BioFuEl Biofuels and Bioelectricity

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BioFuElBiofuels and Bioelectricity

• -A Network of Excellence providing the future
  energy supply of Europe
• Claus Felby
• Center for Biomas and Plant Fiber Technology
• Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University
• Denmark

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Energy sources, world 2000-2050
Source Shell/ECN 2001
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Biomass based energy

• Plant oils Biodiesel
• Solid biomass Heat and electricity
• Fermentable sugars Starch and cellulose for
  ethanol production

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Background for the network

• Why use biomass as an energy source?
• Oil is a scarce resource
• Europe is becomming more and more dependent on
  oil i.e. oil import from non-EU countries are
  increasing
• Greenhouse effects Kyoto protocol calls for
  reduction of CO2 emission
• The biobased economy must be established in the
  21st century
• Biomass can provide a substantial part of our
  energy supply
• On a short term biomass is the only possibility
  for substitution of fossile fuels for
  transportation

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Electricity from Biomass

• CO2 neutral
• Low energy density compared to fossile fuels
• Wood
• Good combustion efficiency, little or no
  corrosion
• Contineous supply
• Medium priced
• Agricultural residues
• Poor combustion efficiency due to corrosive
  alkaline salts
• Batch supply (one harvest period only)
• Low priced
• Green electricity is already an established
  energy source in several EU-countries

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Europes supply of liquid fuels

• The problemPetrochemicals
• Scarce resource
• CO2 pollution
• Strategic and political weapon
• Low security of supply
• Cheap

• The solutionBiomass (ethanol and diesel)
• Renewable
• CO2 neutral
• Can be grown and exploited anywhere
• High security of supply
• Expensive (yet)
• Processing to gasoline or diesel can be combined
  with use as solid fuel

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Biomass Supply and process chain
Forest and agriculture crops
residues Municipal Industrial waste
Collection storage
Pre-treatment
Solid biofuels Combustion for heat
and Electricity
Liquid Biofuels Ethanol (hydrolysis and
fermentation) Bio-diesel (extraction/purification/
modification)
Biochemicals Fermentation (Thermochemical (pyrolys
is, HTU, syngas)
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biomass in environment and society

co2
Food production
Food Harvest
land for food
Food consumption
Cattle
land for feed
Feed Harvest
land for quality of life
energy transformation
Energycrops harvest
Energy consumption
land for energy
Produce chemicals, pharmaceuticals, building
materials
Use of products and materials
Raw materials harvest
land for materials
h2o
logistics/ pretreatment
produce
End use
opslag
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Europe on the biomass world map

• European science and industry are leadingwithin
  a number of core technologies for biomass
  exploitation.
• Fuel ethanol is already an established and
  growing industry in the US.
• Large research programs focused on biofuels are
  running in the US.
• European research is mainly done on a national
  basis with little coordination between countries.
• Europe is about to loose its advantage, if not.

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Concept of the network

• An energy supply based onbiomass must be a
  multidisciplinary effort
• The logistics needed are a challenge. Biomass
  