561-4.


Ed graduated at Agricultural University Wageningen and also defended his PhD thesis at the Agricultural University Wageningen, the Netherlands on the degradation of lignocellulose by white-rot fungi (1993). He has been research associate for 3 years at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada at the group of Jack Saddler, on the use of softwood species for biofuels application. He has been Head of the Department of Fibre and Paper Technology, Food and Biobased Research, Wageningen University & Research Centre, The Netherlands. He joint Avantium Chemicals in 2007. He is currently VP Development – responsible for Public-Private partnerships of Avantium, feedstock selection and pretreatment and Catalytic Biomass Conversion of carbohydrates into building blocks for polyesters such as PEF a improved replacement of PET. He is involved in the valorization of side products of the YXY Process, cq humins and levulinates. He is co-chair of the IEA-Bioenergy Task 42 on biorefineries.




OVERVIEW ON BIOREFINING ACTIVITIES IN AUSTRIA

Michael MandlTBW Research, Austria

The Presentation will provide a wide overview on different biorefining activities in Austria with a specific focus on implemented and close to market actions. More detailed information will be provided for selected biorefinering examples. (1) The valorisation of spent liquor of a cellulose fibre producer to recovery of value added chemicals (e.g. xylitol, acetic acid) at production scale. (2) The utilization of Grass/Lucerne silage for the recovery of high grade amino acids mixtures and lactic acid at pilot scale. This green biorefinery concept can be easily integrated with anaerobic digestion enabling different supply chain opportunities. (3) Also potentials to optimise the methane yield of biogas plants are presented specifically in regards to a power to gas approach. The presentation will draw general conclusions for establishing biorefineries, supply chain management, cross-sector cooperation and provide strategic R&D recommendations.


Michael G. Mandl is a highly experienced key researcher and project leader in the field of biorefining. He has a long track record of various biorefinery research projects. He has been deeply involved in developing a green biorefinery technology to separate bulk chemicals (amino acid and lactic acid) from grass silage over the last years. Michael’s main interest is in developing biorefinery concepts and technologies for various feedstocks including e.g. algae, agricultural wastes or side products from food/milk/whey processing. An additional focus is the recovery of bulk chemicals/ intermediates for product application before using residual biomass for anaerobic digestion. Michael Mandl is currently representing Austria within the IEA Bioenergy Task 42 – Biorefining. Overall, he has been working in applied R&D for about 18 years, he joined tbw research in 2015, before he was researcher at JOANNEUM RESEARCH in the field of plant utilisation.




BIOENERGY DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS IN CANADA: LESSONS LEARNED, KEY FACTORS FOR SUCCESS, KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNOLOGY GAPS

Jawad Jeaidi, Marzouk Benali, Eric Soucy Natural Resources Canada - CanmetENERGY, Varennes, QUEBEC, Canada

In 2014, bioenergy represented 5.4 % of Canada’s total primary energy supply. Many technologies are currently being developed to enhance bioenergy production but their feasibility has to be demonstrated as a first step towards commercial deployment. The objective of this work was to collect and analyze the data for projects funded by the Government of Canada (GoC) between 2009 and 2015, and screen those relevant to bioenergy production. A comprehensive two-prong approach was used and it included stakeholder interviews as well as statistical analysis of the collected data. A database was created to compile all projects: 1795 projects were identified in the first step as the total projects funded by GoC from 2009 to 2015. About 220 projects were found relevant to bioenergy. This was followed by screening of the projects based on the technology maturity to shorten the list of projects: 116 projects among the 220 are based on mature technologies. The screening approach was completed by relevancy to the forest industry, and only 86 bioenergy demonstration projects were found to match the criteria: these 86 identified bioenergy projects, were based on utilization of forest biomass in the form of black liquor, wood chips, forest residues and sludge. The total value of the projects varied between $0.5M and $120M. The average contribution ratio of GoC is in the order of magnitude of 30 – 40%. The average financing leverage ratio is 2.44 ($ leveraged per $ by GoC). The average environmental performance of funding programs is in the order of 4 tonne of CO2-eq avoided yearly per k$ contributed by the GoC. Lessons learned consisted of possible pitfalls and best practices have been used to propose guidelines and recommendations for future technology demonstrations. The knowledge and technology gaps were also identified for future R&D opportunities and will be presented.


Eric Soucy is currently Director of the Industrial Systems Optimization program at the CanmetENERGY Research Centre in Varennes, Quebec, for the Department of Natural Resources Canada. He is responsible for preparing business cases to capture the reasoning for initiating projects, defining long-term strategic plans for R&D programs and developing partnerships with universities, research centres, manufacturers, consultants and others aimed at developing methods and tools to optimize industrial processes. He manages a group of around 30 researchers and engineers.

Eric holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the École de Technologie Supérieure and an Executive MBA from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University. He has over 20 years of experience in the energy R&D sector.




CORN STOVER VALUE CHAIN: FROM FARM TO SUGAR

Murray McLaughlinBioindustrial Innovation Canada, Sarnia, ONTARIO, Canada

Bioindustrial innovation Canada (BIC) had set out on the course of defining technologies with the ability to convert biomass to sugars, separated C5 and C6. Our primary focus was on corn stover and wheat straw as they are key crops in Canada with quantities of excess biomass. Corn stover is important to Southern Ontario and there is presently a challenge on how to manage excess amounts of corn stover and one significant potential use identified is conversion to Sugar. BIC had a project to do a detailed analysis of 19 technologies that had the ability to process biomass to sugars. With this analysis we screened down to 9 technologies and did site visits to their facilities. Following this screen we narrowed to 3 companies that we had process 1 tonne samples to sugars and provide us sufficient quantities to analysis and test with their finished products. BIC recommended 3 options to the Cellulosic Producers Coop (CSPC) and they selected Comet as the company to partner with.At the same time BIC did a full cost analysis of the costs to get a tonne of biomass to the sugar mill. Linking this all together we worked with farmers to form the Cellulosic Sugar producers Coop which will manage the biomass to the mill in partnership with the mill. This presentation will discuss the process of evaluation of the technologies, the need for biomass derived sugars and the challenges of managing the process from the field to the biorefinery.


2016, prior he was Executive Director of BIC from 2010 and President SCA 2009-16,in Ontario, focused on Bioeconomy. He managed the AgSci Cluster, 2013-16. Dr. McLaughlin has held positions in the private, government and non-profit Murray McLaughlin, an Advisor to Bioindustrial Innovation Canada(BIC) since sectors such as Director of BD, Canadian Light Source, Presiident OAFT, DM Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, and President AWB Inc. He managed an agricultural VC Fund, Foragen, 15 years with ELANCO. His career has focused on bioindustrial and agricultural technologies including research, development, product management, marketing, commercialization, economic development and y. cluster building. He served on numerous Boards and Committees. He graduated from NSAC, McGill (B. Sc. Agr.) and Cornell (MSC/PhD). He received Honorary Doctorate Degree from Dalhousie and received awards from NSAC, CAMI, LSO, BioteCanada and the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal. Recognized in top 100 global leaders in Advanced Bioeconomy in Biofuels Digest, 2016.



Hopewell Room SESSION 3: Bioenergy Developments Investing in Bioenergy 1400 – 1420

HOW TO MAXIMISE FUNDING CERTAINTY

Gary SofarelliForesight Group, Sydney, NSW, Australia




BIOENERGY FROM STP’S: FARM OR FACTORY

Peter DonaghyQueensland Urban Utilities

Water Utilities are focused on providing a sustainable, efficient and least cost service that meets customers evolving needs, while at the same time reducing impact on the environment. If a sewage treatment plant (STP) is considered a production facility rather than a compliance activity, then treated effluent, biosolids and biogas are the products of this facility. This paper proposes a “farm” or “factory” approach that maximizes value achieved by the production of bioenergy from these products.

BIOENERGY: FARM Rural STP’s can realise value that is not possible in the urban setting. Local re-use of biosolids can be used to improve marginal land for the cultivation of energy producing crops. Benefits include improved yield, diversification, reduced nutrient discharges, lower greenhouse gas emissions and lower risk (drought proof water supply, effluent re-use). This paper details Queensland Urban Utilities’ (QUU) innovative energy crop initiative. This trial is using treated effluent to irrigate four hectares of onsite Pongamia trees.

BIOENERGY: FACTORY Larger STP’s can maximize industrial symbiosis solutions to maintain quality of life in urban settings. Economy of scale in terms of waste (feedstock), assets (anaerobic digesters etc.) and capability to recover resources mean that bigger can be better. This paper discusses QUU’s centralized facilities including co-digestion and co-generation and discusses the opportunities these “factory’s” present to generate renewable power on a large economical scale that would not be feasible for smaller STP’s.

CONCLUSION It is proposed that the STP “farm” or “factory” models will be revenue generators, have reduced or zero discharge to the environment, have no waste streams but will create value locally. It will also be energy positive (solar panels, biofuel, biogas etc.). This STP business will be an integral part of the local community providing a significant value proposition by way of contribution to the local economy.


Peter Donaghy is General Manager, Treatment and Environmental Management at Queensland Urban Utilities since 2012. Peter has over 25 years’ experience in the Water and Wastewater Industry including 12 Years in the water industry in Ireland and 9 Years in project management in New York City. He currently manages the operation of 27 treatment plants in South East Queensland including the Brisbane City, Ipswich City and Lockyer, Somerset and Scenic Regional Council areas.




HOW IS BIOMASS ENERGY FARING IN AUSTRALIA?

Sohum GandhiEnriva Pty Ltd, Neutral Bay, NSW, Australia

Biomass energy combustion systems is a hot topic in certain arenas such as climate change groups, industry bodies, conferences, research, universities, magazines, and all levels of government and politics. Nevertheless, the project take up in Australia can be seen as a trickle and not a flood. Like any industry once you get away from the macro and move into the micro analysis you see all the nuances and variables that have positive and negative impacts on the industry as a whole.

As far as project take ups go, despite all the spin and renewability slogans, it always comes back to the universal truth of business… investment return. Some projects have a great return. And speaking for our own business, these are the types of projects we have won and successfully delivered. Unfortunately for business operators like myself these gems are not plentiful. And over the last 10-12 years we have definitely seen more stress in the industry as new system providers emerge to capitalize on all the hype.

So what is holding the flood gates closed? Because in actual fact it is now well established by international governments, climate change bodies, experts, and a large contingency of the general public that biomass energy is nothing short of amazing. It is accepted, proven and documented that biomass energy systems achieve the goals of preventing climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. I believe the explanation lies in how each challenge can affect the bottom line.


Sohum Gandhi has a Bachelor’s of Engineering degree from the University of Victoria, Canada. Since 2004, he has been working within the Australian energy industry. His pro-active approach has helped various clients around the country evolve in their designs and energy systems. Over the past years Sohum has been increasingly involved with biomass fuels in an attempt to provide clients with renewable and low cost energy alternatives. His installed projects to date offset many thousands of tonnes of CO2 emission annually, and save clients millions of dollars in fossil fuel costs. Sohum is the general manager of Enriva, a leading Australian company providing energy systems for industry. You can contact Sohum Gandhi - email: [email protected] or website: www.enriva.com.au




COMMERCIAL FAST PYROLYSIS – TECHNOLOGY AND AUSTRALIAN MARKETS

Colin StucleyEnecon Pty Ltd, Surrey Hills, Vic, Australia

Fast pyrolysis of biomass to make pyrolysis oil has been a commercial reality overseas for more than twenty years. Dozens of biomass feedstocks have been tested successfully. Several small commercial plants have operated in the USA since the 90’s. Larger plants have been built overseas in the past ten years by at least four different groups. Each year, these pyrolysis plants make many thousands of tonnes of oil for a range of customers.

Commercially demonstrated pyrolysis technologies can be used now to develop bioenergy businesses in Australia. Personnel at Enecon have spent considerable time working to identify realistic local opportunities in Australia, as markets here differ from those overseas. This presentation will discuss commercial opportunities for fast pyrolysis in Australia – now and into the future. It will also address some of the misconceptions (both positive and negative) about the technology.


Colin is a founding director of an Australian engineering company, Enecon Pty Ltd. He holds bachelors and masters degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Melbourne.

Colin has thirty-five years of professional experience in the development and implementation of studies and projects across the bioenergy, agribusiness, oil & gas, and chemicals sectors. Projects have included modifications in oil refineries and on offshore platforms, front end engineering packages for chemical plants, and management of a major sugar industry project overseas.

Enecon has provided services across the bioenergy sector since in 1998. This has included dozens of assignments for clients in government and industry around the country and the broader Pacific region. It has also included the identification, licensing and development of innovative bioenergy technologies. Enecon has shared in multiple awards for its bioenergy work, both in Australia and internationally.




ACHIEVING INVESTMENT READY STATUS AND IMPROVING FUNDING SUCCESS FOR BIOENERGY PROJECTS

Jennifer Lauber PattersonFrontier Carbon Limited, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Many bioenergy projects fail because they cannot attract funding for their projects. They look good on paper to the developer but not so attractive to those providing the money. This presentation looks at what financiers and investors look for when evaluating bioenergy projects. Particular consideration is given to:

• Key opportunity for bioenergy projects in Australia. What are the key technology types that are investable? Why don’t we have more bioenergy in Australia?

• Discuss the key project development elements needed for a bioenergy project to become investment ready (16 key elements). This will provide developers guidance of what are the key items that need to develop before they can get funding.

• An example of a financial model will be demonstrated and key elements that need to be completed.

• What the key risks that need to be managed and how can they be mitigated?

• Discussion on key reasons why developers do not get funding. What the are key lessons to be learnt

• There are number of funding alternatives. There will be a discussion of traditional funding options as well as the more innovative approaches for funding these projects.

• There will be discussion on bioenergy projects and opportunities for community investment.

• Key take aways for gaining success in funding.


Jennifer is the founder and managing director of Frontier Impact Group. She is one of the most influential people in the sustainability and carbon sector, as voted in ABC Carbon’s 100 Global Sustainability Leaders for 2011 and 2012. She is a specialist in environmental, carbon reduction and energy markets with over 25 years of experience in the leading these products in the banking and energy sectors.

Frontier Impact Group that commercialises technology and projects that deliver high social and environmental impact. Frontier’s focus includes Air (greenhouse emissions and air quality); Soil (productive soil & agriculture); Water (clean water and its efficient use) and Energy (renewable energy and energy efficiency).

Ms Lauber Patterson is currently the Chair of Yarra Energy Foundation and non-executive director of Sustainability Victoria . Ms Lauber Patterson is a Certified Practising Accountant and aGraduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and currently sits on the advisory panel for the CPA Ethics and Governance Sub Working Group.



Taldora Room SESSION 3: Bioenergy Developments Sustainability, GHG and Life Cycle Analyses 1400 – 1420

BIOENERGY: IS IT GOOD FOR THE CLIMATE?

Annette L CowieNSW DPI, Armidale, NSW, Australia

Bioenergy is commonly considered to be “carbon neutral” because the carbon that is released during combustion has previously been sequestered from the atmosphere and will be sequestered again as the plants regrow. Under the Kyoto Protocol bioenergy is counted as carbon neutral in the energy sector because carbon stock changes due to harvest of biomass for energy are counted in the land use sector. However, incomplete coverage means that some emissions from bioenergy are overlooked, if forest carbon decreases. Also, asynchrony between emissions and regrowth has led to concerns that bioenergy may not deliver climate benefits in the required time frame. Thus some are expressing doubts about the climate benefits of bioenergy, and current accounting approaches. These concerns generally derive from a narrow perspective, focussed on a single forest stand, a short time frame, and a simplistic forestry model. Instead, quantifications of climate change impacts of forest bioenergy should consider the entire forest landscape and the specific conditions within which the forest bioenergy system operates, long term as well as short term effects and climate policy objectives, interactions between the energy sector and forest industry facilitated by markets and policy instruments, and how forest ecosystems are shaped by biophysical factors such as changing climatic conditions, human actions, and natural disturbances. Bioenergy has an important role in low-carbon energy systems of the future, particularly in achieving a net reduction of CO2 levels in the atmosphere, required to achieve climate stabilisation targets. IEA Bioenergy Task 38 works on methodology for calculation of climate change effects of bioenergy, and contributes to policy development for renewable energy and greenhouse gas accounting.


Annette Cowie is Principal Research Scientist, Climate in NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI). Her expertise and research interests include GHG accounting for the land sector, particularly for soil carbon management, reforestation, wood products, bioenergy and biochar systems, for application in inventory and emissions trading.

Annette leads the International Energy Agency Bioenergy research group Climate Change Effects of Biomass and Bioenergy Systems.




A METHOD AND GUIDANCE FOR UNDERTAKING LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENTS OF BIOENERGY PRODUCTS IN AUSTRALIA

Jonas Bengtsson1, Scott Grierson2, Jacqui Bonnitcha1, Tim Grant3

1. Edge Environment, Manly, NSW, Australia 2. Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), Melbourne 3. Lifecycles, Melbourne

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is an integral element of the Australian Government’s strategy for driving the long-term transformation to a clean energy economy. ARENA was established to make renewable energy solutions more commercially-competitive and to increase their supply in the Australian marketplace. ARENA helps fund and share information about renewable energy projects.

ARENA requires proponents to deliver a life cycle assessment (LCA) report to support of applications for bioenergy and biofuels projects (as per ARENA’s existing Investment Plan. This presentation describes the process and outcomes from the development of a method to support ARENA applicants in undertaking LCA studies of the proposed technologies.

The aim of the LCA method is to:

• Provide bioenergy proponents with insights into the environmental benefits and risks across the full life cycle of the bioenergy product.

• Guide more effective decision-making by providing a ‘level playing field’ benchmark that enables ARENA to compare projects against conventional fuel options.

• Support ‘due diligence’ by ensuring the projects supported by ARENA are able to deliver a net benefit in greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint and energy balance without adverse impacts of other environmental impacts.

• Understand where the innovation gaps/opportunities/‘hot spots’ lie in terms of the technical maturation of novel pathways and approaches.

• Enable knowledge sharing, including to provide a solid basis for communication of project impacts and benefits to the community, to provide analyses with robust comparability to non-biofuel alternatives which are functionally similar, and to provide high quality LCA outputs for independent scrutiny by other LCA experts, academics, NGOs, etc.

The objectives of the method do not include social and socio-economic aspects, this considering the existence of broader ARENA specific and regulatory assessments and mechanisms covering these aspects. The method and guidance is currently being finalised and scheduled for publis release in 2016.


Jonas is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of the sustainability consultancy firm Edge Environment, Vice President of the Australian Life Cycle Assessment Society (ALCAS), and Technical Advisory Group member for Green Star and the Australasian Environmental Product Declaration Programme. His specialties are in life cycle assessment (environment, social and financial), sustainability and environmental ratings tools and products certifications, and climate change adaptation/mitigation. I have experience from a broad range of sectors, including construction, manufacturing, retail, restaurants, agriculture, energy and finance.



Taldora Room SESSION 3: Bioenergy Developments Sustainability, GHG and Life Cycle Analyses 1440 - 1500

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF BIOFUELS IN AUSTRALIA

Tim F GrantLifecycles, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia

The role of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for biofuel and bioenergy systems have assumed new level of importannce for the Australian biofuels industry. There have been three specific developments in the past two years which have brought this aboutn. The first is the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) developiment a guidance for undertaking LCA on biofuels and bioenergy systems and requiring LCA to be applied for any funding application for supporting biofuel and bioenergy projects. The second is the European Union’s requirement a life cycle greenhouse gas calculation on any biofuel being imported to meet the Renewable Energy Directive with a requirement that the fuel be 50% better on a life cycle GHG basis than competing fossil fuel. The third is the Queensland government’s use of LCA as part of sustainability assessement for biofuels being used to meet the biofuel mandate.

With all this activity, the methods for undertaking these studies is comeing under increasing scrutiny. The methods vary depending on the requirement and are evolving with time. This paper reviews recent studies to highlight how the differences in approaches affect the results for current and future biofuels. It highlights where the LCA is most effective in measuring sustanable outcomes and where other metrics and approaches are better placed to do this.


Biography




LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF VARIOUS FOOD WASTE TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES INCLUDING CO-DIGESTION IN TWO AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS

Joel EdwardsRMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are the largest users of anaerobic digestion in Australia with existing expertise, and often underutilised infrastructure. Due largely to rising energy costs and a new circular economy paradigm they have begun looking for new biomass feedstock; adding it to digesters to both increase bioenergy output and provide a new revenue stream. Concurrently, landfill levies, carbon credits and other waste management policy is driving the diversion of municipal food waste (FW) away from landfill, meaning local governments and waste managers are seeking alternative treatment options. Given these two factors many WWTPs have begun trials to explore the technical and operational challenges of co-digesting sewage sludge (SS) and FW.

As AcoD trials progress, it is important to determine whether managing and treating FW through co-digestion has a lesser impact on the environment than other FW management and treatment options currently available. This study, the first of its kind to consider co-digestion, uses a comparative life cycle assessment to determine the environmental impact of a co-digestion waste management system as well as alternative systems based on landfilling, composting and separate FW digestion. The LCA uses two Australian case study local government areas and includes the entire municipal waste management service provision: including collection, transport, pre-treatment, treatment and end use or disposal. Inventory data was obtained and developed using data from water utilities, local government databases, waste treatment companies and data from the Ecoinvent database. Results show that for global warming potential, fossil fuel depletion, abiotic depletion, and acidification, AcoD is the best waste management scenario across both case studies. Centralised composting of FW with GW ranks better than AcoD for ozone layer depletion and eutrophication. Sensitivity analysis is used to test key variables and uncertainty analysis establishes a probabilistic model which is used to validate the deterministic model.


Joel is a third year PhD candidate whose research explores the environmental impact and financial viability of various food waste treatment options including anaerobic co-digestion. Joel believes stridently in recovering and reusing societies ‘waste’ and looks forward to a long career devoted to the establishment of a circular economy. He has a double bachelor degree in Environmental Engineering and International Studies, and has worked previously with environmental sustainability firm Organica in Melbourne, and engineering firm Easen International in Shanghai. Joel’s PhD research works closely with waste management companies, local government and water utilities to conduct a life cycle assessment and life cycle costing of the management and treatment of kerbside collected municipal food waste in two case study Australian local government areas. Joel is also a tutor at RMIT University in the principles of wastewater treatment.




SUSTAINABLE BIO-PLASTIC PRODUCTION THROUGH LANDFILL METHANE RECYCLING

Kirsten Heimann1, Karthigeyan Chidambarampadmavathy1, Obulisamy P Karthikeyan2

1. James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia 2. School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

Plastics have become an indispensable part in our day-to-day life. Environmental implications of these non-biodegradable plastics in landfills and fossil fuel/energy requirements for their production raise major concerns. The versatility of plastics in a multitude of applications makes discontinuation of their production and use highly unlikely. Substitution of fossil fuel-derived plastics with biodegradable plastics is the best alternative, as they are environmental friendly, have great recycling potential, and can be produced using renewable resources such as waste materials, methane (CH4) and simple carbon sources. Whilst biodegradable plastics are eco-friendly, they pose a risk of emitting CH4 under anaerobic conditions in landfills. As a cradle-to-cradle approach, landfill CH4 could be effectively used for the production of raw materials by methanotrophs to render biodegradable plastics. We present a case study based on Australian landfill CH4 emissions on methanotroph production of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a biodegradable plastic. The results suggest that this approach to biodegradable plastic production can be economically viable and price competitive to synthetic plastics. In this case study, landfills were sized into small, medium and large (5,000, 35,000 and 230,000 tonnes of waste per year, respectively). In small landfills, 162 tonnes of CH4 can be recovered to produce 71 tonnes of PHB per year, whilst in large landfills 7,480 tonnes of CH4 can be recovered to produce 3,252 tonnes of PHB. The cost of PHB production can be reduced to 1.5 – 2.0 AUD meeting the market value of synthetic plastic by increasing production volumes through building a centralised extraction and refinement facility suitable for large metropolitan cities.


Kirsten Heimann established and is the director of the North Queensland Algal Identification/Culturing Facility at James Cook University, Townsville, Australia and initiated and built the AMCRC microalgal carbon capture and leads the methane bioremediation project at JCU. The biomass is used for commercial algal co-products. Heimann received competitive research funding of more than $16 million. She has published extensively in high ranking journals including Nature. Her research has won many awards, the NQ Corporate Business Women Award 2011 being the latest. She is the Vice-President of ASPAB (http://www.aspab.org/), Associate Editor of Botanica Marina, and has served on the Science and Education Committee of the Advanced Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (AMCRC) and the Tarong Science Steering Committee for Microalgae GHG emission abatement at coal-fired power stations.



Chelsea Room SESSION 4: Bioenergy Developments Feedstocks and Upgrading 1600 – 1620

EFFECT OF ALKALINE AND HYDROTHERMAL PRETREATMENT ON CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL COMPOSITION, AND METHANE YIELDS OF SUGARCANE BAGASSE AND TRASH

Prasad Kaparaju1, Jin M Triolo2, Claus Felby3 1. Griffith School of Engineering, Griffith University, Brisbane 4111, QLD, Australia

2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology and Environmental Technology , University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark

3. Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Univerity of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark

The effect of alkaline (sodium hydroxide 4%) and hydrothermal pretreatments (165 °C for 20 min) on chemical and physical composition and methane potential of sugarcane bagasse and trash was investigated to understand the relationships between these parameters and their influence on methane yields. Chemical analyses revealed that untreated sugarcane bagasse had total solids (TS) content of 52% and volatile solids (VS) of 49%. The corresponding values for sugarcane trash were 29% and 25%, respectively. Alkaline pretreatment resulted in VS loss by 8% and 4% for sugarcane bagasse and trash, respectively. The corresponding loss in VS for hydrothermal pretreatment was 7%, respectively. FTIR analyses revealed that pretreated biomass had higher crystallinity index (CI) than untreated biomass indicating modification of the pretreated biomass composition. Both pretreatments resulted in lower hemicellulose (1740 cm-1) and lignin contents (peaks at 1511 cm-1 to 1590 cm-1) and especially in alkaline pretreated samples indicating solubilisation of hemicellulose and lignin fraction. Morphological analysis of the untreated and pretreated biomass by scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that the pretreated biomass had more disorganized structure than untreated biomass. The degree of solubilisation of lignin and hemicellulose was much higher in sugar cane trash than bagasse samples. Alkaline pretreatment had profound influence on the structure than hydrothermal pretreatment. Biochemical methane potential analyses at 37°C indicated that the studied pretreatments improved the methane yields. For sugarcane trash, methane yields were increased by 37% (300±96 ml/gVSadded original) with alkaline pretreatment and 11.5% with hydrothermal pretreatment (243±67 ml/gVSadded original). The corresponding values for sugarcane bagasse were 17.4% (222±43 ml/gVSadded original) and 7.9% (204±28 ml/gVSadded original), respectively. Thus, alkaline pretreatment was found superior than hydrothermal pretreatment. Both pretreatments had greater impact on sugarcane trash than sugarcane bagasse.


Dr Prasad Kaparaju is working as Lecturer, Environmental Engineering (Renewable Energy) at the Griffith School of Engineering, Griffith University. He has 13 years of post-doctoral research experience in anaerobic digestion, biomass conversion technologies (biogas, biohydrogen and bioethanol), biomass pretreatment and characterisation and environmental technology. Dr Kaparaju has previously worked as Assoc. prof. at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland, as Assistant Professor at Technical University of Denmark, Assistant Prof. at the University of Copenhagen and also as Visiting Scientist at LBE-INRA, France. He has published more than 35 research papers and 2 book chapters. He is currently Chief Investigator in Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) project “Integration of biogas from sugarcane residues in the sugar milling industry to reduce fossil fuel usage” (2016-18). Previously, he worked as Chief Investigator in the EU 7th framework program project: Valorisation of foodwaste for biogas production (VALORGAS, Grant Agreement No: 241334) during 2011-2013.




THE PROMISE OF CRISPR-CAS9 GENOME EDITING FOR BIOPRODUCTS AND BIOFUELS

Susan M PondFaculty of Engineering & Information Technologies, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Genome editing is the process of making targeted modifications to the genome or its transcripts. This presentation will cover the potential to use the genome editing tools known as Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPRs) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins in the fields of agriculture, industrial biotechnology and bioenergy. Applications include: lignin bioengineering; rapid development of industrially relevant strains of yeast and other production hosts; and genome modification of energy crops such as poplar, soybean, sorghum, maize, switchgrass and sugar cane. Consideration will then be given to the medical, legal, ethical and policy discussions that are required to ensure responsible uses of this technology.


Dr Susan Pond AM, FTSE FAHMS, an experienced leader in industry and academia, recognised for major national and international contributions in biotechnology, renewable energy and sustainability. Dr Pond is Adjunct Professor in Engineering and Information Technologies at the University of Sydney, Director of Biotron Limited, Vectus Biosystems Limited and Engineering Sydney, and Chairman of the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology.




MID SIZE PELLET PRODUCTION FACILITY - KEY FACTORS FOR DRIVING A POSITIVE ROI

Tony Esplin, Kari Esplin Recycling Technologies Group P/L, Eden, NSW, Australia

Small to mid size pellet lines are between 200kg / hr to 1500kg / hr production facilities. There exists in Australia opportunity to capitalise on decentralised production of wood waste generated from sawmills, window and door manufacturers and other wood waste producers. A geographically diverse supply source of pellets can deliver transport advantages to regionally based pellet producers servicing these areas. However, there are some important factors to consider to enable a low volume producer(comparitively) to remain viable against larger lower cost volume prodcuers. Key amongst these is synergy between an existing business and a new pellet manufacturing function - it needs to be a “bolt on” business opportunity. Equipment selection specifications suitable for the raw material type is key. Die thickness, hammermill screen size and raw material moisture content monitoring, amongst others, are all explored in detail to enable potential investors to make informed choices.

We will also touch on the developing market demand of pellet fuel for domestic pellet heaters. What market drivers are important to access the consumers who buy pellets for fuel? What do they look for? Where are they located? What is the outlook?


Tony Esplin is a co-owner of Recycling Technologies Group P/L and has been working with biomass waste streams from sawmills and other producers for over 20 years. As an equipment manufacturer and equipment provider Tony has installed many production systems around Australia. The most recent project is a pellet production line based in Eden, NSW where they process dried hardwood offcuts and shavings from the local sawmill and supply them to the rapidly growing pellet heater market. He travels to Europe and the Americas regularly to keep abreast of evolving technology from overseas suppliers and has an extensive network of industry contacts worldwide to draw upon.




MICROWAVE ASSISTED REMOVAL OF LIGNIN AND XYLAN FROM EUCALYPTUS

Negin Amini, Victoria Haritos, Akshat Tanksale Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

Production of biofuels from lignocellulose is essential to reduce the impact global warming caused by petroleum combustion. However pre-treatment of lignocellulose is necessary to remove lignin, which is a cross-linked aromatic polymer protecting the sugars. However, due to the recalcitrance of lignocellulose pre-treatment step can cost as much as 40% of the bio-ethanol production (Banerjee et al. 2010).The emphasis of this study was to use a mild approach which is cost effective and environmentally benign and which can release a large portion of the sugars via enzymatic hydrolysis. Microwave irradiation of Eucalyptus regnans sawdust in water was investigated in this study. This novel method was also compared against the conventional liquid hot water treatment to determine the effectiveness of the microwave method. It was found that after 30 minute microwave irradiation 112 mg of total sugars was released per gram of dry biomass, which is 21% of the available sugars. This result was four fold better than the conventional liquid hot water treatment. SEM images showed formation of enzyme inhibiting lignin complexes on the surface of the pre-treated fibres for both methods. Enzymatic hydrolysis using Trichoderma reesei supplemented with β-glucosidases released 36% of total sugars using a combination of 30 minute microwave pre-treatment and enzymatic treatment. This is significantly better than the control run (no pre-treatment) which released only 1%sugars and the liquid hot water treatment which released only 6% sugars.


Negin Amini completed her undergraduate double degree at RMIT University in Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry. The following year she obtained a Masters in Engineering Project Management from The University of Melbourne while simultaneously working in the chemical safety industry. She began her PhD at Monash University in 2014 and is working under the supervision of Dr Akshat Tanksale and Associate Prof. Victoria Haritos on the project Microwave assisted pre-treatment and conversion of lignocellulosic biomass.




BURNING FOR THE UNLOVED: ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF FOREST BIOMASS FROM NATURAL DISTURBANCE FOR BIOENERGY

Mathieu Béland1, Evelyne Thiffault1, Warren Mabee2 1. Wood and forest science department, Laval University, Quebec, Canada 2. Geography and Planning, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

In Canada, natural disturbances (mainly forest fire and insect epidemics) have always played an important role in forest landscapes. Typically, after the disturbance only trees and stands with enough value for conventional forest products i.e. lumber and pulp and papers products, are harvested. Adding bioenergy to the basket of products might allow reaching profitability of the typically unharvested trees and stands. A case study scenario is made, where stands are affected by an insect outbreak (Spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana Clemens). An economic evaluation is made to assess the potential of woods from natural disturbed to be used for bioenergy purposes. Two different evaluations are made. First, the profitability of theoretical stands is evaluated, to understand the role of each variable on the total profitability. Second, real stands will be analyzed, to assess how bioenergy might affect profitability in real life scenarios. The methodology involves the software FPInterface, which calculates the harvesting costs based on the available literature and on the field conditions. Preliminary results show that the productivity of harvesters in disturbed stands might be up to 25% less productive. The mean stem volume is also of great importance since a drop (from 0,12 m3 per stem to 0,9 m3 per stem) might affect the whole profitability of the system by up to 60%. The next step of the study is to integrate different bioenergy products i.e. wood pellets and cellulosic ethanol, to the real life scenario. This will allow a comparison how the different scenarios will affect the profitability of the system.


Mathieu received his bachelor degree from the faculty of forestry at Laval University. He distinguished himself numerous times during undergrad studies by receiving four merit scholarships. During his degree, Mathieu also completed three internships within the forestry industry. Mathieu also presented two posters and an oral presentation at the Advanced Biofuels Symposium, during the 2015 and 2016 editions.




THE INFLUENCE OF PRETREATMENT OF WOODY AND STRAMINEOUS BIOMASS ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF TRACE ELEMENTS DURING THERMOCHEMICAL CONVERSION

Joanne Tanner1, Thomas Winters2, Marc Bläsing2, Michael Müller2 1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia 2. Division of Thermochemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany

Co-combustion and co-gasification of biomass with coal are near term options for reducing CO2 emissions from power generation. Co-feeding allows biomass to be used in larger, more efficient plants and mitigates problems regarding transport distance and feedstock intermittence. However, biomass utilisation increases process control requirements (e.g., fuel blend control) and gasifier and combustor design complexity, since the fuel characteristics of biomass are very different from those of coal (e.g., elemental composition, type of bonding of inorganic matter, and behaviour of the organic matter). Hence, pre-treatment techniques are under development to overcome such issues and generate a coal-like fuel from sustainable biomass sources for use in commercial power plants.

This study presents a comparison between torrefaction and hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) of woody and stramineous biomass samples, including fuel product properties and the fate of inorganic species. The main objective of the project is to enhance the scientific understanding of the underlying reactions and the relationship between the reactions and the process conditions. This investigation also provides reference data pertinent to a larger body of research into substantial beneficial modifications of the two chosen thermochemical processes.

Woody and stramineous biomass samples were subjected to lab-scale torrefaction and HTC experiments at 200, 250 and 300 °C. The coal-like solid products were characterised using standard fuel property evaluation methods, including ultimate composition (CHNS) and heating value. Fixed bed gasification and combustion experiments using the pretreatment products were performed at 1400 °C. Hot exhaust gases were analysed online via Molecular Beam Mass Spectrometry (MBMS). Species detected included 34H2S+, 36HCl+, 39K+, 64SO2+, and 74KCl+. After quantification of the data, the release behaviour was correlated to the fuel composition, taking into account the overall composition and type of bonding of inorganic constituents. The industrial relevance of the results was also examined.


Dr Joanne Tanner completed her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and chemical engineering at Monash University in 2008. She went on to gain industry experience in control systems design and configuration during her role at Honeywell, and subsequently managed and implemented client-driven chemical engineering research projects at laboratory, pilot and scale with HRL Technology. She returned to Monash as a doctoral candidate in 2012 and was recently awarded a PhD in the area of high temperature, entrained flow coal gasification. During her candidature, she designed and demonstrated a fit-for-purpose entrained flow reactor and established a new collaboration with the Institute of Energy and Climate Research, IEK-2, at Forschungszentrum Jülich. Dr Tanner’s current research interests include waste biomass utilisation for sustainable fuel and chemicals production, and closed loop recycling of waste plastics.



Glanworth Room SESSION 4: Bioenergy Developments Pyrolysis and HTL 1600 – 1620

PYROLYSIS OIL LEAPS FORWARD- AN EXCELLENT OPTION FOR AUSTRALIA

Douglas BradleyClimate Change Solutions, Ottawa, ON, Canada

Climate Change issues are moving forward in Australia. Biomass owners are examining development options that reduce GHG emissions while turning a profit, but bioenergy options require long term commitment of biomass so it is important to determine the best, most flexible option from the outset. Insitu options can be good, but are at risk to increasing cost or decreasing volume of biomass.

Transportable biomass from modular, moveable plants offer flexibility and low risk. Wood pellet options have been attempted in the past, but distance from markets and new competitive sources such as Vietnam have taken the gloss from the pellet option. Compelling choices for Australia are super dense products such as black pellets and pyrolysis oil. Pyrolysis oil is twice as energy dense as wood pellets, has a wider market than pellets, and can be used in a growing local market to reduce GHG emissions while allowing for exports to offshore markets. The investments are lucrative.

This presentation will examine leaps forward made in pyrolysis oil in the last year. Ensyn, the longest running pyrolysis oil company, announced the world’s largest pyrolysis plant in Port Cartier Quebec, now under construction. The presentation will examine Ensyn technology and local and export markets planned for this plant. Cognizant of pyrolysis oil as a burgeoning GHG solution, the World Bioenergy Association is holding pyrolysis oil workshops in Rotterdam and Japan, where stakeholders can find out about technologies and markets. This presentation will look at new markets in both Europe and Japan, and some of the drivers that make it happen. Finally, the presentation will examine the rates of return that might be achieved with a combined development and export strategy for Australian sites.


Doug led strategic planning in a $billion Canadian forestry company 1990-2002, then started Climate Change Solutions, a consulting firm focused on biomass development with clients in Canada, Europe, US and Australia. He has delivered presentations at conferences worldwide.

In 2007-13 he was part-time President- Canadian Bioenergy Association growing revenues 700%, tripling corporate memberships, and leading 16 Canadian missions to Europe & Asia. These missions vaulted community biomass heat in Canada from 12 installations in 2007 to 150 by 2014. He was Canada’s representative on IEA Tasks 25, 38 and 40, where he authored studies on European Pyrolysis Oil Markets, and Low-cost Long Distance Supply Chains. He now consults full time in biomass market assessments, biomass cost and availability, and investment evaluation.

He is on the World Bioenergy Association Board. He has an Honours degree in Mathematics from Queens University & an MBA from the University of Western Ontario.



Glanworth Room SESSION 4: Bioenergy Developments Pyrolysis and HTL 1620 - 1640

HYDROTHERMAL LIQUEFACTION - NEW PARADIGM FOR SUSTAINABLE BIOENERGY

Corinne DrennanPacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA

Significant advances have been made in the field of hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) since 2010. These advances have opened the door for wet feedstocks such as brewery, winery and distillation bottoms, whole algae, and even sewage sludge to be converted into renewable liquid fuels. HTL processing of wet feedstocks results in a biocrude comprising organic molecules, along with some oxygen and very little water (relative to fast pyrolysis bio oils). The thermally stable biocrude is readily upgraded to hydrocarbons using conventional hydrodeoxygenation catalysts. A unique feature of HTL is that most of the ‘rejected’ carbon is captive in an aqueous product; where it may be recovered as co-products. Further, the resulting solids phase may be digested to recover nutrients, such as phosphorus. This talk will walk through these recent advances and take a look at biocrudes, and the resulting hydrocarbons as a function of these ‘new’ wet feedstocks.


Corinne Drennan is responsible for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s research portfolio on biofuels, products and energy. This portfolio includes sustainable utilization of marine, terrestrial, and waste biomass for fuels and chemicals via thermal, biological, and catalytic conversion. It also includes GIS-based resource availability analysis, TEA/LCA, algal growth parameterization and modeling, and sustainability analysis (GCAM).

Prior to her current assignment, Ms. Drennan’s research focus was on process development and techo-economic analysis for gasification systems (coal and biomass), fast pyrolysis and bio oil upgrading, municipal solid waste to liquid fuels, and CO2 capture systems.

Corinne received her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from University of California, Riverside with a concentration in heterogeneous catalysis. She also holds a Master of Science degree in Chemical and Environmental Engineering, also from UC Riverside. Additionally, she is currently pursuing her Master of Business Administration from Washington State University.




HYDROTHERMAL PROCESSING OF DIFFERENT COMPONENTS OF MALLEE BIOMASS IN HOT-COMPRESSED WATER

Gelareh Nazeri, Sui Boon Liaw, Yun Yu, Hongwei Wu Department of Chemical Engineering, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia

*This paper was subject to peer review.

Hydrothermal processing is a key process to convert second-generation biomass feedstock such as mallee into sugar products as the intermediates for producing liquid fuels or green chemicals. Different components of biomass (e.g., wood, leaf and bark) can have significantly different behaviour during hydrothermal processing. This study reports the decomposition behaviour of various sugar components (e.g., arabinan, galactan, xylan, glucan) and the leaching of inorganic species (Mg and Ca) from mallee wood, leaf and bark during hydrothermal processing in a semi-flow reactor at 100 – 270 °C. The decomposition of arabinan and galactan can start at a temperature as low as 100 °C, while xylan and glucan decompose at higher temperatures of 150 and 230 °C, respectively. It is observed that arabinan and galactan in leaf and bark decompose more rapidly at a lower temperature (<150 °C) compared to those in wood, possibly due to difference in the hemicellulose structure between these components. However, no significant difference is observed for xylan. More than 80% of arabinose, galactose and xylose can be recovered from hydrothermal processing of wood, leaf and bark at temperatures >230 °C, while the glucose recovery is much lower. For example, the highest glucose recovery (achieved at 270 °C) is ~30% for leaf, ~45% for bark and ~62% for wood. Experiment data also demonstrate that the water-insoluble Mg in leaf and bark can be rapidly leached at temperatures <150 °C compared to Mg in wood. Similar to wood, the leaching of Ca from leaf and bark at low temperatures (<150 °C) remained slow.


Dr Sui Boon Liaw received his B.Eng. (Hons.) and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering from Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia in 2010 and 2015. In early 2016, he joined the Department of Chemical Engineering at Curtin University as a post-doctoral research fellow. His research interests include hydrothermal processing of biomass, gasification, biochar for carbon sequestration and nutrient recycling and particulate matter emission from biomass combustion.




OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF A NOVEL BIOMASS GASIFICATION REACTOR FOR CONVERTING LUMP BIOMATERIALS INTO RENEWABLE SYNGAS

Denis Doucet, Greg Perkins, Grant BollaertWildfire Energy, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Biomass gasification is a promising method for converting organic bio-materials, such as wood chips, wood wastes, pulp and paper residues and others into synthesis gas for use in renewable energy production. However, conventional biomass gasifiers are generally scaled-down versions of petrochemical reactors with the disadvantage that they are capital intensive. The economics of biomass gasification are further exacerbated by the low heating value of the feedstock, the need to dry and size the feed and the need to remove tar from the syngas in many designs.

We have developed a new and novel reactor for biomass gasification which aims to address many of the disadvantages of conventional designs. In this gasifier concept, lump biomass without pre-treatment is loaded via dump truck directly into a large rectangular lined vessel, forming a bed of material. Oxidant is injected locally from the bottom of the reactor and swept through the bed converting all of the biomass fully into syngas. In a commercial project several reactors would be operated in semi-batch mode to ensure continuous production of syngas. The major advantages of this concept are simple and low cost reactor design, elimination of pre-treatment and sizing and reduced handling of the feedstock.

In this paper we present our pilot plant design and results from operating this novel reactor concept, converting up to 0.5 tpd of biomass feedstock. Typical performance of the gasifier is provided, including syngas compositions and tar concentration in the product gas. The paper will describe our plans a demonstration plant and the development of commercial scale facilities capable of producing 1 to 3 MWe from each reactor set. Economic feasibility of our new biomass gasification concept will be briefly presented.


Mr Denis Doucet is a qualified mechanical engineer with broad experience in oil & gas and power generation industries and many years experience in developing gasification technology and syngas to power projects.




GRINDING PYROLYSIS - DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL TECHNOLOGY

MD Mahmudul Hasan, Xiao Shan Wang, Bin Li, Lei Zhang, Daniel Mourant, Richard Gunawan, Chunlong Yu, Sri Kadarwati, Mortaza Gholizadeh, Hongwei Wu, Chun-Zhu Li Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia

Pyrolysis is one of the thermochemical conversion routes to produce liquid crude oil from renewable sources. Pyrolysis has received major research attention around the world in the last few decades. Many different technologies such as fluidised-bed pyrolysis, ablative pyrolysis, rotating cone reactor, auger pyrolysis, and vacuum pyrolysis have been developed over the years. Despite intensive research and development efforts, commercialisation has been slow due to many constraints. Aiming to address some practical issues hindering the commercialisation of many of the available pyrolysis technologies, a novel technology called grinding pyrolysis has been developed. This novel technology has the potential to significantly reduce or even eliminate the need of biomass pulverisation, significantly improve the heat and mass transfer characteristics in a large pyrolysing particle, eliminate the requirement of large quantities of fluidising or carrier gas, thus the need for extensive cooling and capable of producing clean products. A pilot plant with a feeding capacity of 15 kg/hr has been built and tested to prove the concept of this new technology. Upon proving the concept, a demonstration plant of 100 kg/hr has been built and currently under investigation.


Mahmudul Hasan did his bachelor in chemical engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in Bangladesh. He has worked as a professional chemical engineer for more than three years after finishing his bachelor. He then moved to Perth, Australia to do his PhD in chemical engineering at Curtin University. I Mahmudul Hasan has started working as a research associate at Curtin University after finishing his PhD.




OPTIMISING PYROLYSIS CONDITIONS FOR THERMAL CONVERSION OF BEAUTY LEAF TREE (CALOPHYLLUM INOPHYLLUM L.) PRESS CAKE

Nanjappa Ashwath1, Hyungseok Nam2, Sergio C. Capareda2 1. School of Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton,

Queensland, Australia

2. Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department, Texas A&M University (TAMU), College Station, Texas, USA

Beauty leaf tree(BLT) has been recognised as one of the potential species for biodiesel production in the tropics, as it can thrive well in degraded soils and produces up to 3800 litres of non-edible oil that can be readily converted into biodiesel. Biodiesel production from BLT also generates wastes such as the husk, press cake and glycerol. The husk and the press cake will make up to 70% of the fruit biomass and hence they could be used as feedstocks for producing other forms of biofuels to generate additional income. The current study tested thermal conversion of BLT press cake using a batch reactor. The oven dried press cake was exposed to 300, 400 or 500 °C for 30, 60 or 90 minutes, with three replications. The results demonstrate that up to 93% of the energy contained in the BLT press cake can be recovered as biochar, bio-oil, bioliquor and syngas. The results also show that the temperature had significant effect whereas the residence time a marginal influence on the products.

The proportion of the biochar decreased with an increase in temperature, whereas the bio-oil and syngas yields increased with a rise in temperature. The residence time had varying effects on the yields of pyrolysis products and longer exposures increased yield losses from pyrolysis, particularly at 500 °C. It is therefore concluded that pyrolysis of BLT press cake at 500 °C for 30 minutes is optimal, as it yielded maximum products with limited energy loss. The results also show that the additional products (biochar, bio-oil) from BLT press cake can make a significant contribution to the economic viability of BLT biodiesel production. It is suggested that the use of a portable and continuous feeding auger reactor could be devised to convert BLT whole fruits, press cake or husks into biofuels.


A/Professor Nanjappa Ashwath has been working on Australian plants for more than 30 years with a focus on selection of suitable species for use in revegetation of degraded lands. He is currently focussing his research on the use of native plants for biofuel production. He has screened up to 200 species and genotypes for biofuel production and shortlisted the ones that are suitable for commercial use. He has undertaken intensive studies on two species, viz calophyllum for biodiesel production, and the other Agave tequilana for bioethanol production. He has also extended the biofuel studies to thermal conversion of biomass into bioenergy through pyrolysis and gasification. He has supervised more than 30 post-graduate students and published over 200 research articles in journal and conference proceedings. He is also a recipient of Vice Chancellors award for research and Rotary international university fellowship for promoting the use of native plants in developing countries.



Hopewell Room SESSION 4: Bioenergy Developments Biogas 1600 – 1620

TRANSPORTATION OF BIOMASS WITH HYDRAULIC DRIVEN PISTON PUMPS TO GET ENERGY FROM WASTE

Peter PeschkenPutzmeister Solid Pumps GmbH, Aichtal, BADEN-WüRTTEMBERG, Germany

Nowadays the treatment of biomass to produce methane gas for energy production is becoming increasingly popular due to environmental reasons and the costs of primary energy.

As a result, the processing of biomass for the production of methane gas is becoming appreciably more important in energy production. There is also an increasing range of biomass sources such as corn, wooden chips, animal excrements like chicken manure or food waste that can be treated as a liquid as well as bulky with piston pumps. In case the biomass contains foreign bodies like knives, plastic or stones up to 2/3rd of the pipeline diameter are no problem for the pump transport.

This presentation will show you a number of processes available for producing methan out of biomass and the use of piston pumps in those processes to achieve an economic, safe and clean process with less odour.

By describing the following plants we show the detailed processes of using biomass:

• Renewable energy (NaWARo) at Jäger & Walz in Germany

• Green household residue at a. OWS – Dranco process in Leonberg Germany b. Valorga process in Hannover

• Food waste and food with expired storage time at Kössen in Austria

• Using animal excrement as an energy source at Rückert in Köthen in Germany


Peter completed his Dipl. Ing. degree in Mining Engineering in 1991 at the University of Aachen, Germany. He joined Putzmeister in 1991 and has provided pump solutions worldwide for the Mining and Industrial Industry over the last 25 years.




AURORA WASTE TO ENERGY FACILITY

David Leinster1, Harro Brons2 1. Aquatec Maxcon, Ipswitch, QLD, Australia 2. Weltec Bio-Power, Vechta, Germany

Many wastewater treatment plants in Australia produce biogas, which in turn is used to create energy, either directly from the wastewater in industrial applications or from anaerobic digestion of the primary and/or secondary sludge. Many water authorities, such as Yarra Valley Water (YVW) have a desire for sustainable organic waste management however the venture needs to be commercially viable. Over the last four years, Aquatec Maxcon have worked with YVW on preparing a bankable business case for organic substrates source in the north of Melbourne and designing a facility which can treat up to 100 Tonnes per day. This Waste to Energy facility is co-located next to the Aurora wastewater treatment plant, operating as a separate entity from the YVW business. The waste to energy facility is designed to produce excess gas and electricity for the facility and to power the Aurora sewage treatment plant.

YVW in Victoria are leading the way in Australia in this area, managing to overcome a number of barriers to implement this facility including returns on investment, regulatory and operational risks.

There are various processes available for anaerobic digestion either in large tanks (digesters), or via lower-energy passive covered-lagoon systems. The most commonly utilised and available technologies for digestion of high strength organic waste is mesophilic single stage digestion which has a lower risk of process failure and typically has a lower Capital and Operating cost due to its simplicity.

This particular anaerobic technology converts high strength organic waste into biogas and a pasteurised digestate stream in a single step. The substrates are processed through a solids loading system which consists of concrete bays, feeding hoppers, conveyers, a liquid receival station and associated holding tanks. The waste streams are then blended in a multi-mix to allow constant and controlled feed into the two anaerobic digesters.


David is a chemical engineer with 15 years’ experience in design and construction of anaerobic wastewater treatment and bioenergy projects. Based in Brisbane, David manages the Industrial Water division of Aquatec Maxcon; Australia’s largest water, wastewater and bioenergy technology provider. David works in both the commercial and technical space from feasibility and conceptual design through to final commissioning and operations. David has worked on projects in Australia, the pacific, Europe and South East Asia and in a range of industries from municipal water and wastewater, food and beverage, pulp and paper, mining and dedicated waste to energy facilities.



Hopewell Room SESSION 4: Bioenergy Developments Biogas 1640 - 1700

REVOLUTIONISING THE BIOGAS INDUSTRY

Ari KetolaDuctor Corporation, Singapore

Ductor Corporation of Helsinki, Finland was formed to address three major challenges associated with global food production. The first challenge is the growing population that needs more food to feed 9 billion people by 2050. Today we are able to feed the planet if all nutrients are shared. Tomorrow this will change. Second challenge is the growing number of energy crops that are competing with food production and raising the price of food. The third and biggest challenge is climate change itself. As such, we need to simultaneously fix all these major issues to secure global food production for generations to come.

With this in mind Ductor has developed the first system in the world that is truly economically viable and serves true circular economy. Its unique technology not only ensures the recirculating energy and high value nutrients; N, P and K; back to the environment, it also gives strategic advantage to increase food production. Production of animal proteins such as poultry can be increased and at the same time eliminate the environmental load from manure. Crop cultivation doesn’t need any more fossil based fertilizers for food and feed production. Biomasses like manure will not pollute any more our water systems and the impact of methane to the atmosphere will be minimized as emissions from manure is a large source of GHG emissions.

Ductor started its commercialization from Germany last year and this year they are expanding to North America, South East Asia and Oceania region to revolutionize biogas industry globally.


Ari is an entrepreneur, with start ups going back to 1992. In his early career he had several different jobs in sales. He then progressed to managerial jobs in sales and learning managerial skills with most interesting customers and people. He became a permanent entrepreneur in 1997 with Esprit de Corp. Esprit was recovering from near almost bankruptcy at that time with a poor market reputation. Ari took the challenge to fix Finnish, Baltic and Russian markets for building distribution channels resulting after a few years of almost 7 % market share for the whole fashion market in the region. This was world record of all times.

Ari establish Ductor Corp with his business partner Mr Veikko Latvala in 2009. They have since developed their technology to biologically produce ammonia and phosphates from organic waste. This technology is revolutionizing the biogas industry globally, starting from Germany.

He is currently in the process of ramping up Ductor Global sales and the organization. They have just established new subsidiaries with local Presidents to Germany, USA and soon Singapore.

His background is in leadership having led mid and large size companies, start up companies, strategic planning and management, leading R&D and innovation, sales and transforming businesses.




UPDATE ON BIOGAS USE AT AUSTRALIAN PIGGERIES AND RECENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Stephan Tait1, Alan G Skerman2 1. The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia 2. Agri-Science Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Toowoomba Queensland

In excess of 13% of total pork production in Australia is sourced from farms that are now capturing biogas from manure treatment. The main drivers have been energy costs, odour reduction and greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Recent Life Cycle Analysis by others has shown a strong potential to reduce carbon emissions across the pork supply chain by simply capturing and burning biogas. This presentation will give an up-to-date status report of biogas use in the Australian pork sector. The talk will also provide a brief overview of important recent research and development that fosters biogas uptake in the pork sector, including highly effective yet low-cost options for cleaning hydrogen sulphide from biogas for use on-farm at a piggery, and innovative low-cost combined heat and power set-ups that allow the use of biogas energy on-farm at a piggery. This has involved controlled laboratory and real on-farm testing at Australian piggeries, and has shown very promising results.


Alan Skerman worked as a water and irrigation engineer before moving into the DPI Feedlot Services group in 1994, where he provided technical direction for the assessment of cattle feedlot and piggery developments. Since 2001, he established a dairy environmental extension service and has led several research projects focusing on improved piggery effluent management and model development. From 2009, he led three Australian Methane to Markets in Agriculture projects investigating the collection, treatment and use of biogas from a covered anaerobic lagoon at a commercial piggery. With funding support from the Pork CRC, he recently completed a Masters research project, through the University of Queensland, evaluating and developing practical, cost-effective biogas treatment technologies, suitable for adoption by the Australian pork industry. He is also currently providing technical support to pork producers and biogas industry service providers under the Pork CRC Bioenergy Support Program.




THE ECONOMICS OF BIOGAS PLANT MAINTENANCE AND OPTIMISATION WORKS

Jason HawleyFinn Biogas, Toowong, QLD, Australia

Understanding the economics of maintenance and optimisation works are critical in maximising return on investment for on-farm biogas plants, and is often overlooked by operators.

The presented material compares the relative commercial merits when performing scheduled or reactive maintenance from an asset management perspective; along with discussing the economics of plant optimisation works. It describes the model of reliability centred maintenance and identifies failure modes that impact biogas plant performance. It aims to quantify the importance of having a plant maintenance and optimisation strategy in place, and describes steps that can be taken to viably optimise plant performance.


Jason Hawley is the Engineering Director at Finn Biogas, and a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng), who has designed and worked on biogas plants throughout Australia, Asia, and Central America.



SESSION 4: Bioenergy Developments Biogas Hopewell Room 1740 – 1800

THE INTEGRATION OF ANAEROBIC DIGESTION AND INTERMEDIATE PYROLYSIS TO MAXIMISE THE ENERGY RECOVERY FROM THE ORGANIC FRACTION OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE

Marie Kirby1, Robert Wilkinson1, Andreas Apfelbacher2, Andreas Hornung2, Michael Theodorou1 1. Animal Production, Welfare and Veterinary Sciences, Harper Adams University, Newport,

Shropshire, United Kingdom

2. Renewable Energy, Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT, Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Bavaria, Germany

In the UK, approximately 26.8 million tonnes of household municipal solid waste (MSW) was generated in 2014, representing 14% of the total waste. The recyclable and combustible fractions are separated from the residual/organic fraction of MSW (OFMSW), which is typically landfilled or anaerobically digested. The OFMSW contains particles.

Intermediate pyrolysis is a thermo-chemical process that converts the organic and non-organic materials of OFMSW into biochar, pyrolysis oil, water and gaseous fractions. Following pyrolysis, some pyrolysed fractions can be anaerobically digested, as recalcitrant materials (plastic and paper) have been converted to shorter-chain molecules in liquids (oil and water fractions). The longer-chain molecules of the organic material such as lignin, are converted to shorter-chain molecules which are now digestible by AD.

This project investigates the integration of AD and pyrolysis to increase the net energy yield which can be obtained from processing the OFMSW. The project will determine whether the net energy yield obtained through integration of AD and pyrolysis is greater than current disposal methods. The project also examines the social and regulatory aspects of this new technology and its potential deployment.

The research presented will focus on the suitability of using AD to recover energy from the pyrolysis water fraction. The OFMSW was pyrolysed under four different processing conditions, to determine the effect this has on the composition of the pyrolysis fractions. Pyrolysis was undertaking using the Fraunhofer Thermo-Catalytic Reformer. Pyrolysis waters were digested using biochemical methane potential assays in a range of different scenarios, to determine the biogas yield, biogas composition and process stability.


Dr Marie Kirby is a Post-doctoral Research Associate in the Agricultural Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems (ACSES) at Harper Adams University, England. ACSES undertakes a range of research projects focused around sustainable energy production, typically using anaerobic digestion (AD) and pyrolysis, whilst considering the social-economics of these approaches. Dr Kirby’s core research activities centralise around the integration of AD and intermediate pyrolysis. By combining these different biological and thermo-chemical techniques a wide range of resources, for example the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes and agricultural wastes and by-products, can be converted into energy sources for further use. Marie is also interested in working with commerce to develop new technology and methods to increase revenue for the farming and AD industries. For example, her PhD was associated with the development of a novel process for on-farm bio-reduction and disposal of pig carcasses by AD.



Taldora Room SESSION 4: Bioenergy Developments Algae 1600 – 1620

IEA BIOENERGY REVIEW ON THE STATE OF TECHNOLOGY OF ALGAL BIOFUELS

James D. (Jim) McMillan National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA

One of the activities of IEA Bioenergy Task 39 is to commission state-of-the-art reports on important and relevant liquid biofuels technology topics. In August 2010 the Task released a report, titled Current Status and Potential for Algal Biofuels Production, which examined the technical and economic feasibility of generating algal biomass for large scale production of liquid biofuels. The 2015 review is an update to the 2010 report and expands the scope to include

• technoeconomic analysis of hydrotreating to green diesel,

• photobioreactor, heterotrophic algae and macro algae production systems for liquid and gaseous fuels

• algae as a feedstock for thermochemical processing and anaerobic digestion, and

• a review of markets and demand trends of algal products other than energy products.


James D. (“Jim”) McMillan, Ph.D., is Chief Engineer for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Bioenergy Center. He has over 25 years research experience advancing lignocellulose biorefining science and technology and is an active contributor to NREL’s portion of the United States Department of Energy’s Biomass Program. Jim also co-leads IEA Bioenergy Task 39, which is focused on accelerating development and commercialization of liquid biofuels, and he also co-chairs the annual Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals.




ALGAE AND BIOGAS: ESTABLISHMENT OF LARGE SCALE DEMONSTRATION CENTRE FOR ALGAL-BACTERIAL DIGESTATE TREATMENT AND ALGAE BIOMASS PRODUCTION

Tomaz Trampus1, Robert Reinhardt2 1. T. & T. Inzeniring d.o.o., Ljubljana, SLOVENIA, Slovenia 2. Algen d.o.o., Ljubljana, SLOVENIA, Slovenia

In the era of searching for sustainable biofuels, biogas is one of the options. Number of biogas plants in Europe and around the world is rising and so is the quantity of side products, such is digestate, often separated on liquid and dry form. One 1 MW biogas plant produces 80 m3 digestate per day. Digestate is used right away as fertilizer, stored for later use or disposed to waste water treatment plant, depending on certain biogas plant policy. All options are associated with considerable costs for biogas plants. Therefore we are developing a solution: AlgaeBioGas project aim is to use digestate as a source of nutrients for algae cultivation, re-using nutrients from digestate, therefore lowering the cost for waste water treatment and algae cultivation and at the same time producing algae biomass for further use.

AlgaeBioGas demonstration centre was set up next to 0.53 MW biogas plant, running on biodegradable wastes. Digestate from biogas plant is introduced to the main algal pond (100 m2) daily, as well as CO2, coming from exhausting gases from cogeneration unit of biogas plant. When necessary, main algal pond is inoculated with algae kept in inoculation pond (10 m2). Both ponds are located inside greenhouse, which uses heath from biogas plant in colder months. Different modes of operation are being tested to assure optimal processing of digestate and biomass production. Biomass is collected in sedimentor and is currently being used as substrate for biogas production, but other tests were carried out as well, for example use of biomass as bio-filling for composite plastic.

AlgaeBioGas project is joint project of AlgEn, algal technology centre, d.o.o. and KOTO d.o.o., both located in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The project was founded under Eco-Inovation scheme.

http://algaebiogas.eu/


Robert Reinhardt - founder and chief executive officer Algen d.o.o., an entrepreneur with more than 30 years of research and business experience. As a mathematician by background, he became interested in algal technology from both the business and research perspective. Previous posts include research in computer science at Jozef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, founder and CEO of a system integration and software development company, managing its growth from 5 to 80 employees, and its merger into international system integrator. In recent years he was active as a consultant and/or business angel in the premier Slovenian online employment portal, an internet service provider in its financial reorganization and merger, in a Slovenian-Romanian renewable energy and agricultural company, and many others. Other activities include flying, diving, sailing.




LOWERING THE COSTS OF MICROALGAL FEEDSTOCK FOR BIOENERGY

Peer M Schenk, Faisal Alsenani, Ruihuan Ma, Lina Maria Gonzalez Gonzalez, Diego F. Correa, Elvis Chua, Eladl G Eladl Eltanahy, Heejae Jung, Suraj Balraj, Ying Wang, Liam Zanchetta, Annabel Hutchinson, Skye R Thomas-HallUniversity of Queensland, St Lucia, QUEENSLAND, Australia

Microalgae are highly efficient producers of biomass for food, animal feed or biofuels. Importantly, they can be farmed at large-scale without competing for arable land or biodiverse landscapes and are able to use polluted water, brackish or seawater. However, current costs of algal feed and biofuel production are relatively high, mainly because of expensive harvesting and extraction procedures. To overcome these hurdles, we have simultaneously developed low-cost cultivation, harvesting and product extraction technologies to sustainably produce biodiesel, protein-rich animal feed and nutraceuticals.

Using next generation sequencing and chemical engineering, we have improved local microalgal strains, and applied low-cost technologies for every step of algae farming, harvesting and processing. A 250,000 L Algae Energy Farm has been constructed adjacent to the Brisbane River in Pinjarra Hills, Australia, to provide a cost- & energy-effective biodiesel and animal feed production module. This demonstration algae farm is independent of external electricity and fully utilises microalgae’s potential as a zero-waste biorefinery concept, producing not only bioenergy, but also cattle feed supplement for Northern Australia as well as omega-3 fatty acids, carotenoids and phytosterols. Production costs are $2.40/L oil (if co-produced with feed) and less than $1/L oil if free CO2 can be accessed.

Current research focusses on further cost reductions and on combining biodiesel from microalgae with biogas production that will allow recycling of fertiliser and CO2 to provide fully sustainable energy farms. An emerging project will be discussed that couples carbon capture from transport to stationary microalgae production.


Peer Schenk heads the Algae Biotechnology Laboratory (www.algaebiotech.org) at the University of Queensland. Prior to UQ, he was Program Leader for the Sugar CRC and worked for CSIRO, DAFF and the Max-Planck-Institute for Breeding Research, Cologne. He holds a PhD (1994) in Microbiology and Botany from the Georg-August-University Göttingen. Peer is internationally recognised for his expertise in Plant and Microbial Biotechnology, including the development of disease-resistant plants and microalgae for food, feed and fuel. He has published 7 patents and >160 scientific papers with >9000 citations. He produced new canola varieties that are commercially grown in three continents. He was invited as Australia’s representative for APEC to speak on biorefinery concepts and climate change. He has developed the Algae Energy Farm, a pilot biorefinery that aims to cost-effectively produce food, feed or bioenergy (biodiesel and biogas) from microalgae. His research led to start-up companies QPonics (www.qponics.com) and Nexgen Plants (www.nexgenplants.com).




ENGINEERING A HEAT-TOLERANT AND ECTOIN-PRODUCING MICROALGA IN ONE STRIKE

Kirsten Heimann, Patrick Schaeffer, Gobalakrishnan SubashchandraboseJames Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia

Microalgae, including cyanobacteria, have recognised potential for renewable bioproduct and fine chemical production. They can be easily grown in simple outdoor systems with the supply of nutrient-rich wastewaters, with or without additional CO2 enrichment, in the presence of sunlight. Nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria can even be grown without the addition of nitrogen fertilisers, as they can convert atmospheric nitrogen to organic nitrogen. So why is commercial production of microalgae still only a reality for high-value commodities, such as the pigments β-carotene and astaxanthin or the heterotrophic production of the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA –for aquaculture, animal feed and infant formulae enrichments)? For outdoor microalgae production in the tropics, high temperatures and variable salinities are the two main limitations to their cost-effective commercial production, as these hurdles are extremely difficult to overcome. Ectoin is a valuable molecule produced by extremophile microbes in response to variable salinities and high temperature stress. As an effective osmolyte, ectoin functions in protecting proteins and other essential biological molecules from dehydration and heat denaturation. Similarly, it protects nucleic acids from UV damage. Thus, ectoin is being increasingly incorporated into skin care products. Our synthetic biology study aimed at engineering de novo a biosynthetic pathway for ectoin production into the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 to examine its effect on the cyanobacterium’s temperature and/or salinity tolerance. Our data confirmed increased temperature tolerance to 45°C, while effects on salinity tolerance were moderate in our engineered strain. Liquid chromatography analysis demonstrated that ectoin was secreted into the medium along with very little production of by-products, making it an easy to harvest and safe product for the cosmetic industry. In addition, the produced biomass could be used for bio-ethanol production or for bioenergy generation via anaerobic digestion due to high starch content of this cyanobacterial strain.






TOWARDS A SOLAR POWERED ECONOMY: DEVELOPING NEW ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES

Ben HankamerInstitute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane

The global economy is valued at ~$110 Tn and is expected to grow significantly as our population rises from 7.4 billion towards 9.6 billion people by 2050. This increase in population is forecast to require approximately 70% more food (UN), 50% more water (OECD), 50% more fuel (International Energy Agency) and 80% reductions in CO2 emissions (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) to maintain political, social, fuel and climate security.

Given the size of these challenges and the tight time constraints that we face, the Centre for Solar Biotechnology is focused on supporting international efforts to develop microalgae technologies that tap into the huge energy resource of the sun (>2300x global energy demand), capture CO2 and expand photosynthetic capacity into the oceans and onto non-arable land using saline water. The solar energy and CO2 captured by microalgae are used to produce a broad range of biomolecules which collectively form biomass.

Downstream bio-refinery processes enable the purification of these natural or engineered biomolecules into high value products (e.g. recombinant proteins >$1000 kg-1), and nutraceuticals (e.g. anti-oxidants, unsaturated fatty acids), foods/feeds. Collectively such technologies provide a broad range of international opportunities and economic pathways towards the most challenging goal; the deployment of commercial solar fuels production systems (e.g. crude oil, biodiesel, methane, ethanol and hydrogen from water; @ ~$300 Ton-1 instead of $1000 kg-1 biomass). From a climate change perspective, CO2 neutral solar fuels are critically important. This is because 80% of global energy demand is provided as fuels and only 20% as electricity. Furthermore we will likely have to reduce CO2 emissions of ~50% between 2020-2030, to stay within 1.5-2.0 oC global warming ‘safe zone’.

The development, integration and scale up of microalgae systems is already helping to drive policy development related to solar biotechnologies. This in turn should help to speed up the deployment of next generation ‘bio-inspired’ artificial solar driven systems (e.g. solar panels capable of producing hydrogen fuel from water). Structural and genetic insights into the intricate photosynthetic machinery of microalgae which have been refined over 3 billion years of evolution, also provide inspiration for these new artificial systems. Both microalgae and artificial systems provide the global community with distinct solar interfaces that can connect into the enormous energy resource of the sun to power our economy into the future.


Ben Hankamer co-directs the Solar Bio-fuels Consortium which brings together an international team of specialists to develop high-efficiency 2nd-generation bio-fuel production systems using microalgae. This represents a rapidly expanding area of biotechnology of global significance.

He is also a group leader within UQ’s Institute for Molecular Biology. His group has a strong research focus on automation to increase the rate of protein structure determination. Their specialisation is the structural biology and biochemistry of the photosynthetic machinery, which drives the first step of converting solar energy into chemical energy (fuels). Consequently its optimisation offers significant downstream benefits for all bio-fuel production systems (bio-ethanol, bio-diesel, BTL diesel, bio-H2 and bio-methane). With colleagues, Prof Hankamer is now taking the ‘Visible Cell®’ approach to develop a 3D atlas of the photosynthetic machinery within the cellular context. This 3D atlas will assist in the fine-tuning of the light capture and conversion processes of photosynthesis, just as a manual is required to tune the engine of a car.


DAY 2: Tuesday 15 November

Chelsea Room SESSION 5: Bioenergy Developments Emerging Feedstocks 0830 – 0850

AGAVE, THE FEEDSTOCK FOR THE GLOBAL BIOECONOMY

José Ignacio del Real Laborde, Don ChambersAustralian Agave Pty Ltd, Aldgate, SA, Australia

Agave grow from the coast to the desert, capable of thriving under extreme conditions of temperature and water deficit as a result from any climate change effects. They have unique physiological water management and sugar storage that makes them successful in seasonal drought regions. After ten years of testing, AusAgave has proven that agave grown in Queensland are a drought resistant, hardy producer of biomass and sugars, with yields up to 170 ton/ha/a and sugar content above 12% that make it a sustainable and profitable non-food bioenergy feedstock. Building on that knowledge and Mexican agave agriculture expertise, commercial production in Australia commences 2017, with a complete supply chain structure from tissue culture to plant production to deliver sugars at <US$0.10 /lb plus fibre based bio-composite by-products. This dryland multiannual crop can be developed in 300 ha modules, creating flexible industries. Agave adaptation characteristics and multiannual cycle, reduce agricultural risks while requiring a minimal ecological impact agriculture. Customised cropping for mechanical harvest and specific process for varied agro-industrial uses are offered, reducing costs in the supply chain structure. The proven Carbon sequestration of agaves offers a value added characteristic to a responsible carbon footprint route for final products.


Mexican Agronomist with more than forty years of experience in research and development in plant physiology and agro-industrial production systems. From a researcher and advisor with apple orchards and as head of a 300 members Concentrated Juice Factory, Ignacio moved in 1999 to take charge of development and implementation of a supply chain system for agave procurement in Tequila Sauza. This production system managed up to 48 million plants at a given time and supplies an average of 120,000 Ton. per year for tequila production. During this time he moved Sauza to more than double the yields, introduced tissue culture and trained the growers. From 2015 with AusAgave.




PROSPECTING FOR NOVEL ENERGY-RICH PLANT BIOMASSES

Rachel A BurtonARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, SA, Australia

In a world facing climate change, expanding population and the need for increased food security, overlaid by the unique features of the Australian continent, we are seeking novel approaches allowing exploitation of biomasses that don’t compete with food and land resources. We are interested in less common, but scaleable, biomass materials, often overlooked, that may also require the development of non-standard conversion strategies to fuel. Such potential feedstocks may currently be classified as “waste” materials, for example the Agave leaves that are removed and discarded during tequila/mescal production1, red and white grape marc2, the spurs removed each year when grapevines are pruned and the plants that grow and thrive in arid outback conditions where food crops are not viable3. Alternatively, the biomass may come from purposely planted species that are not traditionally regarded as crops1,4. Since conversion efficiencies are an economic imperative influencing the likely adoption of each plant material as a feedstock for liquid biofuels, biomasses are analysed for carbohydrate and lignin content and profiled for particular polysaccharides including cellulose, pectins, arabinoxylan and (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan in grasses. Laboratory scale fermentations, following various pre-treatment strategies, are carried out with the standard fermenting organism Saccharomyces spp. but also, where the biomass contains appreciable quantities of monosaccharides other than glucose, with non-traditional organisms4. Ethanol yields from these fermentation experiments subsequently support calculations for large scale production and are used to gauge the competitiveness of these more unusual biomasses against already established feedstocks. Compositional profiles may also be valuable in assessment of biomass suitability for use in conversion methods for alternative fuel types and products, including torrefaction, biochar production and hydrothermal liquefaction.

1Corbin et al. (2015) PLoS ONE 10(8); e0135382, 2Corbin et al. (2015) Bioresource Technology 193: 76-83, 3Byrt et al. (2016) PLoS ONE 11(5); e0156638, 4Corbin et al. (2016) BioEnergy Research doi: 10.1007/s12155-016-9755-x


PhD in plant molecular biology at the John Innes Centre, UK. Moved to the University of Adelaide at the Waite campus in 1995 to work on cellulose synthases and plant cell walls. Currently Chief Investigator and Node Leader in the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls (2010-2017). Served as Director of The Plant Accelerator from 2013 - 2015. Interests in genetics, comparative genomics, transcriptomics, biofuels and renewable energy, plant physiology, phenomics, seed development and polysaccharide metabolism. Advocate for gender equality and diversity in Science.




FUNGAL BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOENERGY

Scott E BakerPacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA

Industry has long utilized a breadth of yeast and filamentous fungi for the production of enzymes, biofuels and bioproducts. Genomics approaches have illuminated the metabolic and enzymatic diversity of yeast and filamentous fungi that can be applied toward a variety of industrial applications. As more fungi enter the “post-genomic era”, researchers are asking questions that require advanced capabilities in mass spectrometry, light and electron microscopy, NMR and computational biology. Our group and others utilize a number of these capabilities in order to generate the fundamental knowledge needed to understand the biology underlying the complex phenotypes of industrially relevant fungi.


Dr. Baker is the Lead for the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory’s Biosystem Dynamics and Design Science Theme, which focuses on spatial and temporal dynamics of biological pathways in microbes, fungi and plants to advance our understanding of the carbon cycle and accelerate production of biofuels and bioproducts. In this role, he coordinates and implements science and strategy. As a researcher, he has published nearly 80 peer-reviewed journal articles related to fungal biotechnology and genomics applied to production of biofuels and bioproducts. He has managed multidisciplinary research teams. Dr. Baker is an experienced PI and co-PI supporting a variety of funding agencies, specifically DOE's Office of Biological and Environmental Research.




MICROBIAL OIL PRODUCTION FROM SUGARCANE INDUSTRY BY-PRODUCTS BY FILAMENTOUS FUNGI

Zhanying Zhang, Ian O’Hara Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Microbial oils have important applications in producting high-value fuels and nutracetical products. In recent years, microbial oil production by oleaginous filamentous fungi has attracted increasing interest because fungi have relatively high growth rates, are able to use a variety of carbon sources and have relatively low harvesting cost compared to heterotrophic cultivation of microalgae. Low-cost carbon sources such as agricultural and food processing residues are the preferred substrates in order to reduce the total microbial oil production cost. In terms of microbial oil production by filamentous fungi, many studies have been focused on laboratory scale process optimisation. However, the research on process scale-up is limited, which is critical towards commercialisation but chanllenging in cultifvation of filamentous fungi. One of the main problems associated with the cultivation of filamentous fungi is morphology control since different morphological forms have different effects on mixing and mass transfer, thus impacting oil yield and productivity.

We have previously identified an oleaginous filamentous fungus, Mucor plumbeus, for microbial lipid production. This fungus can grow on a variety of substrates (e.g., glucose, xylose and glycerol) with relatively high lipid content and yield. Cultivations of this fungus at different scales have shown the variation in fungal morphological forms. In the current study, sugarcane molasses was used to grow this fungus and the concentrations of nutrients required for enhanced oil production were preliminary investigated. In addition, different inoculation and process control strategies have been proposed and preliminary tested in order to control the morphological forms of this funus suitable for reactor cultivation and process scale-up. The results show that inoculation of homogenised fungal biomass is a promising morphology control method. Future research will be focused on the optimisation of this method and test the feasibility at different scales with sugarcane molasses and hydrolysed sugarcane bagasse as substrates.


Dr Zhanying Zhang is currently a Senior Research Fellow at Queensland University of Technology. He obtained his Masters (Research) from East China University of Science and Technology (Shanghai) in 2004 and PhD from the University of Adelaide in 2008. He joined the Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities (CTCB), QUT as a Research Fellow after he finished his PhD study. Dr Zhang is an experienced researcher in fermentation technology, bioprocess optimisation and scale-up, biomass pretreatment and biorefinery.




THE CURRENT STATUS OF DEVELOPMENT FOR A SUSTAINABLE BIOFUEL FROM THE LEGUME TREE PONGAMIA PINNATA

Peter M GresshoffThe University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, Australia

Pongamia pinnata (aka Millettia pinnata) is a fast-growing, highly adaptable legume tree with ample seeding-carrying potential for sustainable biofuel and bioenergy production1. Since its nominal introduction to the Australian bioenergy market about 10 to 15 years ago, companies and organisations achieved many insights through scientific research at universities and commercial studies. Our research team covered key components of its genetics, genomics and biotechnology2. Without the power and insights of genetics, planting a long-lived crop like Pongamia imposes commercial and environmental risks.

There has been slow progress. With the decreased crude oil price, the increased emphasis on solar- or wind-based electricity production, the slowness of a tree crop, and the overall lack of private and government investment, research such as ours has slowed significantly. Plantation development in Australia is limited. There is no major industrial output of bio-oil or biodiesel stemming from Pongamia plantations. There are a lot of discussion and ideas, but the Pongamia industry has not really congealed. Plantation development near Cairns resulted in all-round failure, not because of biology but management and infrastructure.

There are major missing links. Elite plant genotypes are not abundant. Fruit bearing appears to be variable, though several climatic factors have been reveled. Exposure to bees during flowering is also useful. Australia has not seen mechanised harvesting on a production scale. Very little Pongamia seed is being extracted for oil and converted to biofuel and biodiesel, preventing downstream efficacy analysis. Governments, like the one of Queensland, have slowly moved towards legislating mandates, though at a very low level (like 0.5% in Queensland).

The presentation will review efforts globally and around Australia, highlighting the continued strengths of the crop, but also stressing the hurdles and barriers.

1. Gresshoff, P.M. (2015) Modern biology analysis of the legume tree Pongamia pinnata as a sustainable biofuel source. Legume Perspectives 6: 25-28. (free from internet)

2. Gresshoff, P.M. (2014) The Contrasting Need for Food and Biofuel: can we afford biofuel? A Love of Ideas (Melbourne University Press) pp.144-152.


Biography




ENGINEERING AND RECOVERY OF HIGH LEVELS OF OILS FROM LEAVES: GAME-CHANGING PATHWAY TO LOW-COST SUSTAINABLE BIOFUEL FEEDSTOCKS

Ben Leita1, Juerg Rusterholz1, Thomas Vanhercke2, Maged Peter Mansour3, James Petrie2, Allan Green4, Surinder Singh2 1. CSIRO, Newcastle, NSW, Australia 2. CSIRO, Canberra, ACT, Australia 3. CSIRO, Hobart, TAS, Australia 4. CSIRO, North Ryde, NSW, Australia

Global demand for commodity plant-derived oils is expected to double in the next two decades due to increased food oil requirements for a burgeoning world population and increased emphasis on use of renewable feedstocks for fuels and industrial chemicals. As a means to overcome feedstock supply limitations, engineering the synthesis and accumulation of oils in the entire vegetative biomass is being explored and showing outstanding promise for delivering yields that substantially surpass those of current oilseed crops. Such leaf oils would enable a much more expandable supply base to include both production in dedicated oil biomass crops and in the crop residues of food grains. Here we report the outcomes of combinatorial metabolic engineering of very high levels of TAG (35% of leaf dry weight) in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), being used as a model plant exemplar of high leaf biomass crops. We have demonstrated good recoveries of oils from the high-oil tobacco leaves using conventional seed oil extraction techniques including screw pressing and hexane extraction. The cost efficient recovery of high oil yields offers the promise of significantly lowering the unit cost of production of plant oils potentially to levels directly competitive with crude oil, a potential game-changer for economically viable renewable diesel and aviation fuel production. We have used oil obtained from the initial high-oil tobacco biomass to produce biodiesel via both conventional and non-conventional biodiesel production processes. Production of traditional methyl ester biodiesel via base-catalysed methanol transesterification requires the seed oil to be extracted and cleaned up prior to use, similar to that of conventional canola oil processing. In contrast, the application of sub-critical methanol methods has shown that the oil-rich leaf can be processed directly to biodiesel outputs, thus eliminating prior oil extraction and processing costs and removing catalyst costs, making this a commercially attractive alternative.


Dr Allan Green is a Chief Research Scientist at CSIRO Agriculture & Food. His research career has been devoted to understanding the genetic control of oil and fatty acid biosynthesis in plants, for the purpose of developing new and improved oil crop products. He has been a pioneer in using increasingly sophisticated genetic technologies for the modification of fatty acid composition in oilseed crops to provide improved nutritional value, enhanced functionality, and novel industrial end uses. The Plant Oil Engineering research group that he subsequently established at CSIRO has for over two decades been at the forefront of global research to improve plant oil production and is creating significant opportunities for innovation in the Australian and global oilseeds industries, through the imminent commercialisation of DHA-canola and super-high oleic safflower, as well as their recent development of potentially disruptive technology for producing oils in plant leaves.


DAY 2: TUESDAY 15 NOVEMBER

Glanworth Room SESSION 5: Bioenergy Developments Energy from Waste 0830 – 0850

BIOENERGY – A WASTE MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE

Darrell CorbettJ J Richards & Sons Pty Ltd

J.J Richards innovative approach to waste management provides socially acceptable and environmentally sound solutions for the community and industry. Our presentation will provide an overview and discussion on 3 key bioenergy areas which we are involved in:

• Southern Oil – Overview of the Northern Oil Gladstone facility, the potential pilot Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL) plant, and pilot Hydrotreatment plant to produce Green diesel from waste feedstocks.

• Pulpmaster – Provide an overview of the system and opportunities available to the industry. This discussion will show how our partnership with the Cronulla WWTP, through anaerobic digestion, is benefiting the community.

• TiTree bioenergy – The Ti Tree bioreactor is designed to rapidly stablise waste, generate green energy through efficient biogas production and enhance waste settlement through management of the waste’s natural microbial decomposition. Combined with water management, these practices can expedite waste degradation/stabilisation and increase early biogas production to utilise as a green energy source.


Darrell is the Strategic Development Manager for JJ Richards & Sons. With over 27 years Environmental Service industry experience, Darrell has worked in senior roles for major waste management companies locally, nationally and internationally. He has been involved in the introduction of significant advances in the waste management industry throughout his career.

After returning from the UK in 2011, Darrell joined JJ Richards and Sons as Strategic Development Manager. His current role is to provide Strategic Direction for the development and growth of JJ Richards nationally. Darrell is also currently working with JJ Richards JV partner - Southern Oil to promote and develop re refining of used oil throughout Australia. Darrell currently holds the position of President of WRINT (Waste and Recycling Industry – Northern Territory) representing the interests of the waste management and secondary resources sector.




THE POTENTIAL FOR ENERGY FROM WASTE IN AUSTRALIA

Joyanne ManningArup, Brisbane, QUEENSLAND, Australia

The Australian market is identified globally as one of the potential growth markets for energy from waste, however even with a number of Project Approvals being granted in WA and NSW, the first project has yet to be constructed. Why is this happening?

In order to successfully develop an energy from waste project there are a number of factors that need to be considered. Australia has a very fortuitous to be ‘first to be second’ however there are a number of key factors that need to be determined for success whilst also being acutely aware there are potential disputers that should be considered and managed. By replicating the successful projects that have been delivered elsewhere in the world in terms of feedstock, technology, procurement and funding, it can provide the certainty in the market needed to support its growth and prosperity.

Joyanne’s presentation will provide an overview of the current energy from waste market in Australia, the key factors that need to be considered and provide commentary on the what the future may hold!


Joyanne Manning is a chartered civil engineer and certified Practising Project Director and the Arup Australasia Resource and Waste Management Business and Skills Leader. She is highly skilled in the field of waste management with 20 years industry experience across Ireland, UK and Australasia. She has detailed knowledge of waste management and understands waste practices, processes, technology and behaviours.

With a particular focus on using advanced waste treatment and waste for energy, she works on an ongoing basis as a technical advisor to Government Agencies and Private Clients on waste to energy related projects, interpreting and assessing project technical feasibility and regulatory compliance. She also leads projects for Arup on the delivery of other waste infrastructure such as transfer stations and material recycling facilities.

Joyanne is recognised by industry for her in-depth knowledge of the waste industry and in particular is regarded by her peers in Australia as an expert in the creation and development of advanced waste treatment projects. Joyanne was recently the Conference Convenor for the first National Energy from Waste Conference held in Australia in October 2016 and is President of the Waste Management Association of Australia’s Queensland Branch.




SMALL SCALE WASTE TO ENERGY – DRIVERS AND BARRIERS

Inge Johansson1, Kathryn Warren2 1. Energy and Bioeconomy, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Borås, Sweden 2. Ricardo Energy & Environment, Cardiff, United Kingdom

Waste to energy is an important part of a successful integrated waste management system. All European countries, that have successfully diverted most of their waste from landfill, have developed material recycling and energy from waste in parallel. The role WtE will play in different countries will be different depending on a number of reasons; the possibility to integrate WtE into the energy system is just one of those.

This IEA Bioenergy study has looked specifically at small scale (<100 000 tonnes/year) WtE. What are the drivers and barriers? There is an obvious barrier in the fact that small scale plants suffer from higher costs, but despite that there are quite a few smaller plants being developed. The study is framed by three case studies, one each from France, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The plant owners have been interviewed about why they choose to develop small scale plants and what the largest challenges have been.

The results show that there are different drivers in all cases. EU-legislation (primarily the landfill directive CD 1999/31/EC) have been an important factor in all cases, but then different aspects such as subsidiary schemes, local policy, the need for energy (heat) and NIMBU-effects has been drivers in the different cases.

The message to policymakers would be that: If a region/country prefer smaller scale plants, this study show that there are possibilities to create the incentives to overcome the major drawback which is the higher costs that smaller scale plants suffer from.

The study has been financed, performed, and published within the framework of IEA Bioenergy Task 36.


Inge has a degree in Chemical Engineering/ Process design from the University of Lund. For the last 14 years Inge has worked with different aspects of bioenergy – biomass combustion, biomass drying, energy efficiency and waste to energy. During 2006-2012 he was employed at the Swedish waste management association as a technical adviser on WtE handling all aspects from policy to technology. The last four years Inge has been employed as a Researcher at SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, which is the largest polytechnic institute in Sweden. Inge is working mainly within the field of waste and Waste to Energy. As of the beginning of this year he is the task leader of IEA Bioenergy Task 36: Integrating energy recovery into solid waste management systems.




BIOMASS CHP PLANTS: GLOBAL BEST PRACTICES IN AN AUSTRALIAN PERSPECTIVE

Kevin VandewalleVyncke, Petaling Jaya, SELANGOR, Malaysia

An overview of recent global experiences and best-practices in the biomass CHP field while exploring the market conditions, drivers and restraints for those projects. A projection of these case studies in to the Australian environment and assumptions on how the market could evolve. Exploring commercially viable technologies & proven technical solutions to implement a successfull biomass-to-energy project.


Born & raised in Belgium, Kevin graduated as an Electromechanical Engineer (MSc) at the KUL. Kevin is since middle of 2013 living in Kuala Lumpur and as a Regional Sales Manager for South-East Asia & Pacific responsible for the product range of VYNCKE biomass-to-energy solutions within South-East Asia, Australia & New-Zealand.

Prior to the current assignment, Kevin was working in the headquarters of VYNCKE back in Belgium serving customers in the global agro & food market.




ADDRESSING THE BARRIERS TO GREATER PENETRATION OF GASIFICATION-BASED BIOENERGY

San Shwe Hla, Daniel RobertsCSIRO Energy, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Since the energy crisis of the 1970s research, development, and deployment of gasification technologies has increased, primarily due to its flexibility in terms of feedstocks, products, and applications. We have seen how gasification has allowed coal to be used as a feedstock for low emissions, high efficiency power as well as the production of chemicals, fuels, SNG, fertilisers, plastics, etc.: there are more than 140 large-scale commercial gasification plants, with many more under construction, mainly in China. Development of biomass gasification technologies began in earnest in the US in the late 1980s, followed by Western European countries then later in 2000s by Japan and China. While there are thousands of small scale gasifiers in use in Asia, unlike coal gasification, widespread deployment of biomass gasification at significant commercial scale is limited.

The main barriers to commercialisation of biomass-gasification-based technologies are high initial investment cost (especially for first-of-a-kind plant), complexities in pretreatment systems, problems associated with low energy density and seasonal availability, and tar production and its implications on gas cleaning. Nevertheless, biomass gasification has been successfully deployed in some specific markets and industries (e.g. where government subsidies and favorable policies align, such as some European countries with good biomass availability and strong governmental support for renewables and the Japanese Government’s policy on strict landfill regulation).

It is clear that gasification has potential to offer a scalable, flexible means for increasing the penetration of bioenergy into Australia’s energy systems, operating in spaces where other approaches (such as digestion or combustion) are less practicable. In this review, insights into the development of biomass gasification technologies for both small and medium scales, their advantages and drawbacks, driving forces and essential R&D required for penetrating into local bioenergy markets are discussed.


Dr San Shwe Hla is a senior research scientist with CSIRO Energy and has over 15 years’ experience in R&D of biomass and coal gasification technologies. San has extensive experience in the modelling of biomass and coal gasification systems, where his model links reaction fundamentals with the more complex processes occurring at the high pressures and temperatures found in industrial-scale systems. He also has many years research experience in production of low-tar syngas from biomass gasification systems. His recent researches focus on Waste-to-Energy technologies, in particular increasing our understanding of gasification characteristic of urban waste materials. He has authored and co-authored over 55 research papers, conference papers and reports to industry. His Journal papers have been cited more than 300 times in the last 8 years.




ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF BIOMASS AND WASTE FEEDSTOCK QUALITY ON GASIFICATION PLANT COST AND PERFORMANCE

Andrew C Beath1, San Shwe Hla2, Daniel Roberts2 1. Energy, CSIRO, Mayfield West, NSW, Australia 2. Energy, CSIRO, Pullenvale, QLD, Australia

Gasification of a wide range of biomass and waste materials has been shown experimentally to be feasible for production of fuel gas suitable for use in generating electricity via gas turbines. Gasification has some advantages over combustion, as gas turbines are a simpler technology that can be more efficient at small scales than boilers with steam turbines and the gas can be cleaned of contaminants that may be present in waste materials. However, there are relatively few systematic experimental studies that evaluate the impact of feed quality variability on the size and performance of the gasification plant. This type of study is very difficult to conduct, as the range in types and composition of biomass and waste materials mean that it is often not possible to operate experimental gasification plants over the range of conditions necessary to achieve optimum performance with all feedstocks. By necessity, modelling capability is essential to estimating the performance of different gasifier plant options that can supply suitable quality fuel gas to match the requirements of a specific gas turbine. This can also be extended to evaluating the need for pre-treatment options and the impact on overall plant performance and economics. In this work, an overall gasification plant model is proposed and the ability of this model to predict plant sizing, cost and performance variations when subjected to a range of biomass and waste inputs evaluated. A two-stage approach is used, firstly using the model to size plant components based on a design feedstock, and then evaluating the performance of this plant when feedstock quality varies. Iterations of these stages can then be used to further optimize the design in order to achieve an optimal financial outcome. This provides a better overview of likely plant performance over real-world conditions than a simple design point estimate.


Dr Andrew Beath is a chemical engineer with over 20 years of experience in process plant design, simulation and cost analysis. He has been with CSIRO for over 16 years and has had a role in evaluating numerous energy production options including coal, methane, solar and biomass utilisation technologies. Over his career he has also performed modelling and simulation studies on water, waste water, sugar production, coal and gas to liquid and minerals processes. Currently, he holds the position of Team Leader for Solar Materials and is Project Leader for Waste Technoeconomics in CSIRO Energy.



Hopewell Room SESSION 5: Bioenergy Developments IEA Bioenergy Task 37 – Energy from Biogas 0830 – 0850

BIOGAS IN THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Clare Lukehurst OBETask 37 (UK)/IEA, Broadstairs, KENT, United Kingdom

Bodies such as the Food and Agricultural Organisation and the European Commission recognise anaerobic digestion as a key technology for the conversion of organic wastes arising from livestock production and other agricultural activities into energy and biofertiliser. This is but a fraction of its contribution to an integrated economic, social and environmental management system.

This paper aims to show how an anaerobic digester can create a ‘biogas island’ where the circular concept of ‘cradle to cradle’ can replace a ‘cradle to grave ’ approach to resource management. This in turn releases the business in whole or part from dependence on public service supply networks.

Case studies are drawn from:

• Large scale flower production in Kenya. AD has transformed the day to day operating security of the producer and the local community and simultaneously insulates the business from risks of public supply interruption .

• Major UK dairy product manufacturer is a ‘virtual green island’ of self sufficiency for fuel, power and partially for transport The circle is closed by the use of the digestate on its own and the milk supply farms

• Brazilian family farm partnership which converts livestock manure hitherto a serious pollutant of a water catchment into a new source of plant nutrient and greater independence from grid power supplies.

• Remote very small UK dairy farm where avoided costs of fuel, power and to an extent, mineral fertiliser can create a financially viable island of self sufficiency

Topics to be addressed include 100% cradle to cradle use of all livestock and plant waste, self sufficiency for fuel and power and reduced or avoided reliance on national distribution systems, displacement of mineral fertiliser, improved health and welfare for animals and workers and greater financial security in the community.


In June 2015 Dr Clare Lukehurst was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List and received her award from HRH Prince Charles for her services to the anaerobic digestion industry. She introduced the concept of AD to the UK based on the Danish model of centralised codigestion to serve groups of farmers and the agri-food industry. She continues to work closely with government and industry and serves as the UK Team Leader on the IEA Bioenergy Task 37. Her latest work is as the lead author of the IEA Brochure ‘Exploring the viability of small scale anaerobic digesters in livestock farming.




THE ROLE OF BIOGAS IN SUPPORTING INTERMITTENT RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY

Jerry D MurphyUniversity College Cork, Cork, MUNSTER, Ireland

This paper documents the potential role of biogas in smart energy grids. Biogas systems can facilitate increased proportions of variable renewable electricity on the electricity grid through use of two different technologies:

• Demand driven biogas systems which increase production of electricity from biogas facilities at times of high demand for electricity, or store biogas temporarily at times of low electricity demand.

• Power to gas systems when demand for electricity is less than supply of electricity to the electricity grid, allowing conversion of surplus electricity to gas.

The paper will explore concepts and propose a model anaerobic digestion system both of these functions.


Professor Jerry D Murphy is Professor of Bioenergy and Biofuels in University College Cork and the Director of the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) funded centre for Marine and Renewable Energy (MaREI) with research funding of €32M.

Prof Murphy is the leader of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Task 37 “Energy from Biogas”. It has 14 member countries (Austria, Australia, Brasil, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom).

Prof Murphy co-edited a book commissioned by the IEA: Wellinger, A., Murphy, J., Baxter, D. (2013) The Biogas Handbook: Science, Production and Applications. IEA Bioenergy. WoodHead Publishing. He has authored a number of IEA Reports on topics including crop digestion, algal biogas and on the role of biogas in smart energy grids.

Prof Murphy has published ca. 95 peer review journal papers; Google Scholar suggests 3900 citations with an H-index of 33.




IEA BIOENERGY - TASK 37 ENERGY FROM BIOGAS: KNOWLEDGE SHARING OPPORTUNITIES FOR AUSTRALIA DURING THE 2016-2018 TRIENNIUM

Bernadette K McCabeUniversity of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia

Australia’s participation in the International Energy Agency (IEA) Bioenergy Task 37- Energy from Biogas has now entered its second year. Key activities include taking part in the first business meeting at Wallingford, United Kingdom and the second upcoming meeting to be hosted in Australia directly following the 2016 Bioenergy Australia conference. The year 2016 also marks the start of new work program for the 2016-2018 triennium.

This presentation will review the major events of 2016 for Task 37, both nationally and overseas and provides a summary of detailed topics for the 2016-2018 triennium. Of particular interest are the technical, logistical and financial aspects of the following topics as they relate to Australia:

1. Optimised anaerobic digestion processes for different substrates and reactor configurations;

2. Guidelines for biomethane as a substitute for natural gas;

3. Analysis of cost effective anaerobic digestion systems in the absence of subsidy schemes;

4. Assessment of socio-economic aspects of biogas and utilisation;

5. Assessment of biogas upgrading and application for grid injection and smart grids.These focus areas will be discussed in relation to technical report topics which will be produced during the current triennium.

These focus areas will be discussed in relation to technical report topics which will be produced during the current triennium.


A/Prof Bernadette McCabe is a principal scientist with the National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture, University of Southern Queensland. Bernadette’s specific research interest is in energy capture and resource recovery of waste and has attracted over $1.3M in nationally competitive grants and / or research contracts since 2010. She was recently awarded an Advance Queensland Mid-Career Research Fellowship working in partnership with NH Foods Australia, Oakey Beef Exports. She has expertise in the monitoring of wastewater, biogas production and assessment of biosolids as fertiliser replacement.

Bernadette collaborates at an international level as Australia’s National Team Leader in the IEA Bioenergy program Task 37: Energy from Biogas. IEA Task 37 is an international working group made up of 14 member countries that exchange global best practice trends in biogas production. Through this role she has established a wide network of national and international research, industry and government contacts.




BIOMETHANE MARKET POTENTIAL - OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES AHEAD

Mattias SvenssonEnergiforsk - Swedish Energy Research Centre, Malmö, Sweden

The interest for alternative transport fuels is growing, in an effort to move away from fossil petroleum based fuels such as diesel and petrol. The joint use of natural gas and biomethane offers an opportunity to decrease the carbon foot print of the transport sector without having to adapt engines when switching from fossil to renewable, with biomethane being chemically identical to natural gas. However, the biomethane value chain is complex, capital intensive and with lots of actors involved. Market development examples demonstrate synergies between natural gas and biomethane, facilitating the biomethane market build-up. It is evident that long-term policies are needed to support the shift from fossil to renewable.

This presentation aims to describe the market dynamics of biomethane powered transport in Sweden, followed by a discussion on some of the challenges and opportunities of a wider implementation, touching upon subjects such as policy making, gas engine performance, gas quality and standardisation, and sustainability issues.

1. Svensson M. (2013) Biomethane for transport applications. In Wellinger A., Murphy J., Baxter D. (Eds.), The biogas handbook – Science, production and applications (pp.428-443). Cambridge, UK: Woodhead Publishing

2. Svensson M. (2014) Application of Biomethane; Technical standards for the use of biomethane as vehicle fuel, for grid injection and as LNG. In Thrän et al., Biomethane - Status and Factors Affecting Market Development and Trade (pp. 21-26). UK: IEA Task 40 and Task 37 Joint Study.


Mattias Svensson (M.Sc. Chem. Eng., PhD high-solids AD) is since eight years managing projects at Energiforsk – Swedish Energy Research Centre) with the mission to co-ordinate Swedish industrial interests in RDD concerning gas fuel technology. The bulk of the projects was for gaseous transport fuel applications, but lately also biogas related projects. In addition he is the Swedish team leader in IEA Bioenergy Task 37 Biogas, there he has contributed to a number of reports and case studies. Also, he is an appointed Swedish expert in the standardization body CEN/TC408 (Natural gas and biomethane for use in transport and biomethane for injection in the natural gas grid).




MONITORING AND PROCESS CONTROL OF BIOGAS PLANTS

Günther Bochmann, Bernhard DrosgIFA Tulln - BOKU University, Tulln, NIEDERöSTERREICH, Austria

Biogas plants are biological systems involving various interacting microorganisms that anaerobically degrade organic matter. The degradation involves four consecutive biological processes. If one of these processes is negatively affected in any way, there is an influence on the other processes and the biogas process can become unstable. Process monitoring can help to understand what happens in a plant and help to maintain a stable process. In many cases, a strongly inhibited microorganism population or a total crash of the whole plant can have severe financial consequences for the biogas plant operator. In general, process monitoring can help to: (i) give an overall picture of the biogas process, (ii) identify upcoming instabilities in anaerobic digesters before a crash happens and (iii) accompany a successful start-up or re-start of a plant.

Typical monitoring parameters can be divided into three categories. First, there are parameters which characterise the process. These are feedstock quantity and composition, biogas production and composition, fermentation temperature, total solids concentration, ammonia nitrogen concentration and pH. Other parameters can indicate in advance if process instability is upcoming. These are: volatile fatty acids, alkalinity ratio, hydrogen concentration, redox potential or other complex monitoring parameters. Last but not least, there are variable process parameters which to some extent can be varied by the plant operator before a process imbalance occurs, such as organic loading rate or hydraulic retention time.


Günther Bochmann has been a working group leader since 2010 at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), where he also obtained his PhD. He works on pretreatment technologies for AD substrates. He also has expertise on two-step anaerobic digestion, of problem substrates including nitrogen-rich, lipid-rich and pectin-rich substrates and H2 utilisation in AD plants.He studied brewing and beverage technology at the Technical University of Munich. He first worked closely with anaerobic digestion when he set up and operated a pilot biogas plant in a rum distillery in Belize. He continues to cooperates extensively with the biogas field in Central, South America and Asia. He also works on biorefinery concepts works, microbial removal of H2S and CO2 from biogas and biorefinery concepts fixing waste CO2. He supervises a large team of scientists in Tulln and represents Austria in the IEA Task 37.




RESOURCE RECOVERY VIA DISTRIBUTED BIOGAS PRODUCTION

Saija Rasi1, Viljami Kinnunen2, Elina Tampio3, Jukka Rintala2 1. Bio-based Business and Industry, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Jyväskylä, Finland 2. Department of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland 3. Bio-based Business and Industry, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Tampere, Finland

Conventional sanitation used in most western countries can be seen as a linear system, where especially nutrient recycling is limited. On the other hand, agriculture, producing food for worlds growing population is currently dependent on mineral and synthetic fertilizers, mainly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Almost all nutrients from food are excreted to urine and feces by human body after consumption, consequently excreta contributing a major nutrient flow in society. Presently, nutrients in excreta are lost in energy-consuming wastewater treatment processes. To replace current linear nutrient flow with more closed cycles, a new sanitation system is deemed. Essential differences between conventional and new systems include the source separation of black water, reduction in water use and anaerobic treatment for the production of green energy.

The theoretical feasibility to recover nutrients and energy from black water and biowaste from a residential area (10 000 inhabitants) via anaerobic digestion was studied. The nutrients were assumed to be utilized in local scenery fields to cultivate energy crops and/or applied in nearby greenhouse cultivation. The energy crops and greenhouse residues were treated in a biogas plant to increase its methane production. The aim was to analyze the production potential and utilization of digestate nutrients within the residential area. Additionally, the potential of the biogas upgrading and local use e.g. in household gas cookers and as vehicle fuel was analyzed. The results show that there is potential to decrease water use and to obtain a semi-closed nutrient cycle by utilizing residential biowaste and black water from a new sanitation system. The cultivation of energy plants in the local scenery fields and vegetables in greenhouse increases the methane production and nutrient use, which enables e.g. gas cooking practices within the studied area, while excess nutrients still remain to be used in crop production.


Dr. Saija Rasi works as a Principal Research Scientist and team leader in the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). Her research focuses on bioenergy systems including studies on biomass production, biomaterial flow systems, sustainability issues including GHG and energy balances, as well as economic issues. She is also the Finnish representative in IEA Bioenergy Task 37.



Taldora Room SESSION 5: Bioenergy Developments Regional Growth 0830 – 0850

ESTIMATING SOCIOECONOMIC KEY PERFORMANCE METRICS FOR TRANSPORTATION BIOFUELS

Philip PeckLund University, Lund, Sweden

This study had dual aims: a) delineate areas where biogas and liquid transportation biofuel production chains provide socioeconomic benefits, and b) provide quantified estimates of their scale.

Desktop research identified, collated, compared and normalised quantifications and estimations within a range of studies from the US, Sweden and Germany. Key sources included two main categories of regional-level bottom up economic impact models. Firstly industry studies seeking to promote the importance of their contributions, and secondly studies sponsored by regional authorities aiming to estimate relative contribution of investments in biofuels. Results of these were also compared against a number of academic input/output modelling efforts. Quantification metrics focused on full-time equivalent employment opportunities per energy unit fuel produced.

Central results provided by the work include a generic listing of the types of social and economic benefits, and ‘span-quantifications’ of employment contributions for a number of fuel chains. Qualitative estimates of the relative importance and longevity of socio-economic benefits in differing parts of the production/supply chains are discussed.

The work then provides a discussion of where application of ‘rule-of-thumb’ estimations for socio-economic benefits associated with biofuels investments may be appropriate, and the apparent objectiveness of the materials prepared by different interest groups that underpin this study. The paper concludes with advice directed to actors motivated to design scientific studies to quantify benefits.


Philip Peck is an Associate Professor (Docent/Reader) at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) at Lund University, Sweden. He works with environmental, socio-economic, policy, and deployment issues for technology systems. Bioenergy work encompasses issues such as local and regional development; supply chains, advanced bioenergy system emergence; policy frames, and social and political acceptance.




USING SMART TRANSITIONING TO A LOW CARBON FUTURE TO CREATE REGIONAL ECONOMIC GROWTH

Brian CoxBioenergy Association of New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand

Regions can use bioenergy and biofuel investment to add a new economic dimension to a region. Whether it be using biomass from forestry or agriculture residues, or municipal or trade waste these are all valuable resources that when used smartly can create new business opportunities and /or reduce business operating costs.

The biggest barrier to using bioenergy and biofuels to create economic growth is the lack of will to make it happen and the facilitation required to bring all the parties together. These can be overcome but it needs champions.

The tools and experience is available to make it happen but communication of these opportunities is critical. This is where the smart thinking is necessary.

As we transition to a bio-based economy the number of business opportunities will grow. The smart thinking is to find those opportunities and grow them to have a significant regional presence similar to what occured in Silicon Valley.

Based on experience in New Zealand over the last few years the opportunities available in New Zealand and Australia will be summarised and possible pathways outlined.


Brian has over 30 years’ experience in identifying, investigating and developing investment projects. He is the Executive Officer of the Bioenergy Association.

Brian has worked with a range of organisations including:

• Government Ministers

• Government Departments, regional economic development entities

• Energy companies and technology developers

His experience is split equally across public policy, commercialization of biomass based opportunities, and leading energy based industry associations.

He is a principal of East Harbour Energy advising on strategies and commercialisation of energy opportunities.

He led the development and implementation of the New Zealand Bioenergy Strategy which has been recognised within the New Zealand Government’s Energy Strategy. He is a commentator on the bioenergy and biofuels sector and assists business secure the economic benefits of the emerging bioeconomy.

In 2011 he was a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellow and in 2016 he was a finalist for the New Zealand Energy Leadership Award.




BIOENERGY IN TASMANIA DEVELOPMENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

David M HurburghDepartment of State Growth - Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia

Tasmania is well known for its endowment with forests. A significant proportion of the state’s forested areas are now protected by conservation reserves, but there are large areas of commercial forests, both native and plantation, being actively harvested and managed for sustainable wood production. With the recent restructuring of the Tasmanian forest industry the potential for using residues as a source of bioenergy is being evaluated.

During 2016 the Tasmanian Government established a new Wood and Fibre Processing Innovation Program, with up to $1.25 million in funding available.

Grants of up to $100 000 have been made available through the Program to support the development of projects that utilise forest harvesting and timber processing residues and/or agricultural plant residues to create value-added products in Tasmania. Bioenergy is a key component of this program.

Tasmania is participating in the Australian Biomass to Bioenergy Assessment (ABBA) Project being funded the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). A key outcome of this project will be to bring together generators of biomass with potential users of these resources.

In northern Tasmania a number of sites have been identified as being suitable for bioenergy hubs. With corner-stone industries already established, and with the benefit of good industrial land and logistics, synergies exist when bioenergy from wood residues and agricultural crop residues are coupled to the energy needs of food processors and related industries. Scope also exists for Combined Heat and Power (CHP) co-generation of electricity and thermal heat.

Tasmanian food-processing industries are increasingly adopting the use of anaerobic digesters to minimise environmentally troublesome effluent streams. Sophisticated biogas-to-bioenergy installations are being incorporated in their waste water treatment plants which allows the plants to make significant savings on their energy bills, particularly where it is displacing fossil fuels, such as natural gas and coal.


David Hurburgh is a geologist, with post-graduate qualifications in Resource Economics and Applied Corporate Finance. After a 30 year career involved with mineral exploration and mining projects internationally, David joined the Tasmanian public service in 2004 to project manage the state’s investment in the roll-out of the natural gas network. From this interest in energy matters, David has extended his involvement by promoting the state’s biomass resources as the basis of new bioenergy industries. David also sits on the Waste Advisory Committee of Tasmania’s EPA, which has among its objectives the diversion and recovery of materials that could be directed towards such processes as energy generation.




ACHIEVING CRITICAL MASS-CLEAN COWRA INC PERSPECTIVE ADVANCING AND DEVELOPING THE MODEL FOR UTILISING BIOMASS AS A DRIVER FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY OUTCOMES

Dylan GowerCLEAN Cowra Inc, Cowra, NSW, Australia

This year CLEAN Cowra Inc has undertaken a number of activities to advance the Cowra Biomass project and has built on the significant ground work and community engagement that has occurred at this early stage development.

This presentation outlines the development of a process and model for a regional community biomass project.

Cowra Low Emissions Action Network (CLEAN) Cowra Inc. is a Cowra community group, established in 2007. CLEAN Cowra Inc is advocating for a community- based, decentralised, aggregated Biomass-to-Energy model. This is based on creating a localised, circular economy supporting existing local agribusiness and industry. It believes this model, encompassing those three aspects, can be replicated in other regional communities and stimulate regional economic development.

Explorations to date are related to the opportunities for aggregation of residual biomass from agricultural, industrial and community processes, and the value of co-digestion process. Also the potential scalability of technology and the potential benefits of decentralised energy. The significance of the contribution of agricultural residues and potential opportunities within existing farming systems, also has formed part of the project exploration.

Update will include:

• Pre- feasibility Study _ assessment of the project viability- findings

• Website launch

• Industry Reference Panel_ Benefits and findings contributory to PFS and ARENA application

• Funding submissions. ZFEP, ARENA, OEH , ARC linkage

• MOUs both an off-take and supply agreement with Cowra Council.


Dylan Gower, a local architect is one of the drivers of the CLEAN Cowra Inc. initiatives. For over twenty years in practice, he has been advocating for Ecological Sustainable Development, highlighting its principles in relation to urban environments.

As one of its aims, CLEAN Cowra Inc. has been exploring ways in which to achieve sustainable development in regional communities, with considerations for natural resource management, including biomass in its multiple forms, specifically waste streams including residual agricultural matter.

By using Design Thinking to synthesise various functional, environmental, financial, regulatory requirements, Dylan believes we can achieve creative, collaborative, place- made environments.




WASTE BIOMASS TO RENEWABLE ENERGY: VALUE PROPOSITION FOR SUGARCANE INDUSTRYIhsan Hamawand, Saman Seneweera, Sayan Chakrabarty, Troy Jensen, John Bennett, Guangnan Chen

University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia

There are four main waste products produced during the harvesting and milling process of sugarcane: cane trash, molasses, bagasse and mill mud-boiler ash mixture. This study investigates the value proposition of different techniques currently not being adopted by the industry in the utilization of these wastes. The study addresses the technical challenges and the environmental impact associated with each of these wastes. This study has come up with some recommendations based on the recent findings in literature related to each of these wastes. All the biomass wastes such as bagasse, trash (tops) and trash (leaves) have shown great potential in generating higher revenue from converting them to bioenergy than burning them (wet or dry). However, the energies content in the products from the different utilization methods are less than the energy content of the raw material. This study has showed that the most profitable and challenging choice is producing ethanol or ethanol/biogas from these wastes. The authors recommend carrying out more research in the alternative utilization of these wastes in order to help the sugar industry to compete in the international market.


Dr Ihsan Hamawand is a research fellow at the University of Southern Queensland. Dr Hamawand is a chemical engineer with extensive theoretical and practical experience in physical/chemical/biological processes (reactors) design and operation. Dr Hamawand carried out research in many fields of science since 1997, his interest includes but not limited to;

• Waste Utilization and Management

• Wastewater Treatment and Desalination

• Waste to Bio-Energy (Fermentation / Anaerobic digestion)

• Waste Dewatering and Drying/Frying

• Design and Operation of Chemical Processes

• Modelling, Simulation and Experimental Design

Dr Hamawand is a professional member of Engineers Australia, Engineers of Kurdistan and Engineers of Iraq. He has a long history of industrial experience as he worked for many companies in variety fields in different countries.




WASTEWATER UTILITIES IN THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Matthew MullissQueensland Urban Utilities, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Sewage is recognised internationally as a source of valuable resources, containing potentially marketable products such as recycled water, nutrients, biosolids and energy. The influential Utility of the Future blueprint (NACWA) proposes a vision for water and wastewater utilities to move beyond linear “collect-treat-dispose” models to become managers of valuable resources, delivering value to customers, the environment and the economy. Water utilities could recover these resources to reduce operating costs, develop alternative revenue streams and promote environmental stewardship through the development of a circular economy in which wastes are inputs for new products and services. Resource recovery can enable utilities to address the challenges posed by population growth, climate change, resource scarcity and fiscal pressure.

Queensland Urban Utilities (QUU), one of the largest water distributor-retailers in Australia, is embarking on a journey to transform itself into a resource recovery Utility of the Future. Queensland Urban Utilities undertook a resource inventory study to review current resource production and utilisation, identify current and future trends in resource recovery, and describe barriers and opportunities for resource recovery.

Currently, end-use of resources largely reflect a ‘resource to waste’ approach of the traditional linear model. Water utilities can contribute to the development of circular economies as a supplier of raw materials for value-added products including recycled water, fertiliser, biomass and bioenergy production through anaerobic digestion. In the future, microalgae and bioplastics could be produced from wastewater resources. Examples from Queensland Urban Utilities’ journey including CAMBI thermal hydrolysis, anaerobic digestion, cogeneration, Pongamia energy crop trial, and Luggage Point Innovation Centre will be discussed.


Matthew is Engineer Resources in the Servicing Strategy team at Queensland Urban Utilities.



Chelsea Room SESSION 6: Bioenergy Developments and Supply Feedstocks/Biomass Trade and Supply Chains 1055 – 1115

LONG TERM STRATEGIES ON SUSTAINABLE BIOMASS IMPORTS IN EUROPEAN BIOENERGY MARKETS

Luc Pelkmans1, Ines Del Campo2, Martin Junginger3, Dominik Rutz4, Rainer Janssen4, Uwe R Fritsche5, Rocio Diaz Chavez6, Wolter Elbersen7 1. VITO NV, Mol, -, Belgium2. Biomass Energy Department, CENER, Sarriguren, Navarra, Spain3. Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Utrecht, -, The Netherlands4. Biomass Department, WIP Renewable Energies, Munich, -, Germany5. IINAS, Darmstadt, Germany6. Imperial College, London, -, United Kingdom7. Food & Biobased Research, Wageningen UR, Wageningen, -, The Netherlands

The project BioTrade2020plus, supported by the Intelligent Energy for Europe programme of the European Commission, provided guidelines for the development of a European Bioenergy Trade Strategy for 2020 and beyond. The project focused on lignocellulosic biomass with case studies in a number of representative sourcing regions in North America, South America, East Europe, Southeast Asia and Africa.

This presentation will present the results of the work related to European long term strategies on imports. Various stakeholder consultations (workshops, webinars, surveys) were performed in relation to opportunities, risks and barriers related to biomass trade, and seven key principles were agreed as a prerequisite to have sustainable biomass trade. Starting from this background, a number of long term strategies and guidelines were proposed in relation to bioenergy and biomass trade, which can be summarized in the following points: (1) policy consistency, (2) facilitate access to finance, (3) ensure open market access but with sustainability conditions, (4) ensure a sustainability framework for the production of biomass, (5) put more focus on phasing out fossil fuels, (6) support mobilization efforts of biomass, (7) monitor impacts of policies on global markets, (8) assess the performance of full biomass value chains, (9) improve the image of bioenergy through independent information on possibilities and opportunities of biomass and bioenergy, and (10) support the transformation of lignocellulosic materials into real commodities to facilitate international markets.

The conclusions have been summarized in an advisory document, which is available on the project website (http://www.biotrade2020plus.eu) together with all other public deliverables.


Luc Pelkmans is project manager biobased economy at VITO. Since January 2016 he is also Technical Coordinator of the IEA Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme. His initial work at VITO focused on alternative motor fuels (including biofuels), development of hybrid electric drive trains and emission evaluation of new vehicle technologies in real-world circumstances. From 2008 his focus shifted to policy oriented studies, project implementation and sustainability analysis, mainly towards biofuels and bioenergy, and later also broadening to biobased economy. He participated in several European projects, some as coordinator. Since 2008 Luc is also involved in the IEA Bioenergy network, first as National Task Leader of Task 40 (on bioenergy trade), later as Belgian ExCo member and recently he took up the function of Technical Coordinator of IEA Bioenergy.




PRODUCTION OF FUEL PELLETS. WHAT-HOW-WHY

Tony Esplin1, Peter H. D. Lange2 1. Recycling Technologies Group P/L, Eden, NSW, Australia 2. CPM Europe B.V, Zaandam, The Netherlands

Knowledge of the overall process and more detailed knowledge about each step in the process will make it easier to get a grip on your investment in the pelleting industry. This presentation will give you information on why to pelletize at all, what to pelletize, how the process works and what costs are involved.


Peter Lange has more than 30 years of experience in the grinding and pelletising industry. Initially mainly in the feed, sugar and oilseed industry, but in the last 20 years the focus has been on renewable fuels. He is currently working at CPM (California Pellet Mills) as Sales Manager for South East Europe.




SELECTING FEEDSTOCKS AND SELECTING PRODUCTS FOR CHEMICALS FROM BIOMASS

Geoff Covey1, Bronwyn Laycock2, Khuong Vuong Vuong2, Mike O’Shea3 1. Covey Consulting P/L, Kew East, Vic, Australia 2. Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, , Brisbane, QLD, Australia 3. Division of Manufacturing, CSIRO, Clayton, VIC, Australia

A recent trend has been to promote processes which are ‘feedstock agonistic’ i.e. processes which will give similar results irrespective of the biomass used. This approach is attractive when making large volumes of low value products such as fuel. However, in the short term it is likely to be high value chemical co-products that make early plants profitable and then the feedstock agnostic approach can lead to significant lost opportunities.

Obvious examples are in chemicals which are extracted directly from plant material by physical means. Such products include a range of oils such as eucalyptus and pine oils, natural resins, and biologically active agents such as pyrethrum and paclitaxel. The extraction of such products can generate sufficient income to drive the co-production of fuels. In most of these the whole plant is not used, just the portion in the valuable component.

Even when whole plants are processed, the yields of particular chemicals of interest can vary considerably depending on the plant feedstock used. For example, lignins produced from grasses such sugar cane have useful properties not provided bywood lignin.

A particular example of a chemical co-produced with fuel is levoglucosan. Fast pyrolysis of a wide range of vegetable species results in a ‘bio-oil’ which typically contains 25-35% levoglucosan. This is currently only made in very small quantities because there are no substantial uses for it.

However, it can now be made cheaply and in large quantities, which opens up new possibilities. Two potential applications for cheap levoglucosan are:

• Production of a new range of rigid polymers which take advantage of its three-dimensional ring structure and potential reaction sites.

• As a cheap starting material for the low toxicity, high value solvent dihydrolevoglucosenone.

The paper will discuss these and other potential sources of income.


Chemical engineer with degrees from University of Surrey and University of Melbourne. Career mainly in industry and consulting, but 10 years lecturing at University of Melbourne, guest lecturer at many other institutions. Main focus of career has been pulp and paper and for the last fifteen years fuels and chemicals from biomass. Has designed and built working pulp mill and bioferineries. Specializes in process design and engineering economics.



Chelsea Room SESSION 6: Bioenergy Developments and Supply Biochar 1155 – 1215

RECENT IMPLEMENTATIONS OF PYROCAL’S TECHNOLOGIES FOR CONVERSION OF BIOMASS RESIDUES TO HEAT AND CHAR

James JoycePyrocal Pty Ltd, Mackay, QLD, Australia

Pyrocal is currently commercialising several variants of the BiGchar carbonisation technology, as well as add-on processes such as drying, briquetting and electrical power generation. Pyrocal is based in southern Queensland, with fabrication and a commercial demonstration facility in southern NSW.

This presentation outlines recent implementations of the technologies in Vietnam and Australia and the prospects for “difficult” biomass such as cotton gin trash. The applications described in this presentation make use of the unique features of the technology to handle biomass residues that make them costly to handle in conventional thermal technologies.

In Australia Pyrocal has implemented two carbonisation units at a facility with the assistance of the NSW government under the Murray-Darling Basin regional Economic Diversification Program. This facility now operates as commercial demonstration, providing heat for a co-located brewers malt production facility and producing char that is sold for a variety of uses including horticultural applications and as charcoal briquettes. Additional Australian installations are underway at present.

Several of Pyrocal’s systems have been implemented in Vietnam, with a particular focus on the low emissions production of heat for brick kilns. The key requirements for these implementations have been to customise to suit local requirements, while meeting the expectations of the local authorities and end users for emissions, fuel efficiency and ease of use.


Dr. Joyce has worked within the biomass processing sector for his entire 27-year career. He holds a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Queensland; with a dissertation topic titled Gasification of Sugar Cane Wastes. Dr. Joyce is the co-inventor of the BiGchar rotary hearth gasifier technology for the carbonisation of biomass and is currently a director and principal engineer at Pyrocal Pty Ltd.



Chelsea Room SESSION 6: Bioenergy Developments and Supply Biochar 1215 – 1235

WOODY BIOMASS TO CHARCOAL – PROSPECTS FOR AUSTRALIAN FOREST AND METAL INDUSTRIES

Nawshad Haque, Mark Cooksey, Adrien Guiraud, Trevor SaldanhaCSIRO, Clayton South, VIC, Australia

CSIRO has developed a novel autogenous pyrolysis technology to convert biomass to charcoal or solid renewable carbon products. This renewable carbon (charcoal) will be produced from sustainable sources such as plantations of biomass species or forest wastes. This charcoal can be used in a range of industries, including steel and silicon production. A new pilot scale pyrolysis plant has been built and commissioned at CSIRO. A summary of the technology development over the last five years will be presented.


Dr Mark Cooksey leads the Sustainable Process Engineering Group within CSIRO Mineral Resources.

He is responsible for 20 staff in a number of research areas supporting the minerals and process industries, including process development and optimisation, technoeconomic evaluation and life cycle assessment

Dr Cooksey’s research interests include:

- primary metal production, particularly aluminium smelting

- process improvement (trained to ‘black belt’ level in Six Sigma, a quality improvement and change management methodology)

- decision-making under uncertainty, particularly in relation to the minerals industry

- project and team leadership.

Dr Cooksey has over 15 years experience in the aluminium industry, working in most areas of aluminium smelting. He has previously worked with Rio Tinto Alcan and General Electric.

He joined CSIRO in 2004 as a project leader for multiple research projects in aluminium and magnesium production. Since 2008 he has led a variety of groups responsible for scientific and commercial aspects of process development, particularly for metallurgical processes.

While at CSIRO, Mark has completed a PhD in Chemical and Materials Engineering, developing a technique to directly measure ohmic electrical resistance in aluminium reduction cells.



Glanworth Room SESSION 6: Bioenergy Developments and Supply Heat and Power 1055 – 1115

DEVELOPMENT OF GAS TURBINE TECHNOLOGY TO ALLOW THE UTILISATION OF SOLID BIOMASS FUELS WITHOUT GASIFICATION

Bevan DooleyBTOLA Pty. Ltd., Mt White, NSW, Australia




BIOMASS FOR HEAT AND POWER GENERATION - EFFICIENCIES AND EMISSIONS OF ADVANCED WOOD WASTE FULLED ENERGY PLANTS DEPENDING ON THE FEEDSTOCK AND PLANT DESIGN

Christian JirkowskyPolytechnik Biomass Energy Pty Ltd, Havelock North, New Zealand

Woody biomass residues for heat and power are readily available and plentiful and hold a large potential as a source of renewable energy and greenhouse gas emission reductions. They provide us with one of the most environmentally friendly energy sources, with the carbon dioxide released during the combustion of the biomass getting converted into carbohydrates and oxygen -photosynthesis - when plants and trees grow. A downside of heat and power from biomass can be the impact on the surroundings.

Despite the frequent depiction of biomass as “clean” energy, data from air permit applications and real smokestack tests often demonstrate the opposite.

Without responsible emission standards/limits and/or the use state-of-the-art biomass boilers and emission control systems, burning wood and other biological materials for energy can emit as much harmful and hazardous emission as coal fired energy plants (but they are clearly better for some pollutants like sulphur and mercury, but the same or worse for particulates, nitrogen oxides, etc.).

Emissions are generally a function of the fuel type, combustion temperature, residence times and staged combustion, and pollution controls.

Air pollution comprises many components, not all of which are obvious or even detectable by sight or smell by people, and each of which can have different effects, with the main ones being: Particulates (PM10 and/or PM 2.5), Nitrogen oxides (NOx), Sulphur oxides (SOx), Carbon monoxide (CO), Hydrocarbons (HC) and ‘Air toxics’ like heavy metals, HC and VOC, PCDD/F.

Polytechnik Biomass Energy is one of the world’s leading suppliers of advanced combustion solutions, heat and power plants and emission control systems. By carrying out continuous research and development and the monitoring of its more than 3,000 energy plant installations, Polytechnik is able to provide its customers with state-of-the-art technology for the clean and efficient utilisation of biomass for energy generation.


Christian Jirkowsky is Polytechnik Biomass Energy’s General Manager with twenty-five years of experience in areas such as heat and power generation via wood, biomass and fossil fuels, emission control and heat recovery systems in markets such as Europe, Asia, Oceania and Americas. Christian is experienced in design and engineering of wood and biomass fuelled thermal energy plants as well as emission control system with a focus on leading-edge technologies.

Not only due to his direct involvement in over 600 bioenergy plants he’s recognised as one of the leading experts in the Bioenergy Industry in Australasia with particular expertise in: Industrial Energy Plants, Combined Heat and Power, Combustion Solutions, Energy Recovery Systems, Energy from Wood and Forest Waste, Air Pollution Control, etc. Since 2013 Polytechnik sold and/or installed just in New Zealand and Australia a dozen state-of-the art boiler plants with a total


thermal output of over 30,000 kW.



THE LATEST INNOVATIONS IN THE USE OF ORGANIC RANKINE CYCLE (ORC) TECHNOLOGY

Carlo MininiTurboden S.R.L, Brescia, Italy

In the last two decades ORCs have been largely used to convert the heat from biomass combustion into electric energy. The success of the ORC technology for this application is mainly due to its low maintenance requirements, ease of operation and good partial load performance.

In the quest for higher efficiency systems and building on 35 years of experience in R&D, construction and maintenance of hundreds of (mostly tailored) ORCs plants, Turboden has recently introduced a new product and new applications of the technology, living up to its mission to always implement innovative ORC technical solutions.

In this presentation we show how the unprecedented performance achieved puts the ORC on par with steam turbines of increasing size; makes it an ideal technology for combined cycles with biomass gasification systems; allows the ORC to be used for a highly efficient cogeneration of steam and power.


Born and grown up in Italy, Carlo graduated in Civil Engineering (MS) at the University of Brescia, where he was awarded a 1-year grant for proficiency studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder (USA).

Prior to Turboden Carlo worked in the international humanitarian aid sector as Project Manager and Head of the Project in Water & Sanitation and Housing emergency programs in Africa and Asia.

In Turboden since 2007, Carlo was first responsible for geothermal sales in Europe and Africa and is now business development manager for all Turboden ORCs’ applications (biomass, solar, geothermal, heat recovery and waste-to-energy) in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific Islands.

Carlo lives in Melbourne with his wife and children since 2013.




PNG BIOMASS - MARKHAM VALLEY POWER AN ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL LARGE SCALE POWER PROJECT

Francis KabanoAligned Energy (Australia) Pty Ltd, Bronte, NSW, Australia

The PNG Biomass Project in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the latest and one of the most exciting clean and sustainable energy projects in Papua New Guinea’s history. After five years of planning and early development; significant expenditure on feasibility studies, nursery development, plantation trials, plantation establishment and landowner engagement; and with the involvement of world experts on sustainable biomass developments; the Project is now ready to be implemented with the potential to generate material social, environmental and economic benefits for PNG and its citizens.

The Project has recently entered a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with a 25 year term from the commencement of operations with the 100% state-owned utility, PNG Power Limited (PPL). The PPA provides for an initial 15 MW (net to grid) woody biomass-fired IPP, with an expansion option to a total of 30 MW (net), in the Markham Valley near Lae, PNG’s largest industrial centre (see www.pngbiomass.com). The project Owners are Aligned Energy Limited (www.alignedenergy.net) and Oil Search Limited (www.oilsearch.com). The final project approvals were received in August 2016 and the PPA is now effective.


Francis Holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree (Hons) from the University of PNG, and a Diploma in Public Administration from the Institute of Public Administration, PNG.

Francis is responsible for the PNG Biomass Project External, Community and Stakeholder Relations targeted towards creating and ensuring that the project social license is maintained. This position oversees Lands Access, Community Relations; Community Affairs and Government and other Stakeholder Relations for Oil Search limited, as PNG Biomass project owpner.

The role involves development of strategies, plans, and projects that assist the development of people and communities impacted by the Biomass Project in a sustainable and consistent manner while ensuring that the Company’s business objectives are achieved in accordance with Company approved plans.

Prior to joining Oil Search and involvement in the PNG Biomass project, Francis had over 24 years experience working in the PNG National Public Service and has held management positions within the Public Service including in the Highlands, Central and Bougainville Provinces with experiences in assisting and leading project developments in gaining land access and negotiations with customary land owners including management of landowner expectations and conflict management, land acquisition and agreement negotiation, legislation compliance, and government liaison




YORKE BIOMASS ENERGY PROJECT

Terry KallisYorke Biomass Energy, KENT TOWN, SA, Australia

The Yorke Biomass Energy (YBE) project is aiming to develop Australia’s first straw based power project utilizing stubble left over from farming activities.

The YBE project has a two unique aspects to it that make it a fist of its kind in biomass projects – an open book process for negotiation with biomass suppliers inclusive of profit sharing and a supplier owned and run cooperative (Yorke Biomass Supply) that will have exclusive rights to supply biomass to YBE.

The project is aiming to produce up to 20 MW in power which is no planned to be undertaken in two 10 MW stages.


Terry Kallis is the Principal of Kallis & Co Pty Ltd, his privately owned power project development and consultancy company.

Terry has more than 30 years of experience in the Australian energy sector and he has a successful track record for over 20 years at senior executive level. Terry holds degrees in Electrical Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration.

Terry has developed his own power projects through Kallis & Co which he formed in 2009. He is the originator of, consultant to, and minority shareholder of the $1.5 billion, 600 MW CERES wind farm project being developed on SA’s Yorke Peninsula by majority shareholder Senvion Australia (formerly REpower Australia). The CERES project has recently secured development approval for 197, 3.4 MW turbines and for an innovative 74 km, 600 MW undersea/underground HVDC transmission connection directly to Adelaide. In addition, Terry is developing a 20 MW biomass project (allied to the CERES project) and a large wind/compressed air energy storage project adjacent to the Galilee basin in central Queensland.

Terry is former Councillor of the South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy (SACOME) and former Chairman of the Australian Geothermal Energy Association (AGEA). He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Terry was recently named SA Energy Professional of the Year for 2015.



Hopewell Room SESSION 6: Bioenergy Developments and Supply Biogas 1055 – 1115

WASTEWATER + FOOD WASTE = BIOENERGY FACTORY

Philip WoodsSydney Water, Parramatta, NSW, Australia

In 2015-16, Bondi wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) produced enough biogas to generate 112% of the plants’s entire electricity demand. In August 2016, Sydney Water commenced receiving pulped fruit and vegetable waste at our Cronulla WWTP, which will see Cronulla produce more than 60% of its electricity demand on-site; enough electricity to power almost 1000 homes.

Sydney Water has been producing electricity from biogas since 1999. We have 11 engines at 8 wastewater treatment plants across Sydney. In 2015-16 we self generated a record 86GWh of electricity from biogas and hydro power, equivalent to 21% of our total electricity demand. As we develop more opportunities to receive food waste we will see more WWTPs move towards energy self sufficiency or, like Bondi, become net energy generators.

Our record electricity generation was due to a number of factors, including high engine availability. Engine availability at our Bondi plant was 94%. Years of experience with biogas co-generation and a focus on maintenance has seen a signficiant reduction in engine down time.

There are 13 WWTPs across Sydney that have anaerobic digesters. With the potential to convert other aerobic treatment plants to anaerobic, Sydney has the opportunity for bioenergy factories across the city.

Whilst large scale bioenergy is the most cost effective solution at present, other more decentralised opportunities could be the best solution in some situations, especially when it comes to household food waste from high rise residential development. Sydney Water is working with stakeholders such as City of Sydney to consider the feasibility of taking food waste from residential high rise into an anaerobic digestion system and combining with sewage waste.

The growth areas of Sydney present opportunities for co-location of industries - food waste receival and processing with wastewater treatment plants and facilities that can use electricity and waste heat from co-generation, or even public bus depots with biomethane refuelling facilities.


Phil’s role as Principal Analyst Eco-Efficiency is to champion resource efficiency projects across Sydney Water that help make Sydney a more liveable city.

Phil has lead Sydney Water’s efforts to identify carbon mitigation opportunities across the business through the development of a Cost of Carbon Abatement Tool. He works with Sydney Water’s planners on low energy, low carbon and resource efficient design principles Phil seeks to understand the complex interplay between water, energy and other materials used when we capture, transport, treat, recycle and release water back into the environment.

Phil is currently working on opportunities to maximise the value from the biogas created during wastewater treatment. Phil has developed Sydney Water’s strategy and action plan for the co-digestion of trucked organic waste, which will significantly increase biogas production and provide a new service to customers.




COST EFFECTIVE ENERGY RECOVERY USING CO-DIGESTION – AN UPDATE

Chris K HertleGHD Pty Ltd, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Biosolids from wastewater treatment is an energy and carbon-rich resource that has value which is not often fully utilised.

The opportunity for co-digestion of other waste types in the solids stream provides exciting opportunities for the wastewater utility and producers of biodegradable solid and liquid wastes.

This presentation will be introduced by placing co-digestion into the broad context of resource recovery. Future wastewater and water recycling treatment trains will require:

• Novel approaches for carbon and nutrient removal / recovery

• Low Energy Water recycling options

• Evaluation, development and demonstration of carbon removal using anaerobic technologies

• Incorporation of novel nitrogen removal / recovery options.

Economics of co-digestion, and significant cost drivers will be discussed. A key factor is substrate characteristics and the presentation will cover different types of waste resources and their typical characteristics.The presentation will provide an overview of current co-digestion projects in Australia and future opportunities.

The presentation will include relevant case studies including some of the latest technologies for anaerobic solid waste management including:

• Percolating high solids systems (ISKA)

• Anaerobic / Aerobic composting

• Plug Flow reactors

• Mixed Plug flow reactors

• Hybrids

To conclude the presentation, Chris will provide a list of key risks that need to be managed to deliver a successful co-digestion project.


Chris Hertle is a Chemical Engineer with over 30 years’ experience in municipal and industrial water and wastewater management and solid waste management, particularly with innovative industrial waste management schemes for energy recovery. This has covered investigations, pilot plants, design, specification, tendering, installation, commissioning and operations. He also has significant experience in the design and operation of wastewater treatment plants. Chris has been responsible for successfully implementing innovative wastewater treatment schemes for municipal and industrial clients (including numerous high rate anaerobic systems, Australia’s first membrane bioreactor and the first aerobic granular system at a brewery. Chris has a passion for challenging designs and coming up with alternative approaches that are cost effective. He has assisted GHD role out their internal Innovation platform and helped grow the Innovation Interchange. Chris has written more than 40 technical publications in the water and wastewater field.




BIOGAS PRODUCTION FROM SUGARCANE WASTES TO REDUCE FOSSIL FUEL USE IN THE SUGAR INDUSTRY

Ian M. O’HaraQueensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

The Australian sugar industry is worth over $2 billion per year and is the third largest exporter of raw sugar globally. While the sugar industry produces large amounts of bioenergy (steam and electricity), significant quantities of petroleum-based fuels are used in growing, harvesting and transport of sugarcane, and in some factory operations.

Surplus sugarcane bagasse and trash has the potential to be biodigested into biogas which can be used to replace these petroleum based fuels. There is a significant opportunity in the sugar industry to reduce or completely replace the use of these fossil fuels with biogas derived fuels from sugar processing wastes, hence reducing production costs, increasing revenue, reducing GHG emissions from sugar production and improving industry sustainability and viability.

In collaboration with our project partners including Griffith University, Sunshine Sugar and Utilitas and with funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), QUT is investigating the opportunity to minimise or eliminate the use of fossil fuels in sugarcane production, transport and milling through the development of technologies for biogas production from sugarcane residues, upgrading of digestion products into transport and process energy fuels and the integration of these products into the sugar production process. This paper will describe the project and the current progress in technology development and demonstration.


Ian O’Hara is a Professor in the Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities at Queensland University of Technology. Ian is a chemical engineer with extensive experience in the biofuels, bioproducts and sugar industries in research, consulting, policy development, production management and process design. Ian’s research interests includes biofuels and bioenergy, biorefining and bioproducts, process engineering, scale-up and techno-economic assessment of new technologies. Ian consults internationally on the design and operation of processes for the production of sugar, biofuels and other bioproducts, and in particular relating to energy efficiency, product quality, systems analysis and process improvement.




SMALL-SCALE HIGH PRESSURE WATER SCRUBBING TECHNOLOGY TO UPGRADE BIOGAS PRODUCED FROM SUGAR CANE BAGASSE TO TRANSPORT GRADE BIOMETHANE

Prasad KaparajuGriffith School of Engineering, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Anaerobic digestion is considered as a sustainable environmental technology for the treatment of organic wastes and recovering energy in the form of biogas. The produced biogas can be used for generating power and/or heat in a combined heat and power (CHP) plant, in boilers for heat production alone, and can be also be upgraded to biomethane for vehicle use or national gas grid injection. Upgrading of biogas to biomethane would improve the overall efficiency of the biogas utilisation and enable decentralised production and utilisation of the produced biogas to meet local energy and transport fuel demand. Biomethane production has increased during the last decade, especially in Europe. However, there is no full-scale or pilot-scale biogas upgrading facilities in Australia for optimising biogas upgrading to produce vehicle fuel grade biomethane. In the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) project “Integration of biogas from sugarcane residues in the sugar milling industry to reduce fossil fuel usage” (2016-18) we will demonstrate the use of biomethane as a fuel for vehicles. At first, biogas production from sugarcane bagasse and trash will be optimised in a pilot-scale biogas plant. The produced biogas will then be subjected to high pressure water scrubbing technology for the emoval of biogas contaminants and separation of CO2 from the biogas. The upgraded biogas, called biomethane, will then be compressed and stored in gas bottles to meet the compressed natural gas quality standards. In this project, 8 m3 pilot-scale biogas plant with integrated biogas upgrading pilot-scale facility (8-103/h raw biogas) based on high pressure water scrubbing technology will be constructed. Preliminary results on biogas composition and data on the biomethane production, and vehicle fuel quality standards requirements for transport in Australia will be presented.


Dr Prasad Kaparaju is working as Lecturer, Environmental Engineering (Renewable Energy) at the Griffith School of Engineering, Griffith University. He has 13 years of post-doctoral research experience in anaerobic digestion, biomass conversion technologies (biogas, biohydrogen and bioethanol), biomass pretreatment and characterisation and environmental technology. Dr Kaparaju has previously worked as Assoc. prof. at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland, as Assistant Professor at Technical University of Denmark, Assistant Prof. at the University of Copenhagen and also as Visiting Scientist at LBE-INRA, France. He has published more than 35 research papers and 2 book chapters. He is currently Chief Investigator in Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) project “Integration of biogas from sugarcane residues in the sugar milling industry to reduce fossil fuel usage” (2016-18). Previously, he worked as Chief Investigator in the EU 7th framework program project: Valorisation of foodwaste for biogas production (VALORGAS, Grant Agreement No: 241334) during 2011-2013.




CASE STUDY ON IMPROVING BIOGAS QUANTITY AND QUALITY ON AN ANAEROBIC COGENERATION PLANT WITH ACTI-MAG™

Michael RomerCalix Limited, Pymble, NSW, Australia

Biogas production from wastewater streams is one of the answers to the energy and environmental needs of the future. Treating wastewater streams though an anaerobic process to produce biogas energy and treated wastewater simultaneously can provide a significant economic boost for water authorities. Two of the key parameters in maximising the economics of biogas generation from Anaerobic systems is the management of H2S formation in the gas and the consistency of the gas generations. Addition of an alkali is typically a critical part of the Anaerobic system for maintenance of pH and alkalinity. Many water authorities do not take advantage of the energy potential their anaerobic systems offer via biogas capture and conversion. Australia only produced 1% of its electricity in 2014 from bioenergy (Clean Energy Australia Report).

A case study was done on a piggery in Victory that had been producing electricity since 1991 and it was looking to improve biogas/electricity production from the piggery wastewater stream though it anaerobic reactor. This case study started with doing a simple lab testing to determine the correct dosing rate for the field trial. In a static the lab trial hydrated lime, caustic soda, standard magnesium hydroxide and ACTI-Mag were tested as potential Alkalis. The ACTI-Mag showed a 3 fold increase in biogas volume generated compared to the other alkaline materials. From this lab testing it was found that between 100-200kg/ML was the optimum dosing rate for this operation. In the field trial 100kg was used on the raw wastewater with the following improvements. 1. Biogas volume increased by 20% 2. Power generation increased by 23.5%. 3. The soluble phosphate reduced by 37.5% in the final waste stream. 4. The H2S level reduced from 800-600 ppm range to below the 200 ppm level. 5. Stopped Struvite formation in the pipes.


Michael Romer has a background in Chemistry and many years of international and domestic experience working in both commercial and municipal waste water treatment plants. In particular, he has focussed on projects using anaerobic and aerobic systems to improve the water quality of the outflow system. He has also work on many field trial on the production of biogas from anaerobic reactors.



Taldora Room SESSION 6: Bioenergy Developments and Supply IEA Bioenergy Task 39 – Liquid Biofuels 1055 – 1115

ADVANCED LIQUID BIOFUELS DEVELOPMENTS IN THE USA

James D. (Jim) McMillan1 1. NREL, Golden, CO, United States

The transport sector in the United States of America (USA), and globally, remains highly dependent on petroleum-based liquid fuels and continues to be a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In the USA, for example, transport sector emissions account for over one quarter of total GHG emissions. With urgency mounting to quickly reduce GHG emissions driving climate change, many pathways to advanced lower GHG liquid biofuels continue to be researched and/or demonstrated, both in the USA and elsewhere, despite an on-going difficult market environment for liquid fuels development and investment. This presentation will review recent progress developing advanced liquid fuels in the USA, focusing on new R&D initiatives now underway and the status of biochemical, thermochemical and hybrid processing routes being actively researched and/or demonstrated at smaller commercial scales, especially routes based on the use of non-food cellulosic feedstocks. IEA Bioenergy Task 39’s scope of work and priorities for the 2016-2018 triennium will also be described.


James D. (“Jim”) McMillan, Ph.D., is Chief Engineer for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Bioenergy Center. He has over 25 years research experience advancing lignocellulose biorefining science and technology and is an active contributor to NREL’s portion of the United States Department of Energy’s Biomass Program. Jim also co-leads IEA Bioenergy Task 39, which is focused on accelerating development and commercialization of liquid biofuels, and he also co-chairs the annual Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals.




OVERVIEW ON ADVANCED BIOFUELS TECHNOLOGIES

Dina Bacovsky, Manfred WoergetterBioenergy 2020+, Wieselburg-Land, NIEDERöSTERREICH, Austria

Around the world a number of companies pursue projects to develop and deploy advanced technologies for the production of biofuels. A broad variety of raw materials is suitable, multiple conversion technologies are being developed and a range of different fuel products can be marketed.

With so many different options, it is hard to keep track of the development of the sector. One of those that give a good overview but also provide some level of technology detail, is IEA Bioenergy Task 39 “Commercializing Liquid Biofuels”. Task 39 has gathered data on more than 100 projects from the technology developers, and provides this data through an online interactive map (http://demoplants.bioenergy2020.eu) and a summary report.

In 2014 and 2015 several large facilities for the production of ethanol from lignocellulosic residues such as wheat straw, corn stover and sugarcane bagasse became operational, and serve to demonstrate the technical feasibility and optimize process conditions of advanced ethanol production technologies. Even further developed is the technology for the production of renewable diesel through hydrotreatment of oils and fats, with a number of commercial installations in oil refineries. Not yet fully developed are the thermochemical technologies which produce different kinds of biofuels such as biomethane, Fischer Tropsch diesel or mixed alcohols from the syngas which is derived from the gasification of straw or woodchips.

The report provides details for these demonstration facilities, and allows to compare different technology routes. As monitoring of the advanced biofuels implementation status is ongoing since 2010, the report also allows to follow the successes and failures of technology development.


Dina Bacovsky graduated from Vienna University of Technology with a Degree in Process Engineering. She is Head of the Unit Biofuels at BIOENERGY 2020+. She is active in two IEA Technology Collaboration Programmes (TCPs): Advanced Motor Fuels TCP and Bioenergy TCP, Task 39 on Liquid Biofuels.

Her activities include research, consulting and information exchange on biofuels production and use, policies and implementation. Dina Bacovsky has assessed oil and biodiesel quality from 30 different feedstocks, supported the harmonisation of GHG calculations for biofuels in the EU and monitored the development of advanced biofuels production facilities. Her worldwide overview on 2nd generation biofuels demonstration facilities has received much interest in the biofuels community. With her team she carries out research on algae cultivation and processing, and actively engages in information exchange in scientific networks.




MANAGEMENT OF INHIBITORS OF BIOCATALYSTS IN BIOCHEMICAL CONVERSION OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC FEEDSTOCKS

Leif J. JönssonUmea University, Umea, SWEDEN, Sweden

Advanced biofuels and green chemicals can be produced from lignocellulosic feedstocks using biochemical conversion technologies involving biocatalysts such as cellulolytic enzymes and fungal and bacterial microbes that convert sugars to desired products. Hydrothermal pretreatment under acidic conditions is a commonly used pretreatment method that is highly relevant for industrial implementation and that is effective for a wide range of lignocellulosic feedstocks. Acid pretreatment facilitates enzymatic saccharification of cellulose primarily by targeting hemicelluloses, but also generates some by-products that partially inhibit the action of cellulases and fermenting microbes. During the last few years new groups of inhibitory substances have been discovered, and new approaches to efficiently convert acid-pretreated biomass have been explored. The chemistry of formation of inhibitory by-products will be discussed, as well as different strategies that can be utilized to counteract negative effects of pretreatment by-products and to make bioconversion processes more efficient.


Prof. Leif J. Jönsson received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Lund University, Sweden, in 1994. After postdoctoral studies in the USA and in Finland he was working at Lund Institute of Technology until 2001, when he moved to Karlstad University as associate professor of biochemistry. In 2008 he received a professorship at the Department of Chemistry of Umeå University. Prof. Jönsson pursues research on biotechnology for biorefining of lignocellulose to commodities such as biofuels, biopolymers and green chemicals. He has published more than 100 articles in international peer-reviewed scientific journals and books and has been supervisor or co-supervisor of 20 doctoral students. Prof. Jönsson is heading the research platform on Biopolymers and Biochemical Conversion Technologies within the strategic research environment Bio4Energy (www.bio4energy.se) and collaborates with biorefinery-oriented industry in Örnsköldsvik, where he is a member of the R&D Advisory Board of SP Processum (www.processum.se).




INTEGRATION OF LICELLA'S CAT-HTR INTO CANFOR PRINCE GEORGE PULP MILL

Steve Rogers, Bill Rowlands, Rob Downie, Adriana Downie 1. Licella Pty Ltd, Somersby, NSW, Australia

An overview of how Licella intends to integrate its Cat-HTR process into the Canfor Prince George Pulp Mill in Canada


Steve Rogers is Business Development Manager for Licella. Steve has spent most of the last twenty years establishing new technology companies and developing them to be commercially successful operations. Steve joined Licella in early 2008 initially focusing on the opportunities for the technology in Europe, then assisting with capital raising whilst developing the commercialisation strategy for the company which is now being implemented.

Prior to Licella, Steve has had a successful career commercialising technologies in the software and CleanTech sectors. After 10 years with IBM, he joined the fledgling Software Industry and moved to Australia to establish BMC Software which now has annual turnover of over $100m. Since this time Steve has been involved in two successful CleanTech start ups Energy Efficiency Ltd in the UK and Horizon Technologies in Australia who were the first organisations to receive Australian Government funding via the CVC REEF programme.




COMPARISON OF BIOFUELS LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT TOOLS FOR SUGARCANE ETHANOL ASSESSMENT IN BRAZIL

Antonio BonomiBrazilian Bioethanol Science and Technology Laboratory, Campinas, SãO PAULO, Brazil

Targets for GHG emissions reductions have been set; however, the application of diverging LCA models in face of regulatory directives, jeopardizes their optimal use in the policy context and may discredit the compliance of biofuels with the targets established. This presentation will show a comparison of LCA GHG regulatory models (GHGenius, GREET and BioGrace) and an assessment tool developed by CTBE (using its Virtual Sugarcane Biorefinery approach) applied to sugarcane ethanol in Brazil. The study identified and tracked the main reasons for the results obtained by each model, depicting the main differences and commonalities in methodological structures, calculation procedures, and assumptions made. In addition, a set of preliminary recommendations are proposed to harmonize LCA models results.


Antonio Bonomi, Brazilian, age 67: Chemical Engineer. PhD in Chemical Engineering by the University of Minnesota, USA, 1977. Head of Technological Assessment Program at CTBE – Bioethanol Science and Technology National Laboratory of CNPEM - BRAZIL, since November 2008. Senior researcher at IPT – Research Institute of the State of São Paulo, Brazil from 1983 to 2008, developing activities in different areas: biotechnology processes, mathematical modeling and simulation, metrology in chemistry, among others. Worked for more than 40 years in the development of bioethanol technology, having several published papers in the area. Director of Biofuels at AEA – Brazilian Automotive Association from 2005 to 2009. Manager for Fuel Quality at ANP – Brazilian National Oil, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency from 2000 to 2003. Presently, member of IEA-Bioenergy – Task 39 as one of the Brazilian representatives. Adviser in academic graduate programs in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology areas.



Chelsea Room SESSION 7: Bioenergy Developments ABBA – Resource Assessment 1340 – 1520

AUSTRALIAN BIOMASS FOR BIOENERGY ASSESSMENT

Julie Bird1, Dave Rogers2, Mary Lewitzka3, Kelly Wickham4, Martin Moroni5, Kelly Bryant6, Fabiano Ximenes7, Ana Belgun8, Rebecca Dengate8, Phil Hobson9, Mohammad Reza Ghaffariyan10

1. Rural Industries R&D Corporation2. Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia 3. RenewablesSA 4. Sustainability Victoria 5. Private Forests Tasmania6. Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation7. NSW Department of Industry8. Data61 CSIRO9. Queensland University of Technology10. University of the Sunshine Coast

The purpose of the Australian Biomass and Bioenergy Assessment (ABBA), is to catalyse investment in the renewable energy sector through the provision of detailed information about biomass resources across Australia, to assist in project development and decision making for new bioenergy projects, and provide linkages between biomass supply, through the supply chain, to the end user. In order to achieve this, the project is collecting, on a state-by-state basis, data on the location, volumes and availability of biomass, for inclusion on the Australian Renewable Energy Mapping Infrastructure (AREMI) platform. This geospatial data is then available to renewable energy project developers, policy makers, and others, providing a multi-faceted dataset that will complement existing related information, such as energy infrastructure, power utilities, population data, and land use data. Data collected from this project is presented on the AREMI platform as customisable layers. Data collected and uploaded includes; the types, locations and volumes of existing biomass resources (where possible identifying both total and potentially available resources), the types, locations and volumes of existing bioenergy industries, identification of other relevant spatially based information in communication with commercial participants in the renewable energy sector, land capability for future biomass.

In addition to these data sets, interactive analytic tools will be developed to enhance the utility of the data. These analytic tools are likely to include information relating to estimated biomass cost, cumulative availability, and estimates of future biomass potential from alternative cropping scenarios.

The ABBA project is funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, and the NSW, Victorian, Tasmanian, South Australian, Western Australian and Queensland state governments, QUT and USC, and is managed by the Rural Industries R&D Corporation, and will be demonstrated live during this presentation. The project is in its first year, and has recently uploaded its first 100 data layers.


Julie has managed the RIRDC bioenergy programs for over 8 years, and now manages the Australian Biomass for Bioenergy Assessment on RIRDC's behalf.



Glanworth Room SESSION 7: Bioenergy Developments Community and Policy 1340 – 1400

HOW RESILIENT IS THE SOCIAL LICENCE OF ENERGY CROPPING?

Alex BaumberThe University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Energy cropping is well established in many countries, from Brazilian sugarcane to US corn ethanol to woody crops like poplar in Europe. Australia offers significant potential for energy crop expansion, especially as advances are made around cellulosic biofuels from woody biomass. A potential threat to this expansion is the criticism energy cropping has attracted, from the food vs fuel debate to the clearing of tropical rainforests for oil palm. One response has been the development of sustainability criteria and standards to ensure that governments do not promote forms of bioenergy that pose such threats. However, this alone may not be enough to ensure that energy cropping systems are able to earn and maintain a ‘social licence to operate’ from affected communities.

The phrase ‘social licence to operate’ first emerged in the mining sector in the 1990s to describe the extent to which society is prepared to accept the resource use practices of private companies. It has since been applied to activities such as windfarms and agriculture. Energy cropping are well suited to analysis using the social licence concept because it presents not only environmental risks (which may threaten its social licence), but also potential benefits such as climate change mitigation and landscape protection, which may strengthen its social licence.

This paper considers not only which energy crops currently have a social licence to operate, but also how resilient this social licence is likely to be in response to unexpected shocks and controversies. It will draw on lessons from overseas, where certain energy crops have shown signs of losing their social licence (e.g. first-generation biofuel crops in the EU) and other sectors, such as pulpwood plantations in southern Australia.


Dr Alex Baumber is a research fellow at the University of New South Wales specialising in bioenergy sustainability, revegetation and rural social research. His recent book “Bioenergy crops for ecosystem health and sustainability” (Routledge 2016) explores the range of environmental, social and economic impacts that different bioenergy crops can have and how policy measures can be carefully designed to promote the most sustainable forms of bioenergy.




DEVELOPING A SOCIAL LICENCE FOR BIOENERGY - THE NORTHERN RIVERS EXPERIENCE

Natalie MeyerSustain Energy, Nimbin, NSW, Australia

Natalie Meyer is the Convenor of Sustain Energy, a regional collaboration in the Northern Rivers of NSW which includes local councils, NGOs, TAFE, NSW Trade and Investment and Regional Development Australia NR. Sustain Energy has been responsible for steering the Northern Rivers Bio hubs project, funded by NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and RDA NR, in 2015 and 2016. Nimbin Neighbourhood and Information Centre is the Lead Agency for the project, which has involved research into the feasibility of potential bioenergy projects in Nimbin, Casino and the Tweed. A significant aspect of the project has been an investigation into social licence issues, building on past work undertaken by Sustain Energy and the North Coast Energy Forums. The Northern Rivers provides an excellent case study of what happens when an industry attempts to enter a new area without first obtaining a social licence to operate. This presentation will examine how to go about working with community to develop a social licence and the importance of working within the parameters of community acceptance. The presentation will describe the processes undertaken in the Nothern Rivers over a period of some years to develop a social licence for bioenergy, the findings of our research and the implications for bioenergy projects and practitioners in the Northern Rivers and more broadly across the sector.


Natalie Meyer is the Manager of Nimbin Neighbourhood and Information (NNIC), a pioneer in community energy projects including the Nimbin Community Solar Farm which has been operating for the last 6 years. Natalie has an extensive background in Legal Practice, Sports Coaching and Community Development with a Sustainability focus. Natalie is also the Convenor of Sustain Energy, a regional collaboration including local councils, NGOs, TAFE, NSW Trade and Investment, Regional Development Australia NR which is responsible for steering the Northern Rivers Bio hubs project, funded by NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and RDA NR. NNIC is the Lead Agency for the project, which has involved research into the feasibility of potential bioenergy projects in Nimbin, Casino and the Tweed.




BIOENERGY POLICIES AND STATUS OF BIOENERGY IMPLEMENTATION

Dina Bacovsky1, Arthur Wellinger2 1. Bioenergy 2020+, Wieselburg-Land, NIEDERöSTERREICH, Austria 2. Tripl-e-und-m, Aadorf, Switzerland

Globally, most countries meet their energy requirements primarily from fossil sources such as oil, gas and coal. However, mostly driven by energy supply security concerns and the will to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, many countries strive to diversify their energy sources and cut the share of fossil fuels. Strong national policies have proven to be effective, and the share of renewables has risen constantly between 2000 and 2010, with bioenergy largely contributing to this development.

22 countries from around the globe and the European Commission have joined the IEA´s Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme (Bioenergy TCP) to coordinate the work of national programmes across the wide range of bioenergy technologies. Most of these countries are among the largest net importers of crude oil and oil products (US, Japan, Germany, Korea), but also net exporters like Canada have joined the Bioenergy TCP. In common they have policies in place supporting the development and deployment of bioenergy.

The policies, energy statistics and R&D efforts of these member countries of the Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme have been pulled together into one report, reflecting the current situation of bioenergy. Statistical data has been provided by the IEA Statistics Division, and information on R&D programs and bioenergy policies was provided by the national delegates to the Executive Committee of the Bioenergy TCP. The report provides insights into national drivers and policy measures, but also allows to compare different countries. The report will be available soon from www.ieabioenergy.com.


Dina Bacovsky graduated from Vienna University of Technology with a Degree in Process Engineering. She is Head of the Unit Biofuels at BIOENERGY 2020+. She is active in two IEA Technology Collaboration Programmes (TCPs): Advanced Motor Fuels TCP and Bioenergy TCP, Task 39 on Liquid Biofuels.

Her activities include research, consulting and information exchange on biofuels production and use, policies and implementation. Dina Bacovsky has assessed oil and biodiesel quality from 30 different feedstocks, supported the harmonisation of GHG calculations for biofuels in the EU and monitored the development of advanced biofuels production facilities. Her worldwide overview on 2nd generation biofuels demonstration facilities has received much interest in the biofuels community. With her team she carries out research on algae cultivation and processing, and actively engages in information exchange in scientific networks.




WHY DID ECOTECH ADVOCATE FOR A MANDATE?

Doug StuartEcotech Biodiesel, Narangba, Qld, Australia

Ecotech Biodiesel has been in operation since 2006, however much of this time has been spent in care and maintenance or at a substantially reduced production output. This presentation will discuss the factors that have caused this (such as imports and OEM’s), and also show the effect of pricing on mandated volumes when biodiesel is economically uncompetitive.


Doug is the Technical Development Manager at Ecotech Biodiesel starting with Ecotech in 2011. He is responsible for technical enquiries; liaising on university projects; sales and client management; continual improvement management; and liaising with Government. Prior to Ecotech, he has worked in quality control and R&D of the Pharmaceutical industry, and as an academic in the Faculty of Science at the University of Newcastle. He has also owned and managed a horticultural enterprise in Far North Queensland which introduced him to Biofuels and Sustainability.




BIOFUELS POLICY – THE NEW FRONTIER

Mark SuttonBiofuels Association of Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia

The biofuels sector has entered a new era with the imminent introduction of a biofuels mandate in Queensland and the implementation of major changes in NSW.

After 10 years of debate, the Queensland Government will introduce a 3 per cent mandate for ethanol and .5 per cent for biodiesel on January 1. It is a modest start but that, coupled with a major education campaign which has already hit the airwaves, should see sales increase strongly.

The Queensland Government has taken a bold policy approach, with biofuels a key plank in its bid to build a job-generating bio-industry. It has also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States Navy to develop a biodiesel port in northern Australia.

In NSW, the government has made major changes to the existing mandate which sits at 6 per cent for ethanol and 2 per cent for biodiesel. And on another front, the aviation industry sees biofuels as a key component in capping its emissions.

Virgin and Air New Zealand have issued a Requestion for Information (RFI) for Australian supplies of aviation biofuel. While there are positive signs, there remains some missing pieces in the policy puzzle.


Mark Sutton has worked at senior levels in the media, government and the private sector. He began his career as a journalist – working for regional papers and television before joining National Nine News in Sydney. He rose through the ranks to become Supervising Producer of Early News. Some of the major stories of the time covered by the Nine News early team included the Sydney to Hobart disaster of 1998, the death of Princess Diana, the Colombine High School massacre, the Kosovo war and Thredbo landslide.

Mark later moved to politics as a media adviser and Chief of Staff to a State Government Minister who later became Premier of NSW, before running the Sydney office of a national public affairs company. In this role he managed a team of 10 government and media experts who supported private sector clients in the energy, IT, infrastructure, media, agriculture and telecommunications sector.

Before joining the BAA, Mark was a specialist consultant on government affairs, policy and media.




CONTINUOUS ANAEROBIC DIGESTION OF PRE-TREATED SYNTHETIC MEDIUM WITH FOCUS ON LIPID DEGRADATION

Peter W Harris1, 2, Bernadette K McCabe1, 2 1. University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia 2. National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia

Fat, oil and grease (FOG) in wastewater continues to be an operational issue for on-site wastewater treatment in the Australian red meat processing industry. FOG is problematic to anaerobic digestion in many ways, causing pipe blockages, crust formation in covered systems and subsequent short circuiting and sludge washout, inhibition of mass transfer of nutrients causing reversible inhibition and if inappropriately handled, overloading and failure of a digestion system. While FOG has a large methane potential of 1014 L/kg of volatile solids (VS), compared with 480 L/kg VS from protein and 370 L/kg VS from carbohydrates, unlocking the methane potential of FOG remains difficult. Co-digestion studies have been promising, and the use of multiple waste streams are currently being explored in an Australian context. Pre-treatment offers an additional potential engineering solution.

This research investigated the effect of chemical, thermobaric, thermochemical, and two novel bio-surfactants on continuously stirred tank reactors operated under semi-continuous digestion using a synthetic waste medium incorporating lard. This presentation will provide results on FOG degradation in pre-treated substrate, and effluent FOG, volatile fatty acids, long-chain fatty acids, alkalinity as calcium carbonate, pH and ammonium content to inform on the impact of pre-treatment on the FOG component of the wastewater and general reactor health. Methane production will be monitored using replicate 2L bioreactor simulator (BRS, Bioprocess Control, Sweden). The continuous digestion investigations will provide valuable information with respect to inhibition and digester health that is difficult to ascertain during batch BMP digestion.


Peter completed a bachelor of biomedical science with distinction and a bachelor of science (Honours) with the University of Southern Queensland. He worked with the National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture for two years as a research assistant, and helped to produce the work entitled “Assessing a new approach to covered anaerobic pond design in the treatment of abattoir wastewater”. Peter commenced a PhD in 2013 and has published a review article entitled “Review of pre-treatments used in anaerobic digestion and their potential application in high-fat cattle slaughterhouse wastewater”. Two further articles are nearing completion as of July 2016. This will be Peter’s 3rd consecutive year attending the Bioenergy Australia conference, having presented a poster at his first, and an oral presentation “Enhancing biogas production: Pre-treatment options for high-strength abattoir wastewater” at his second.




PROCESS MONITORING AND CONTROL IN THE AD OF ABATTOIR WASTEWATER – UPSCALING FROM LAB TO LARGE SCALE

Thomas SchmidtUniversity of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia

Process monitoring and process control is important at large scale anaerobic treatment plants for a better understanding of the anaerobic process, to prevent acidification, and to guarantee a stable biogas production. Biogas production from abattoir wastewater can be difficult due to fluctuations in the amount and concentration of the feedstock, high content of fat, grease and oil (FOG) and resulting foaming and formation of swimming layers and crusts, and low pH and buffering capacity.

This presentation will show first results from the scientific monitoring of an anaerobic lagoon treating abattoir wastewater and accompanying lab scale experiments such as feedstock analyses, biomethane potential tests, sludge activity tests, and continuous digestion tests in Continuous Stirred Tank Reactors (CSTR). The experiments have identified problems in the accuracy of test kits for the determination of the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and in the drying/burning method to determine Total Solids (TS) and Volatile Solids (VS). Both parameters are used to calculate the Organic Loading Rate (OLR) and the Specific Biogas Production (SBP), as well as degradation efficiency. Therefore inaccurate values can have a huge impact on decision-making process of plant operators and might not reflect the actual situation regarding the anaerobic process. The presentation will show the benefits of a scientific monitoring for plant operators and options to identify and improve inaccurate values and process control.


Dr. Thomas Schmidt is a scientist with the National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture, University of Southern Queensland. He is working in field of bioresources and waste utilisation with a special focus on anaerobic processes and biogas production.

Previously he worked six years for the German Biomass Research Centre doing national and international research projects, consultancy, and feasibility studies on the anaerobic digestion of different organic waste. He holds a diploma (Dipl.-Ing.; University Kassel) in agricultural engineering, a master degree (HU Berlin) in international agricultural science, and a PhD (Dr.-Ing.; University Rostock).

One of his main interest is biogas laboratory research including conception and operation of different biogas and wastewater treatment technologies, implementation of discontinuous and continuous biogas tests and relevant analytical methods, as well as process monitoring and optimisation.




THE EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND WASTE COMPOSITION ON ORGANIC LOADING THRESHOLDS IN ANAEROBIC CO-DIGESTION

Stephan Tait, Catherine Macintosh, Mike Meng, Sergi Astals, Paul Jensen, Damien Batstone Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

There has been re-emerging interest in anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD), whereby two or more wastes are co-fed into a digester to boost biogas production. In countries with a short-fall in energy, the selection of feedstock mixtures has commonly been somewhat adhoc, with pretty much any feedstock sourced at a reasonable cost being co-fed into the digester. However, in countries with an excess in energy supply (e.g. Australia), it could be possible to more carefully select feedstocks for better process robustness and maximising methane yield. Unfortunately, fundamental knowledge of AcoD is lacking, particularly on the impacts of psychrophilic temperature and waste composition on AcoD performance in terms of organic loading thresholds and inhibition. In this work, two sets of bench-scale continuous tank digesters were operated, one with altered temperatures, and another with co-feeding of a base substrate (sewage sludge) with model co-substrates (cellulose, oleic acid or gelatine).

In the temperature-adjusted set, the microbial community and individual biokinetic rates were analysed for two different AD systems fed with sewage sludge and pig manure, respectively. The balance of the micro-organisms was observed to be different between the two AD systems, as was the rate-limiting process step, which appeared to be propionate oxidation for sewage sludge and methanogenesis for pig manure. With the co-substrate digesters, gelatine was considered desirable from an energy density perspective, but showed higher inhibition risk in the tests, likely due to elevated ammonia. Cellulose substantially boosted biogas production without notable inhibition, up to a 50% increase in organic loading by the added co-substrate (up to 3.4 kgCOD/m3/day in total mixture fed). With oleic acid, the digester responded slower, with biogas production increasing more moderately compared to with cellulose. Overall, co-digestion has the potential to greatly boost biogas production, and fundamental knowledge gained can help guide dosing strategies to sustain digestion performance.


Mike Meng is a current PhD student in the anaerobic technologies group at the Advanced Water Management Centre in the University of Queensland. His PhD studies focus on anaerobic co-digestion. With qualifications in environmental engineering and management, Mike possesses technical competencies in the areas of wastewater treatment process design, high-pressure membrane fouling investigations, and resource recovery from wastewater treatment processes.




ON THE ACCLIMATION OF ANAEROBIC DIGESTION TO IMPORTANT CHEMICAL INHIBITORS AND THE IMPACT OF OPERATOR INTERVENTION

Stephan Tait, Lu Yang, Sergi Astals, Paul Jensen, Damien BatstoneAdvanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Anaerobic digestion is increasingly being adopted in Australia, because of its potential to provide renewable energy in the form of biogas methane. However, it is well-known that anaerobic digestion processes can be sensitive to a range of chemical inhibitors present in digester feedstocks (e.g. salinity) and/or that are produced by anaerobic digestion (e.g. ammonia or dissolved sulfide). It is of practical interest to know whether anaerobic digestion processes can acclimatize to chemical inhibitors, and also whether acclimation can be facilitated in some economically feasible ways of operator intervention. If so, operators could potentially increase the resilience of anaerobic digestion processes by active intervention. The present paper outlines the results of two major experimental studies, one quantifying the acclimation of pig manure digestion to sodium and ammonia in continuous stirred bench-scale anaerobic digesters, and the other studying links between possible means of intervention and acclimation to ammonia as a common inhibitor. The results from the continuous stirred tank digesters showed acclimation, with sodium and ammonia added at levels where 90% acute inhibition would occur only causing 45-55% inhibition. Unfortunately, while microbial community composition markedly changed due to inhibition pressure, there was no statistically significant link between possible economic means of operator intervention (e.g. altering digester temperature or feedstock composition) and inhibition tolerance. Overall, these results suggests that acclimation to chemical inhibitors occurs naturally, but can not be greatly facilitated by economic means of operator intervention.


Stephan Tait is a Research Fellow at the Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. He holds a research fellowship with the Pork CRC and leads a number of research projects across the agriculture and municipal wastewater in the areas of anaerobic digestion and co-digestion, nutrient resource recovery, biogas treatment, and decentralized water treatment and recycling. Stephan has a PhD in Chemical Engineering and is a chartered professional engineer with the Institution of Chemical Engineers. Stephan is motivated to help industry and agriculture benefit from being resourceful and innovative, especially in the areas of water and energy.




PROCESS IMPROVEMENT OF ENERGY AND VALUE EXTRACTION FROM RED MEAT PROCESSING WASTE

Bernadette McCabeUniversity of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia

The red meat processing (RMP) industry is Australia’s largest food manufacturer and exporter and is extremely energy and resource intensive. Up to 1.8 mega tonnes of solid waste are produced per year by Australia’s 150 abattoirs. Biogas technologies currently deliver energy savings of up to $1 million a year and reduce carbon emissions of 90% for large processors. However, only 10% of Australia’s abattoirs currently use waste to produce biogas. Therefore substantial scope exists to increase deployment of waste recovery technologies.

This presentation will provide an overview of a 3 year Advance Queensland funded project which aims to develop tools and practices that better manage waste streams and biogas process optimisation in the red meat processing industry. The project collaborates with industry partner NH Foods Oakey Beef Exports (OBEX); one of Australia’s largest processing plants.


A/Prof Bernadette McCabe is a principal scientist with the National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture, University of Southern Queensland. Bernadette’s specific research interest is in energy capture and resource recovery of waste and has attracted over $1.3M in nationally competitive grants and / or research contracts since 2010. She was recently awarded an Advance Queensland Mid-Career Research Fellowship working in partnership with NH Foods Australia, Oakey Beef Exports. She has expertise in the monitoring of wastewater, biogas production and assessment of biosolids as fertiliser replacement.

Bernadette collaborates at an international level as Australia’s National Team Leader in the IEA Bioenergy program Task 37: Energy from Biogas. IEA Task 37 is an international working group made up of 14 member countries that exchange global best practice trends in biogas production. Through this role she has established a wide network of national and international research, industry and government contacts.



Taldora Room SESSION 7: Bioenergy Developments Liquid Biofuels 1340 – 1400

REACH TECHNOLOGY FOR CONVERTING BIOMASS INTO JET FUEL AND DIESEL

Karl Seck Mercurius Biorefining, Ferndale, WASHINGTON, United States

Mercurius Biorefining is developing Renewable Acid-hydrolysis Condensation Hydrotreating (REACH) technology. The first step of REACH: Acid-hydrolysis, is hydrochloric acid based technology from UC Davis that very efficiently converts C6 sugar carbohydrates in high yield (70-90%) to the intermediate chloro-methylfurfural (CMF), C5 sugars and carbohydrates are converted into furfural and add to the condensation feed without further reaction, and lignin remains unconverted. For REACH conversion to fuel the CMF is converted into levulinic acid (and formic acid) and a furfural to be fed to a condensation reactor. Condensation products are formed in the right carbon chain length then the mixture is hydrodeoxygenated in a hydrotreater to drop-in jet fuel and diesel components.

REACH technology is inherently more cost efficient because it is a liquid phase catalytic (LPC) process. Fast residence times and high density liquid phase processing both reduce equipment sizes and therefore capex. In addition, the process is very feedstock flexible, and the biomass feed does not need to be de-sized as much as competing cellulosic biofuels technologies. Recent testing at PurdueUniversity shows that the robust acid hydrolysis process used for REACH, will convert corn stover shredded particles as long as 4 inches and with a moisture content of up to 30% without loss of yield. Estimates for opex costs are $1.06/gal excluding capex charges and $1.62/gal including capex. These estimates were developed for corn stover feed at $50/dMT, assuming lower costs for wetter, larger feed materials. Even using the EERE goal of $80/dMT, all-in opex is about $2.00/gal. The REACH process is already below the $3.00/gal cost target goal initiated by the US DOE EERE. Synergies with algae based feedstocks are currently being investigated and show great promise.


Karl Seck has spent most of his career in the petroleum refining field as a process engineer. He has held design, technical services, optimization, and operations management positions with three oil companies. Karl started his own process consulting service in 2001. He received a BS Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kansas.




THE ETHTEC CELLULOSIC ETHANOL PILOT PLANT AND COMMERCIALISATION PROJECT

Russell ReevesEthanol Technologies Limited, Ingham, QLD, Australia

Ethanol Technologies Limited (Ethtec) is developing and commercialising an acid hydrolysis based process for the production of ethanol and co-products from lignocellulosic materials including sugar cane bagasse, forest material, cotton stubble and grain crop stubbles. The process is feedstock insensitive and can be used on mixed feedstocks across multiple industry sectors (sugar cane, forestry, wheat, cotton, etc.).

A video of the Ethtec pilot plant in operation will be shown, the production process explained and key features discussed. The current status of the Project and linkages with industry will also be discussed.


Dr. Reeves obtained his PhD in Chemistry in 1978 from the University of Newcastle. He is the inventor of technologies relating to the conversion of lignocellulosic materials to ethanol. Economically viable conversion of lignocellulosic materials to ethanol is internationally recognised as being the basis of a legitimate and environmentally sustainable ethanol fuel industry that is able to produce ethanol in the volume required to meet demand for liquid fuels.

Dr. Reeves is also the inventor of ‘diesohol' technology that enables the use of hydrated ethanol-diesel blends in diesel engines. The ability to efficiently use ethanol in diesel engines, in addition to its conventional use in petrol engines, is necessary in order to reduce greenhouse gas and other emissions arising from the use of diesel fuel.




CARBON NEUTRAL GROWTH AND THE ROLE OF ALTERNATIVE JET FUEL

Robert BoydInternational Air Transport Association, Geneva, GENèVE, Switzerland

In 2009, aviation was the first industry to set itself global climate goals: a short-term efficiency goal, a mid-term goal to cap net CO2 emissions through carbon-neutral growth and a long-term goal to halve aviation CO2 emissions.

These goals were set as part of the industry’s efforts to respond to the global challenge of climate change, understanding that the efficient operation of the international aviation system is so reliant on globally-agreed standards and systems.

In the seven years since these goals were set, there have been significant achievements across the sector in collaborative climate action:

One area of focus is Sustainable Alternative Jet Fuel. Over 4,000 commercial flights have occurred using these fuels, conducted by more than 20 different airlines. There are now five certified pathways for the production of sustainable alternative jet fuel, and lower-carbon fuels are now being used on regular flights from at least two international airports with more airports and routes to come.

But what role can these fuels play in the context of the wider industry CO2 reduction goals? What are the barriers and opportunities associated with wide-scale deployment and how will the ICAO Global Market Based Measure influence the uptake of alternative jet fuel.


Robert Boyd holds the positional of Manager Environment – Alternative Fuels, within the Environment department at the International Air Transport Association (IATA). His focus on alternative jet fuel is aimed to increase the global deployment while addressing policy, economic, sustainability and logistics challenges. Robert serves as a member of the United Nations ICAO Alternative Fuels Task Force and sits on the advisory board of the Carbon War Room and Canada’s Biojet Supply Chain Initiative (CBSCI). Prior to joining IATA Robert was the Principal Economist for Virgin Australia Airlines and co-lead of the renewable jet fuel team. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Commerce and a post graduate diploma in Applied Finance Robert spent nearly 10 years in banking for both JP Morgan in Australia and Morgan Stanley in London. He earned a Master’s in Business Economics from the University of Queensland, Australia in 2008.




GLYCELL – LEAF RESOURCES’ pRETREATMENT PROCESS FOR THE CONVERSION OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOMASS TO FUELS AND CHEMICALS

Les Edye, Alex Baker, Marc SabourinLeaf Resources, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Development of effective low cost lignocellulosic biomass pre-treatment has been a significant challenge for the emerging biofuel and green chemical industries. Here we present a biorefinery concept that uses glycerol as a renewable catalyst for effective deconstruction of a range of wood and grass lignocellulosic fibre sources. Both the continuous pretreatment process in a horizontal pressurized digester and the recovery of glycerol by simulated moving bed chromatography have been demonstrated at the pilot scale. High yield of cellulose and enzymatic digestibility of the cellulose polymer to reducing sugars are features of this process. Additionally, we have worked towards decreasing processing time, enzyme usage and energy input, and reducing formation of inhibitory residues. The hexose rich sugars syrup resulting from enzymatic saccharification is suitable for fermentation to a number of biofuel and biocommodity products. Notwithstanding technical readiness, the commercialization path in a worldwide technology market is complex. This presentation also provides some insight into commercializing Australian technology in foreign markets.


Dr Edye is Vice President of R&D at Leaf Resources Limited, a founding Director of BioIndustry Partners and an Adjunct Associate Professor at Queensland University of Technology. Leaf Resources is a biotechnology company based in Brisbane and listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. Leaf Resources is focused on making sustainable products from plant biomass. BioIndustry Partners is a consulting business that provides services on biomass to bioenergy businesses development and energy strategies to governments and businesses throughout the world. At QUT Dr Edye leads teams researching novel uses for lignin obtained from biomass pretreatments and pulping processes, and edible oil production from heterotrophic marine algae. Les is also the National Task Leader for the International Energy Agency Bioenergy Task 39 – Commercialising Conventional and Advanced Liquid Biofuels from Biomass.




AUSTRALIAN BIOFUELS INVESTMENT READINESS PROGRAMME

Amy PhilbrookARENA, New Acton, ACT, Australia

The Australian Government committed $20 million to establish the Australian Biofuels Research Institute (ABRI) to progress the commercialisation of the next generation of advanced biofuels in Australia. The work of ABRI was undertaken via the Australian Biofuels Investment Readiness Programme (ABIR). ABIR grant funding was awarded to 1) an algal biofuels project at James Cook University, 2) a demonstration microalgae plant project at Muradel Pty Ltd and 3) a scalable biocrude plant project at Licella Pty Ltd. The outcomes from these projects will be presented along with the commercial and technical directions of the 3 project proponents. An evaluation of the ABIR program has been conducted by ARENA and the influence of the program on the advancement of biofuels in Australia will be discussed.


Dr Amy Philbrook manages the bioenergy and biofuel projects at the Australian Renewable Agency (ARENA). The 15.5M portfolio she manages ranges from research and development to demonstration scale. Amy also sits on the Queensland Government’s Biofutures Industry Reference group, which aims to guide the development of the Biofutures Roadmap. Her experience in the bioenergy sector stems from her previous position at the Australian National University as the Principle Investigator of the Biofuels Research Cluster. The research program funded by the CSIRO Energy Transform Flagship, titled Biotechnological solutions to Australia’s transport energy and greenhouse gas challenges, was a $5M collaboration with the ANU, The University of Manchester (UK), RMIT University and the University of Queensland.



Chelsea Room SESSION 8: Day Two Closing Plenary 1540 – 1650

PANEL DISCUSSION: REWIND FROM 2040. HOW DID WE ACHIEVE THE BIOFUTURE?

Jackson Gerard, Simon Roycroft, Brian Cox, Colin StucleyModerator: Heather Bone

The panellists are asked to project themselves to 2040. At this time ‘peak oil’ projections have been confirmed; depleting petroleum oil prices have skyrocketed from their anomalous lows of 2014-2016, greenhouse gas emissions from the fossil fuel have become severely restricted. The fledgling biobased industries of the early 21st century have matured, with several Fortune 500 companies having re-invented themselves in the biobased and bioenergy industries. How was this transition achieved? Each panellist will give their view on how this transition was achieved. What measures were put in place? What were the pathways followed to reduce dependency on fossil fuels and create new industries and make the transition to a biobased materials and energy economy?

Each panellist will give a brief opening statement on measures that were necessary to make this transition. This will be followed by a panel discussion and open forum to make this transition a reality.


Poster Presentations


POSTER 1

SYNTHESIS AND PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISATION OF BI-FUNCTIONAL CATALYST FOR BIODIESEL PRODUCTION

Ali Al-Saadi1, 2, Yinghe He1, Bobby Mathan1 1. James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia 2. University of Baghdad, Al-Jadriya, Baghdad, Iraq

Biofuel has become one of the most prominent sustainable energies globally. Biodiesel is a type of biofuel that is produced from a range of renewable resources such as vegetable oils, animal fats, and oleaginous microorganisms. A variety of catalysts are used in the biodiesel industry; namely, alkali catalysts (homogeneous and heterogeneous), acid catalysts (homogeneous and heterogeneous), acid-base heterogeneous catalysts, and enzymatic catalysts. Acid-base bi-functional mixed metal oxide heterogeneous catalysts (BFHC) have become desirable because only a single-step reaction is required for biodiesel production. In this research, a new type of BFHC; namely ZnO-SrO/βAl2O3, will be synthesised and utilized for biodiesel production.

LEAD AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

My name is Ali Al-Saadi, and I born in Baghdad - Iraq in July 1978. I graduated from chemical engineering department/ University of Baghdad at 2000; thereafter, I completed the master degree in February 2004, and I published two articles. Then, I worked as a production engineer in Al-Mansour Company for salt table production from May 2004 – December 2005.


POSTER 2

CASE STUDY FOR THE BIODIGESTION OF BIOSTILL DISTILLERY BIODUNDER

Jo-Anne BlincoWilmar, Sarina, QLD, Australia

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the viability of utilisation of the carbon present in Biodunder (liquid co-product remaining after fermentation of molasses sugars to ethanol via the Biostill process) to produce methane, which in turn could be utilised as a green energy source for steam production for Wilmar’s BioEthanol plant in Sarina. The Biodunder composition at Sarina varies from typical molasses distilleries due to the Biostill process configuration (i.e. higher COD, salts, glycerol etc).

Initial biodigestion testing of Biodunder produced no biogas despite the high levels of readily digestible components (~38% of COD). However, upon dilution some methane (~9% of COD) was produced indicating the presence of methanogenic inhibitors in the Biodunder matrix. Inhibition was likely due to high levels of K, other salts (e.g. Na, Ca, S) etc. Methods to remove inhibitors from Biodunder to enable biodigestion were investigated (e.g. electrodialysis) but not considered to be economically viable due to the complexity of the Biodunder matrix.

To overcome Biodunder matrix impacts on inhibitor removal and biodigestion an alternative strategy has been proposed. This strategy aims to selectively extract readily digestable COD from Biodunder via ultrafiltration (preliminary results show ~37% COD, ~2%w/vK removal with medium flux) into Biostill process water streams (n.b. water streams may be selected with high COD content to assist to boost methane yield where practicable). The COD enriched process water may then be readily biodigested to recover methane after which the water may be re-used in the Biostill process. This proposed strategy has the potential to produce up to 65% of the steam energy required for the Sarina plant. Further technical and economical assessment of the process is required in order to assess its viability. Economics incentives for green energy may assist to improve the economics of biodigestion in the future.


Jo Blinco currently works for Wilmar BioEthanol as the Technical Manager for the Sarina Operations. Jo has a PhD in Industrial Chemistry and a MBA. Jo’s background has included postdoctoral and guest research positions in the field of renewable biofuels. Jo maintains a strong interest in the renewables sector and works within her current role to carry out projects that bridge the academic and industrial sectors.


POSTER 3

FUEL PROPERTIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS

Suryakant Chakradhari, Khageshwar Singh PatelPt. Ravishankar shukla university raipur C.G, Amanaka G.E Road Raipur C.G, CHHATTISGARH, India

The aroma and coloring chemical compounds are present inherently in the flowering plants. They are thrown in large scale as waste after harvesting. The most of flowering plant have very high productivity in short duration. The gross calorific value of trees were reported [1-4]. No fuel property data of flowering plants were available in the literature. Hence, in this work, the combustion characteristic of 40 flowering plants grown in central India was measured. The value of bulk density, moisture content, calorific value and ash residue of the flowering plants (n = 40) was ranged from 560 – 1300 kg m-3, 1.6 – 4.8%, 4450 – 9500 kcal kg-1 and 3.7 – 17.6% with mean value (p = 0.05) of 953±56 kg m-3, 3.3±0.3%, 6657±352 kcal kg-1 and 11.4±1.3%, respectively. The cluster analysis is used for grouping of the energetic plants. The ecology, morphology, genotype of the flowering plant in the energy value of the biomass is discussed.The wild plants i.e. having higher biomass productivity and climatic stresses adaptability seems to be better energetic plants.

[1] B. P. Bhatt, J.M.S. Tomar (2002) Firewood propeties of some indian mountain tree and shrub species. Biomass Bioenergy, 23 (4): pp. 257-260.

[2] R. Kataki , D. Konwer (2002) Fuelwood characteristics of indigenous tree species of north-east India. Biomass Bioenergy, 22(6): 433.

[3] T. O. Khider , O. T. Elsaki (2012) Heat value of four hard wood species from Sudan. J Forest Product Indus, 1(2): 5-9-437.

[4] F. Munalula , M. Meincken (2009) An evaluation of south African fuel wood with regards to calorific value and environmental impact Biomass Bioenergy, 33(3): 415-420.


Suryakant Chakradhari is a PhD student in School of Studies in Environmental Science, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University Raipur, C.G., India. He secured 77% marks in MSc examination, 2015. He is a guest Lecturer in the School of Studies in Environmental Science for the teaching work. His research interest is Studies on Combustion Characteristics of Biomass and oils. Eight research papers were published in the reputed journals.


POSTER 4

AGAVE - FOUNDATION FOR THE EXPANDING BIOECONOMY. A CASE STUDY

Don Chambers1, Luis Cuauhtémoc Navarro Mastache2, Ana Elena Laborde Aguirre3, José Ignacio del Real Laborde1 1. Australian Agave Pty Ltd, Aldgate, SA, Australia 2. Agromod, S.A. de C.V., Tapachula, Chiapas, México 3. Biosolutions, S.A. de C.V., Monterrey, Nuevo León, México

Agave production is a multiannual cycle that starts two years before field transplant with the multiplication of plantlets under controlled conditions, field selection and preparation and continues through four to six years in the field to reach the highest biomass yield per unit cost. Agricultural activities are carefully monitored and executed under minimal ecological impact guidelines and, at the end of the cycle, harvest can be planned on any given period of the year making it a flexible feedstock for continuous or out of season processing. Different processing setups can be feed with this crop to produce fructans, syrup, concentrated sugar, ethanol, green crude and other products. Fibre byproduct is successfully used in natural fiber biocomposites as bioplastics and fiberboard completing a full responsible production cycle. This presentation showcases the variety of agave production options that AusAgave and our specialized partners are introducing to Australia in 2017.


His experience with agro industrial and commercial integrated supply chains for over 40 years, has provided Don with a unique background to establish an agave biomass feedstock industry in Australia. Following more than 5 years of field testing, Australian Agave Pty Ltd was registered to commercialise selected varieties of agaves to be grown extensively across northern Australia as a feedstock for biofuels and other bioproducts.


POSTER 5

MODELLING THE POTENTIAL LOCATION OF PROFITABLE MICROALGAE FARMS FOR BIOFUEL IN THE WORLD

Diego F. Correa1, 2, Hawthorne Beyer2, Hugh Possingham2, Skye R. Thomas-Hall1, Peer M. Schenk1 1. School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Algae Biotechnology Group, The University of

Queensland, Brisbane, QUEENSLAND, Australia2. Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, The University of Queensland, Brisbane,

QUEENSLAND, Australia

The fulfilment of future energy demands depends on the development of efficient production alternatives for fuel and electricity, while minimising environmental impacts and ensuring global food security. Microalgae production systems can help in achieving global energy demands through biofuel production for the transport sector, based on their high yield potential and the possibility to grow them in dry areas. As microalgae cultivation does not need to compete for arable land or biodiverse landscapes, they could have lower environmental impacts by interfering less with native ecosystems and food production. Here, we aim to show the most suitable areas in the world for microalgae production at a spatial resolution of 50 km, using microalgae productivity, resource availability and profitability variables. Our results can help in the determination of the potential locations of microalgae farms in the world, as well as in the understanding of potential conflicts with other competing objectives including food production and conservation of biodiversity.


Diego F. Correa is a Biologist developing a PhD project at the University of Queensland about the environmental impacts of biofuel production on biodiversity with a focus on modelling of locations for microalgal biofuel production at a global scale. He obtained his Bachelor degree in Biology at the National University of Colombia and his Master’s degree in Biological Sciences at the Andes University of Colombia. He has developed plant inventories in tropical forests, studied the structural and functional ecology of forests, proposed connectivity networks for the persistence of native mammals and developed land-use maps based on classification of satellite imagery. He is interested in the interactions between energy, food production and conservation of biodiversity, and in the comparison of different renewable energy alternatives and their environmental impacts.


POSTER 6

SELECTING FEEDSTOCKS AND SELECTING PRODUCTS FOR CHEMICALS FROM BIOMASS

Geoff Covey1, Bronwyn Laycock2, Khuong Vuong Vuong2, Mike O’Shea3

1. Covey Consulting P/L, Kew East, Vic, Australia2. Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, , Brisbane, QLD, Australia3. Division of Manufacturing, CSIRO, Clayton, VIC, Australia

A recent trend has been to promote processes which are ‘feedstock agonistic’ i.e. processes which will give similar results irrespective of the biomass used. This approach is attractive when making large volumes of low value products such as fuel. However, in the short term it is likely to be high value chemical co-products that make early plants profitable and then the feedstock agnostic approach can lead to significant lost opportunities.

Obvious examples are in chemicals which are extracted directly from plant material by physical means. Such products include a range of oils such as eucalyptus and pine oils, natural resins, and biologically active agents such as pyrethrum and paclitaxel. The extraction of such products can generate sufficient income to drive the co-production of fuels. In most of these the whole plant is not used, just the portion in the valuable component.

Even when whole plants are processed, the yields of particular chemicals of interest can vary considerably depending on the plant feedstock used. For example, lignins produced from grasses such sugar cane have useful properties not provided bywood lignin.

A particular example of a chemical co-produced with fuel is levoglucosan. Fast pyrolysis of a wide range of vegetable species results in a ‘bio-oil’ which typically contains 25-35% levoglucosan. This is currently only made in very small quantities because there are no substantial uses for it.

However, it can now be made cheaply and in large quantities, which opens up new possibilities. Two potential applications for cheap levoglucosan are:

• Production of a new range of rigid polymers which take advantage of its three-dimensional ring structure and potential reaction sites.

• As a cheap starting material for the low toxicity, high value solvent dihydrolevoglucosenone.

The paper will discuss these and other potential sources of income


Chemical engineer with degrees from University of Surrey and University of Melbourne. Career mainly in industry and consulting, but 10 years lecturing at University of Melbourne, guest lecturer at many other institutions. Main focus of career has been pulp and paper and for the last fifteen years fuels and chemicals from biomass. Has designed and built working pulp mill and bioferineries.

Specializes in process design and engineering economics.


POSTER 7

NANOCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE (NCC) AND RAYON: OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATION, DIVERSIFICATION AND DEVELOPMENT FOR THE AUSTRALIAN FOREST AND WOOD PRODUCTS SECTOR

Mihai DaianMargules Groome Consulting, Melbourne, VICTORIA, Australia

Funded by the Gottstein Trust Fellowship, the study was driven by the recent nanotechnology movement that emerges into the forest industries globally and considerations from leaders of the Australian forestry and wood products industry, reinforcing the need for a closer knowledge on this subject. Insights obtained directly from the Nanocellulose (NCC) products’ key developers were sought to maximize decision-making opportunities for innovation, diversification and development.

The main objective was to provide an informative source of materials that complements studies which have been done already in Australia, including a summary of lessons learned directly from the champions of innovation and development in the field of Nanocellulose materials. Hence, this report identifies and exemplifies the current, international developments on the utilisation of nanoscale wood cellulose materials and their production technologies, looks at how governments and private funded research can provide the best benefits to the consumers and build collaborative relationships, and provides general views of the Australian forest industry’s leaders towards this subject.


Dr Daian holds a PhD in Wood Innovations from Swinburne University of Technology, a Master of Science (Management and Marketing - Agricultural Economics) from CIHEAM, Greece and a Bachelor of Science in Wood Technology from Transilvania University, Romania.

He has 14 years of experience in wood processing and is currently working with Margules Groome Consulting in Melbourne in various projects in Asia-Pacific region. Prior to this he worked with Pöyry Management Consulting. He also worked for 2 years as a research consultant with a focus on process optimization, bioenergy/biomaterials and for 4 years as Research Fellow for ACIAR Australia working on advanced wood value added processes and development of sustainable forest industries in South-East Asia, and Australia.

Dr Daian worked on various feasibility studies; wood markets analysis & reviews, competitive environment, market and price development projects; engineered wood products and sawn timber production processes optimisation and wood processing assets valuations.


POSTER 8

BIOGAS PRODUCTION FROM MICROALGAE USING ANAEROBIC DIGESTION AND NUTRIENT RECYCLING: TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE CLOSED LOOP

Lina Maria Gonzalez Gonzalez1, Sergi Astals2, Paul Jensen2, Steven Pratt3, Peer M Schenk1 1. School of Agriculture and Food Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia 2. Advanced Water Management Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia 3. School of Chemical Engineering , University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

During the recent decades the world has been looking at renewable fuels as result of greenhouse gas pollution and the depletion of traditional fossil fuels. The demand for renewable energies has driven the efforts of scientists around the world to find a sustainable source of energy which eventually can replace traditional fuels. Anaerobic digestion is becoming an efficient system not just for treatment of wastes but for the generation of renewable energy through biogas production. Microalgae have shown to be a suitable substrate for such purpose. Besides gas production, anaerobic digestion of microalgae generates a digestate rich in nutrients that can be used as nutrients supply for microalgae cultures, resulting in a sustainable closed loop for biogas production. In this project, we evaluated the digestibility and biogas production potential of microalgae as well as the nutrient recovery of the process. The results show that microalgae are an efficient substrate for anaerobic digestion since they produce a high yield of bio-methane (216 mL g-1 VS) compared to other crops/crops residues used for biogas production. Nitrogen recovery was highly efficient and nitrogen conversion to ammonium occurred. Although phosphorous recovery still requires optimisation, as some of it becomes immobilized, preliminary experiments of algae growth on liquid digestate show its potential as culture medium. Current research is underway to recover the remaining immobilized nutrients (precipitates and organic solids) by applying pH changes and in-pond aerobic digestion.


I am a Biologist and Master in Sciences-Biology with emphasis in Ecology. Throughout my career I have been devoted to the study of the physiology, ecology and taxonomy of microalgae and my major area of research has been in microalgae biotechnology. Currently I am a PhD student at the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences at the University of Queensland. My research project is focused on anaerobic digestion of microalgae for gas production and nutrient recycling.


POSTER 9

BIO-PRODUCT AND WASTE WATER/CO2 REMEDIATION POTENTIAL OF A NITROGEN-FIXING CYANOBACTERIUM

Chinnathambi Velu, Samuel Cirés, Kirsten HeimannJames Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are expected to rise to 40.3 Gt by 2030, having significant impacts on climate. Even though efforts are underway to reduce reliance on coal-generated energy, most alternative sources are only intermittently available. Thus, fossil fuel-derived energy will still be required in the foreseeable future to ensure stable and demand-scalable energy grids. Flue gas emissions of coal-fired power stations contain ~10% CO2 and waste water generated (ash- dam water: ADW) is rich in metals (most being essential trace elements for plants), but otherwise nutrient-poor.

All oxygenic photosynthetic organisms possess the ability to sequester CO2, but only nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria are suitable for commercial-scale cultivation at coal-fired power stations. Production of non-nitrogen fixing photosynthetic biomass incurs high fertilisation costs, making production uneconomic. Cyanobacterial biomass also represents a promising source for biofuel and bio-product development in a wide range of commercial applications. Here we determined CO2 and trace metals remediation and bio-product potential of the nitrogen-fixing filamentous cyanobacteriumTolypothrix sp.. Biomass productivities of Tolypothrix sp. grown in simulated ash-dam water (SADW) and BG11 medium without nitrogen (BG11(-N) controls) were 2.4 (SADW) and 3.3 (BG11(-N)) times higher when supplemented with 10% CO2-enriched air, compared to non-CO2 media controls, yielding 276 and 216 mg dry biomass L-1 day-1. Tolypothrix sp. removed ~99% of the 10% CO2 (flow rate 100 mL min-1) and anti-oxidant pigment content (phycocyanin and phycoerythrin), of interest to the cosmetics industry were 1.3 and 1.2 times higher compared to non-CO2 controls fort the two media, respectively. Biomass yields and productivity, as well as iron accumulation makes Tolypothrix sp. a good candidate for CO2 and ADW remediation at coal-fired power stations offering bioproduct potential as biofertiliser, to combat soil infertility of Australian carbon-poor tropical soils, and antioxidant pigment production, as additives to feeds or cosmetics.




POSTER 10

A REVIEW OF HYDROTHERMAL LIQUEFACTION TECHNOLOGY AND ITS POTENTIAL FOR UPGRADING BIODIGESTER DIGESTATE TO FUELS AND CHEMICALS

Phil HobsonQueensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

A consortium of research and industry partners led by QUT is currently developing technologies which utilise sugarcane harvest residues (trash) and surplus fibre from the sugar milling process (bagasse) to produce biogas and upgrading the biogas and associated digestate into transportation fuels for use in sugarcane production and processing. Utilising a hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) technology to upgrade the digestate will more than double (on an energy basis) the total available transport fuel relative to biogas alone whilst simultaneously addressing the digestate disposal issue.

It is estimated that every dry tonne of bagasse or cane trash processed in an anaerobic digester will produce between 1.3 and 2.5 tonnes of digestate of which 50% to 75% will be water. HTL processing of the digestate produces a strongly biphasic system from which a high heating value biocrude oil can be readily decanted from the aqueous component thereby reducing the energy input that would otherwise be required for water removal. In addition much of the ash component of the biomass remains in the aqueous phase. These characteristics of HTL based technology avoid the significant efficiency penalties and processing issues commonly associated with the thermal conversion of high moisture, high ash feedstocks.

This paper provides a review of the commercial status as well as technical and financial aspects of HTL technology providing justification for and highlighting the challenges associated with the use of HTL technology for upgrading biodigester digestates.


Phil Hobson is a Principal Research Fellow at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) with over 25 years research and consulting experience in the commercial, academic and public sectors. Phil has worked extensively on the energy, cost and environmental implications associated with the co-location of advanced cycle biomass power generation and biofuels production. Phil has managed and continues to run research and consulting projects in the area of biomass utilisation for clients including Queensland State Government, Australian Renewable Energy Agency, Forestry and Wood Products Australia, Sugar Research Australia and the Australian sugar milling industry.


POSTER 11

LOW TEMPERATURE CATALYTIC CONVERSION OF SOLID ORGANIC MATERIAL INTO LIQUID FUEL

Barrie KingGlobal Ecofuel Solutions Sl, Newquay, CORNWALL, United Kingdom

In 1980s at University of Tübingen in Germany, the concept of low temperature catalytic conversion of solid organic material into liquid fuel, was proven in the laboratory. The process showed similarities to the formation of fossil fuels. By increasing the temperature and using a catalyst, the process is accelerated into moments. MECC - Mechanical Catalytic Conversion Is based on this process, this GEF patented technology was developed at our plants in Spain, since 2009.

Feedstocks

Organic fossil/non fossil material; Wood chips/sawdust - Food waste - Sewage sludge - Organic fraction of MHW - Energy crops like Miscanthus

Product and Residuals;

• Using wood feedstock, approximately 420 litres of synthetic liquid fuel from 1000Kg

• Middle distillates with an evaporation range between 180C and 400C (Diesel)

• Bio-tar green as bitumen precursor.

Process Efficiency

• Only two principle stages between feedstock and drop in fuel.

• Low process temperatures, less than 400c

• Minimized energy cycles within the process

Process stage 1;

• Induction of feedstock into mixing circuit of hot waste oil and catalyst)

• Transfer from mixing circuit into the reactor circuit

• Splitting of molecular structures where decomposition progress is optimized by catalyst

• Solid components are transformed into a gaseous phase

• Resultant fuel gas immediately leaves the reaction zone

• Regulation and fractionation of the gaseous fuel

• Condensation / Liquefaction

• Separation of solid process remains to be further processed to bio bitumen

Process stage 2;

• Purification of MSF-crude to meet EN590 low sulphur diesel

Process losses

• Process conversion losses = 8,0%

• Plant self-consumption = 11,2 %

• Overall efficiency = 80,8 %

Plant and Factory;

GEFS plant has a capacity of 200l/h. The plant is a functional process incorporating a single full scale reactor pump and supporting processes. The optimum economic design, uses four modules with production capacity of 16 million liters per year.


POSTER 12

OPTIMAL LAND-USE SCENARIOS FOR FOOD AND ENERGY CROPS AT THE LANDSCAPE SCALE – PERSPECTIVE ON BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN AGRICULTURE IN AUSTRALIA

Saori Miyake1, Jens Dauber2, Ann Peterson3, Leonie Seabrook3, McAlpine Clive3 1. Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, HESSEN, Germany 2. Thünen Institute of Biodiversity, Braunschweig, Germany 3. The University of Queensland, St.Lucia, QLD, Australia

As the need to address the challenges associated with global food and energy security grows in importance, competition for land resources globally has become much more intense. This trend has led to substantial concerns about intensifying land-use and environmental pressures, including biodiversity loss. In Europe where the landscape was transformed over centuries, the current primary cause of biodiversity loss is agricultural intensification, which threatens species highly dependent on farmlands and grasslands. Recent debate around land management for biodiversity conservation in agriculture has focused on strategies such as ecological intensification and ‘land sparing vs. land sharing’. Conceptual land-use scenarios for European landscapes were developed in our previous work, which explored agricultural production options to simultaneously address production of food and energy crops, and enhance biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services.

In comparison with most European countries, Australia has a significant potential for future energy crop production due to abundant land resources. In Australia, habitat loss and fragmentation caused by land clearing (mostly for agricultural expansion) is still the main threat to biodiversity, and currently high conservation priority is given to forest species that are losing their habitats. However, productive Australian agricultural landscapes face the same set of sustainability challenges as their European counterparts, in trying to balance production of food and energy, ecosystem services and conservation of biodiversity. In this research, the conceptual land-use scenarios developed for Europe have been adapted to Australian landscapes to stimulate discussion about an optimal bioenergy crop production system for Australia to achieve both food security and biodiversity goals. These scenarios were developed mostly from documented experience in Australia, which integrated and segregated both food and energy crops on lands with a range of productivity and suitability for agricultural production, including environmentally and economically marginal land.


Saori Miyake is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany. She is an expert in bioenergy and land-use change. She completed her phD from The University of Queensland in 2014.


POSTER 13

ASSESSING SUITABILITY AND PRODUCTION POTENTIAL FOR DEDICATED BIOENERGY CROPS IN QUEENSLAND

Phillip Norman, Grant Fraser, Kelly BryantQueensland Department of Science, IT and Innovation, Brisbane, QUEENSLAND, Australia

The Australian Biomass and Bioenergy Assessment (ABBA) aims to catalyse investment in the renewable energy sector. Part of this project is the development of detailed geospatial information regarding potential suitability, productivity and efficacy of dedicated bioenergy crops across Queensland.

The state, whilst a large land mass, has limited and almost fully utilised land suitable for the production of traditional cropping. The potential of bioenergy crops in marginal areas of land need to be assessed in the face of multiple production, environmental (built and natural) and socio-economic factors. The team is seeking to address this through a geospatially based multi-functional land evaluation approach. In this approach we will assess

• Land suitability and potential yield of specific bioenergy crops based upon crop simulation models utilizing soil, terrain and climate variables.

• Environmental compatibility of each specific crop through an ecosystem services lens of regulating services provided by the combination of land use\management and natural capital.

• Land resource food security to account for productive landscapes key to existing food production resources.

• Built environment access such as available infrastructure key to the economic viability of specific bioenergy production systems.

A preliminary list of dedicated bioenergy crops which we are assessing are as follows:

Tree crops Broad acre Oilseeds Grasses/Other

Pongamia Fibrous cane varieties Canola Agave

Sweet Sorghum Cottonseed Giant Reed

Fibre crops (hemp) Soybean Switch grass

Sunflower Miscanthus

*This list is a draft only. There may be other crops identified during the course of this project which may be suitable to include in the assessment.

Applying a multifunction land evaluation approach allows us to estimate the areas across Queensland which have the potential for bioenergy crop production, ensuring also that current ecosystem services and food production values are accounted for in the assessment.


Phillip Norman currently manages the Queensland ABBA team. He has tertiary qualifications in urban and regional planning, business management, and forestry; worked mainly in eastern Australia within local, regional (State) and Federal levels of Government with responsibilities in forest, environment and natural resource management; and, has also led research and development projects in southern Africa and undertaken professional project related activities in Sri Lanka, and USA.


POSTER 14

PROPOSED WHITE BAY POWER STATION BOILER HOUSE NO. 2 BREWERY / DISTILLERY, AND DISTRICT-SCALE BIOENERGY SCHEME

Anthony J Parrington, Professor Charles C SorrellSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, UNSW Australia, Kensington, NSW, Australia

My poster considers the design of a combined Brewery, Distillery and Bioenergy scheme within the footprint of the former White Bay Power station, Boiler House No. 2, with the new generating capacity to be powered by both: syngas produced by a biomass boiler [i.e 50% native forest wood waste, 50% brewers / distillers spent grain]; and biogas produced anaerobically from liquid distillery waste in an anaerobic digester.

This concept replicates existing distillery projects developed by Diageo at the: Cameronbridge; Roseisle; and Glenlossie Distilleries in Speyside, Scotland; thereby demonstrating Circular Economy concepts between enterprises, where the waste of the brewery / distillery fuels the power station; and the waste heat and/or steam from the turbines assists in the production of brewing; and distilling products produced therein.

In doing so the proposed brewery / distillery is envisaged to transform the former power station in a similar manner to the recent Bombay Sapphire Laverstoke Mill Distillery in Hampshire, UK, or the Diageo Roseisle distillery whereby the AECOM designed facility is comparable in terms of scale, and potential production capacity for boiler house no. 2.

Subject to the scale of the installation the bioenergy scheme may also assist to power residential development within the Bays Precinct, similar to the Kings Yard Energy Centre in Stratford, London where a biomass boiler powers Olympic Park; or the comparable Diageo Distilleries where biomass, and liquid waste is consumed in a biomass boiler, and anaerobic digester, with the resulting energy by-products powering the facility.

Subsequently the proposed Boiler House bioenergy scheme may draw upon the history of both: power generation, and waste disposal at White Bay, by integrating a modern food grade facility into the existing building fabric, and by re-interpreting the operations of the former power station, and Walter Burley Griffin designed Glebe incinerator, Blackwattle Bay.


Anthony Parrington is a Bachelor of Building Construction Management graduate of UNSW Australia; a MSc [research] candidate in the School of Materials Science and Engineering, UNSW; and Carbon Management graduate of Bond University, Australia.

This poster forms a part of his proposed "Metropolitan Hydrogen vehicle refuelling network for Sydney" represented in the series of poster abstracts submitted for the 2016 Bioenergy Australia conference, with the work further developed in his pending MSc [research] dissertation.


POSTER 15

PROPOSED WHITE BAY POWER STATION DATA CENTER, AND UTILISATION OF A DISTRICT-SCALE BIOENERGY SCHEME


This poster describes a proposed White Bay Data center to be developed within the fabric of the former White Bay Power Station, The Bays District, with the facility to be powered by fuel cells that consume biogas from an accompanying district-scale bioenergy scheme.

This facility is envisaged to comply with the NSW Government's, and Urban Growth NSW vision for The Bays District, with the former power station to be transformed into an innovation, and technology hub to service IT cloud servers associated with: Google; Apple; and related companies who may participate within the ecosystem. In doing so the innovation hub may deploy similar technologies to those in Silicon Valley, California, such as Bloom Energy Server 5 solid oxide fuel cells; or FuelCell Energy Direct FuelCell® (DFC®) power plants; thereby drawing down directed biogas resources produced by the White Bay Silo bioenergy scheme, or elswehere.

Accordingly in applying Circular Economy, and/or Industrial Symbiosis methodologies to The Bays District, it is envisaged that the power station site may also host: a distillery / brewery within the fabric of the existing structure; with the disctrict-scale bioenergy scheme consuming waste from the facility to produce biogas for the data center; as well as heating, and cooling through the installation of a suitably sized absorption chiller for the precinct.

Furthermore in following trends established by: Apple Inc at the Maiden, North Carolina iCloud data centre; and Apple Campus 2 development in Cupertino, California it is anticipated that the precinct may incorporate considerable solar photovoltaic, and related renewable energy generating technologies installed on nearby buildings, or as part of a commercial scale solar farm thereby achieving industry leading emissions reduction over time.

Thus the precinct may provide: employment; innovation; and recreational opportunities by employing new technologies in a novel, and pioneering way.





POSTER 16

PROPOSED WESTERN SYDNEY TRANSPORT NETWORK, AND ENHANCED CAMELLIA BIOENERGY SCHEME


This poster envisages the integration of the: AquaNet Sydney / Rosehill Recycled Water project, EarthPower Technologies anaerobic digester, and SOPA WRAMS operations as part of an integrated bioenergy and vehicle refuelling scheme.

Accordingly through the combination of biogas, renewable energy, and the treatment of wastewater, this facility will assist in the provision of an expanded Western Sydney transport network, thereby facilitating some emerging Hydrogen fuel cell car, bus, and tram technologies, and the refuelling requirements required for their operation.

Primarily this will be achieved through the development of a multi-modal refuelling infrastructure for: the reformation of biogas; and electrolysis of recycled water into Hydrogen; with Industrial Symbiosis methodologies considered in the transformation of waste into mobility, as the area is redeveloped and integrated into surrounding areas over time.

Moreover as a result of the NSW Government council amalgamations policy, the resulting merger of Parramatta City Council, Auburn, and Sydney Olympic Park presents an opportunity to draw the community together through the adoption of low emissions transport technology, and with the proposed Western Sydney Light Rail traversing: Westmead; Parramatta; Camellia; Sydney Olympic Park; and Strathfield municipalities, this expanded transport network may facilitate additional low emissions technologies as they are introduced into the local market.

Furthermore with the recent closure of the Shell Clyde Oil refinery, there is a once in a generation chance to remediate, and redevelop land long polluted by industry, by embracing the possibilities of the Circular Economy, and the transformation already demonstrated by Kalundborg Symbiosis in: Kalundborg, Denmark; the Kokkola Industrial Park, Kokkola, Finland; and Jurong Island, Singapore.





POSTER 17

THE APPLICATION OF INDUSTRIAL SYMBIOSIS METHODOLOGIES TO THE WOODLAWN BIOREACTOR, AND WOODLAWN WIND FARM


The poster explores the application of Industrial Symbiosis to the Woodlawn Bioreactor, and Woodlawn Wind farm near Bungendore, NSW, and the opportunity to produce additional products, and services, from the existing: processing of municipal waste; power generation; and aquaculture activities.

To some extent this proposal is similar to that proposed for the Camellia Peninsular, whereby the author describes: the reformation of biogas into Hydrogen on a bulk scale; in addition to the existing combustion of the biogas produced by the Woodlawn waste pit; as well as the electrolysis of water from renewable energy produced by the accompanying Woodlawn wind farm.

With this the case it is proposed that the Woodlawn Bioreactor may add Hydrogen producer to its list of existing activities, allowing a supply of the energy carrier to be produced at times of reduced electricity demand either: for storage on-site; distribution by road; rail; or other bulk distribution processes; and/or as a precurser to the production of chemicals that may be useful in rural regions.

Thus the train that currently services the Woodlawn Bioreactor with garbage from Sydney, may return to its destination with an additional payload in the form of Hydrogen tube trailers, tanks, and/or specialty gas freight bogies, for further distribution across a Metropolitan Hydrogen refuelling network as described in an accompanying poster. At the present time the train reportedly returns empty to Sydney without the additional revenue generation from a potentially higher value product, and/or any scrap materials recovered from refuse currently disposed of by NSW residents.

Therefore there is an opportunity to examine the application of Industrial Symbiosis to Veolia's existing operations, and to determine whether Hydrogen from biogas is a potentially more profitable venture, than the combustion of gas in a fleet of cogeneration turbines.





POSTER 18

DEVELOPMENT STATUS OF CATALYTIC FAST PYROLYSIS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF RENEWABLE FUELS

Greg PerkinsCentre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT), University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Production of fuels from renewable feedstocks and wastes is a potential solution to reducing the environmental impacts of fossil fuel use, while manufacturing fuels which can be used by the existing infrastructure, including refineries, distribution networks and the existing fleet of vehicles, planes and ships. The major challenges in converting cellulosic biomass to "drop-in" liquid fuels are related to the feedstock properties including high oxygen content, high water content, a fibrous molecular structure and presence of alkali salts in relatively high percentages.

Fast pyrolysis is a potentially promising thermochemical method of producing renewable fuels and chemicals from biomass and waste feedstocks. Its main advantage is that it is a simple process. However, while the process is potentially lower cost, the resultant bio-oil has many complex properties, which make it a generally low-grade fuel alternative. There is much interest in optimising the fast pyrolysis process by choosing suitable feedstock pre-treatments, reaction conditions, reactor designs and catalysts as well as product upgrading to improve the techno-economic feasibility of applying fast pyrolysis processes at scale to produce commercial quantities of renewable fuels and chemicals.

This paper provides a contemporary review of the development status of catalytic fast pyrolysis of biomass for the production of renewable transport fuels. The review focuses on reactor technologies, recent work on catalytic pyrolysis and upgrading of bio-oils and the development status of several fast pyrolysis technologies currently being scaled up. The paper concludes with thoughts on how catalytic fast pyrolysis may be applied in the Australian context.


Dr. Greg Perkins is an innovator with 18 years of experience in development of new technologies for the energy and oil and gas industries. Greg's research interests cover developing improved processes in chemical, petroleum and materials engineering with a focus on the application of thermo-chemical conversions. His current focus is on combustion and gasification of coal, natural gas, and biomass, catalytic pyrolysis of biomass and wastes and in-situ combustion of heavy oils and bitumen for enhanced oil recovery. Greg is also interested in business and technology strategy, management and commercialization. Greg has a degrees in Science and Engineering from Monash University, a PhD from the University of New South Wales and an MBA from University of California, Los Angeles.


POSTER 19

ENERGY FROM WASTE GASES, LIQUIDS, INDUSTRIAL BY-PRODUCTS AND BIOGAS

Bradley PriorSAACKE Australia P/L, Sunnybank Hills, QLD, Australia

Summary

In the field of combustion technology there have been significant developments in the effective utilisation of waste fuels as an economical and efficient solution to energy transfer and disposal of waste streams. Burner technology coupled with advancements in controls have enabled this advancement to take place.

Thermal Use of alternative fuels.

Industry by-products accumulate in industrial processes which have to be disposed of in accordance with legal and environmental requirements, adding to the economic cost of production. There are significant economic benefits from utilising the heat value of these by-products in a controlled and regulated manner producing low emissions.

Bio gas:

Recently, biogas has been recognised as a useful fuel for use in gas combustion engines and boiler applications. Typically the burner comprises two gas registers and two separate gas trains. The burner management system allows for individual control of Biogas and a support fuel to be fired simultaneously in the one burner, only using as much support fuel as required.

Burners for Industrial Waste and Low calorific fuels

The swirl burner is characterised by a tangential supply of combustion air which provides a powerful swirling motion. Support fuel is fed to the burner via the lances arranged centrally. A burner muffle is arranged at the core of the burner into which the lean gas, liquid or dust is introduced. This muffle has a low resistance enabling the low pressure lean gas to be introduced with minimal back pressure. The burner and muffle can be connected to a boiler, thermal oil heater or hot gas generator. Waste products which can be used as fuels include, among others:

• Refinery Gas• Vent Gas• Tallow• Glycerine• Vinasse• Pulverised Lignite

With these burner systems, utilising the energy content of biogas, waste gases, liquids and pulverized fuels is viable, cost effective, producing low emissions.


Biography


POSTER 20

THE RECOVERY OF WATER AND NUTRIENTS FOLLOWING ANAEROBIC DIGESTION OF FOOD WASTE

Matthew Reilly, Michael TheodorouHarper Adams University, Newport, SHROPSHIRE, United Kingdom

Recent estimates suggest that greenhouse gas emissions of 152 Mt CO2e per annum are directly associated with the supply of food and drink in the UK. Additional research has indicated that approximately 50% of all the food grown and imported in the UK is destined to become food waste. This equates to the production of 16 Mt of food waste in the UK each year and the government has set a target of increasing the number of UK AD plants recycling food waste from 134 in 2013 to 1000 by 2020.

The liquid effluents (or digestates) from AD of food waste usually have high levels of biological oxygen demand (BOD), which causes environmental concern during their disposal. Additionally, AD digestates are commonly rich in potentially valuable fertilising nutrients, such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P). Therefore the application of suitable digestate treatment systems are necessary to reduce BOD, extract fertiliser nutrients, reclaim water and limit the potential for environmental risk.

Electrocoagulation (EC) is a method of reducing a wide range of contaminants in an effluent, to levels which are either sufficient for water reuse or flow into further downstream processing. EC utilises electricity to generate metal ions in effluents, which causes the coagulation of contaminants. The process has a number of potential advantages over conventional chemical dosing techniques, such as minimal secondary contamination, higher removal efficiency and a reduced risk of environmental pollution. We will present the potential of EC to target the recovery of suspended solids from on-farm food waste digestates, to provide fertiliser and fresh water for the cultivation of crops.


Dr Matt Reilly is a Post-doctoral Research Associate based in the Agricultural Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems (ACSES) at Harper Adams University in England. The ACSES mission is to progress the efficient utilisation and recycling of food chain energy and resources using fermentation and chemical reprocessing/recovery technologies. The process of anaerobic digestion (AD) is central to Dr Reilly’s research activities. He has particular experience in the integration of dark fermentation with AD, to utilise biomass residues derived from agricultural processes. Having worked in the R&D department of the UK’s largest water provider, Dr Reilly also has keen interest in the development of wastewater treatment technologies. The focus of his current post-doctoral research is on the application of electrocoagulation techniques to recover nutrients and water from AD digestates.


POSTER 21

EVALUATION OF AGAVE GENOTYPES FOR BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION

Deepa Rijal1, Nanjappa Ashwath1, Tony Vancov2, Grant Stanley1 1. Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD, Australia 2. NSW Department of Primary Industries, Wollongbar, NSW, Australia

The growth potential of ten species of Agave, six cultivars of Agave tequilana and Furcraea foetida was evaluated over 5 years at Rockhampton, Queensland. The overall aim of this trial was to assess the use of agave genotypes as feedstock for biofuel production, owing to their inherent ability to grow on dry and marginal lands. Another aim was to test if the locally adapted species of agave would perform on par with the recently introduced species, A. tequilana, and its cultivars.

The rates of increment of leaf number and leaf area and the above ground biomass accumulation of the naturalised agave species such as F. foetida, A. decipiens and A. americana, were either better, or similar to those of A. tequilana cultivars. Furcraea foetida produced the highest biomass (13.4 tonnes ha-1yr-1). Amongst the A. tequilana cultivars, maximum biomass was produced by the cultivar “Tcqu”, yielding 12.9 t ha-1yr-1. The biomass components of leaf and stem were 7.1 t ha-1 yr-1 and 5.8 t ha-1 yr-1 respectively.

The leaves of A. tequilana were pre-treated, enzyme saccharified and fermented to produce ethanol, achieving an average ethanol yield of 180 L tonne-1. It is estimated that 1278 L ha-1 yr-1 of ethanol can be produced from the leaves of A. tequilana. The stems of A. tequilana contain higher sugar content than leaves. Thus, an additional 2169 Lha-1 yr-1 of ethanol can be produced, at a rate of 374L t-1 ethanol from the stem. If both stems and leaves of A. tequilana are used, then up to 3447 L ha-1 yr-1 of ethanol can be produced. Greater yields are also possible with further developments, such as the use of C5 sugars and inulinase saccharification of leaf juices. This experimental data confirms the potential of Agave tequilana as a suitable biofuel feedstock in Queensland.


Deepa Rijal is a PhD student at CQUniversity, Rockhampton. She has been developing techniques for converting Agave tequilana leaves into bioethanol. She is also using Near infrared spectroscopy to correlate leaf maturity with its ethanol production potential via predicting dry matter, total soluble solids, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin concentrations in the leaves during the course of their maturity. Deepa has completed Masters’ Degree in Botany from Tribhuwan University, Nepal and she had worked as an Assistant lecturer in the Life Sciences Department at Purwanchal University, Nepal. Currently she is working as a casual academic in the School of Medical and Applied Sciences at Central Queensland University.


POSTER 22

INVESTIGATION OF OIL QUALITY OUTPUT OF A TRADITIONAL PYROLYSIS PROCESS

Sascha StegenGriffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia

50 million tonnes of biomass residue and waste are generated in Australia every year. Nevertheless, these resources are largely under-utilised and pyrolysis could provide a sustainable energy source for the future, Previous research focused largely in the yield of the output of oil, gas, and char within the pyrolysis process but less on the quality of the oil, which can lead to unstable liquid fuel, which cannot be stored over a long period of time and have low higher heating values (HHV) as well as low lower heating values (LHV). This research is aimed to find the best point of parameters to determine maximum oil quality output. Furthermore the main target was to design a system which can be operated in the real world in everyday usage and not only in laboratory conditions, thus the feedstock is air-dried and a cost effective fix bed pyrolysis reactor will be utilised. For this purpose a special low cost stainless steel reactor tube has been designed to support maximum heat distribution to the feedstock without the use of additional catalysts, which would add costs to the system. The parameters of investigation are focused on the heat transfer rate and operation temperature. The initial heating method is electric and will be switched to a hybrid heating methods of the produced gas and electric. The temperature range used is from 350 degrees Celsius to 600 degrees, but the heat rates are held very low and the oil gas mixture will be directly removed from the pyrolysis reactor tube, so that the forming of aromatics will be avoided. This will ensure that the oil product is stable and can provide a very high HHV/LHV. Furthermore, the yield of all three components are investigated for the different experiments.


Dr Sascha Stegen has active research interests in the field of sustainable energy systems. Originally from Germany, Sascha Stegen completed an apprenticeship as Electrician before commencing his studies in Electrical Engineering, until he received his PhD in 2012. Between and during his tertiary studies he worked in Research & Development departments at the Institute of Design, Product Development and Innovation (FMDauto), Buchmann Deutschland (Briot-Weco), and the power transformer monitoring department of Areva (now Alstom). The combination of his electrician mechanic apprenticeship, plus more than eleven years of work experience in this area, his tertiary electrical engineering studies, and the additional research and development work experience focused on energy efficiency, sensor technologies and computational design have equipped him with broad experience in the research fields of power generation, power distribution and particularly in sustainable energy systems, including photo voltaic systems, wind wheels, hydrogen cells.


POSTER 23

ENZYMATIC CONVERSION OF METHANE TO METHANOL

James StrongUniversity of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

The methanotrophs are a unique group of bacteria capable of oxidising methane oxidation under ambient conditions. The reaction is achieved via an enzyme, methane monooxygenase, which combines methane and oxygen, generating methanol and water in the process. The enzyme is common as a particulate membrane-bound form, but may be present in a soluble form under low copper concentrations. It requires two electrons for activation, which allow it to combine oxygen with methane to produce methanol. In the cell these electrons are obtained from donors such as the NADH, or associated proteins. These donors are typically regenerated during the oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde, formate or carbon dioxide.

If we consider methanol as the end product, its synthesis is problematic in both whole cell catalysis and enzymatic catalysis. In whole cell catalysis an external carbon source (e.g. formate) must be added to replenish the reducing equivalents. Additionally, methanol dehydrogenase must be inhibited to prevent product transformation. To date, poor methanol accumulation has been achieved (1 g/l). An enzymatic system would solve many of the intrinsic problems associated with a live cell culture. But it too has inherent problems. However, if these can be solved it opens up a number of possibilities for other enzymes whose applications are limited by the requirement for relatively expensive electron donors or acceptors.

In this presentation we present our results to date and consider an envisaged enzymatic system. Potential methods to regenerate reducing equivalents and stabilise the catalytic system will also be presented and alternative oxidation products are considered to illustrate the scope for a functioning MMO system.


I am a Research Fellow at the Centre for Solid Waste Bioprocessing at the University of Queensland, based in Brisbane, Australia. My background crosses into chemistry, microbiology and biotechnology. Some of the research I have been involved in includes: fungal enzyme synthesis, enzyme catalysis, volatile fatty acid production, methane generation, biomass production and destruction, bacteriophage production, bacterial ethanol production, denitrification, rabies antibody purification, cyanobacterial secondary metabolite synthesis and zeolite production from flyash.

My primary focus is the biological conversion of methane into compounds or processes of greater value than heat or electricity. I am interested in various metabolites from methanotrophs, but am also very interested in pMMO for in vitro catalysis – in particular, oxidation of methane to methanol and propene to propylene oxide. Methane-oxidising bacteria are also capable of aerobic and anaerobic denitrification and sulfate reduction – processes of interest in the wastewater and mining industries.


POSTER 24

EVOLUTION AND STRATIFICATION OF OFF-GASSES IN STORED WOOD PELLETS

Fahimeh FYP Yazdanpanah1, Shahab Sokhansanj1, 2, JIm Lim1, Anthony Lau1 1. University of British Columbia, North Vancouver, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Canada2. Environmental Sciences Division, , Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge,

Tennessee, United States

Storage of wood pellets has resulted in several accidents in connection with off-gassing and self-heating. Under certain circumstances, especially in enclosed areas with low ventilation, this can result in an acutely toxic environment with very high concentrations of these gases. As the non-condensable gases are poisonous and result in oxygen depletion, sufficient ventilation of storage rooms is necessary. Cargo holds are also sealed during ocean transportation of wood pellets, which thus leads to a very fast oxygen depletion and generation of CO, CO2, CH4 and H2. Current practices prohibit entry into cargo holds and communicating spaces unless the spaces have been thoroughly ventilated and the gas concentration is verified by measuring concentrations of CO and O2. The same situation exists when wood pellets are stored in silos before being shipped. The goal of our study which is to come up with a ventilation strategy for wood pellet storages. So far we have evaluated the effectiveness of purging the silo in reducing off-gas concentration. A number of tests were done in a pilot scale silo to evaluate the effectiveness of a purging system and quantify the time and volume of the gas needed to sweep the off-gases. Degree of mixing in the storage of wood pellets was also studied experimentally. One dimensional modeling and numerical simulation of the off-gas concentration profile gave the best agreement with the measured gas concentration at the bottom and middle of the silo.


Dr. Fahimeh Yazdanpanah is a research fellow in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the founder of Spark Biomass Colsulting. Her research has been focused on storage of solid biofuels, off-gassing, pelletization and torrefaction. She has received her PhD and MASc from Chemical and Biological Engineering Department at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and she holds a bachelor’s degree from Amirkabir University of Technology. She has co-authored more than 15 technical report and peer-reviewed publications in the field. She has also presented in a number of international conferences.


Copies of the posters, a selection of photographs from the technical tours, the program with the set of abstracts and speaker biographies, and also a list of delegates with email contact addresses where permitted will be available on our website.

Details regarding the next Bioenergy Australia Conference will be released though the Bioenergy Australia by Bioenergy Australia's MailChimp lists and newsletters (see website for details). Further, we will be releasing a delegate feedback survey post-conference, and would appreciate your feedback as this will assist in planning future conferences.

Should you or your organisation be interested in participating in a wider range of our activities, please contact Steve Schuck (email: [email protected]) for membership details.

We wish you all the best for the Festive Season and the New Year.

INFORMATIONPOST CONFERENCE


NOTES


Queensland:Leading Australia’s Biorevolution

Advertisement

To learn more about our Biofutures programs and find out how you or your organisation can be part of Queensland’s biorevolution, visit www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/biofutures or contact Biofutures Queensland at [email protected]

Authorised by the Queensland Government, William St, Brisbane

Our vision

A $1 billion sustainable and export-oriented industrial biotechnology and bioproducts sector attracting significant international investment and creating regional, high-value and knowledge-intensive jobs.

The Queensland Government has committed almost $20 million over three years to building our industrial biotech and bioproducts sector through the Advance Queensland Biofutures 10-Year Roadmap and Action Plan.

Key initiatives include:

Biofutures Acceleration Program to accelerate the development of biorefineries producing biofuels and other bioproducts in Queensland.

Biofutures Queensland, a unit within the Queensland Government that works across government, industry and the research sector to drive development, investment and R&D in Queensland’s industrial biotech and bioproducts sector.

Biofutures Industry Development Fund, a repayable fund to assist well-advanced industrial biotech proponents to move large-scale projects through the final stage of financial due diligence to secure financing from investors.

Biofutures Commercialisation Program, which will enable national or international bioindustrial experts to partner with Queensland researchers and businesses to scale-up and test new or improved industrial biotech and processes at the pilot or demonstration scale in Queensland.

The future is bright with the rapidly growing global market for industrial biotech and bioproducts expected to be worth US$1.1 trillion by 2022.

Department of State Development

Published by The Association Specialists Pty LtdPO Box 576, Crows Nest NSW 1585 AustraliaAll rights to this publication are reserved.

This book may not be reproduced in any form without permission of the Editor.The rights to individual abstracts are held by the authors.

ISBN 978-0-9874355-7-6

Regional Growth in a Sustainable Biofuture

Mercure Brisbane, Queensland 14-16 November 2016

final program & abstract book - revolutionisesportpo box 576, crows nest nsw 1585 australia tel:...

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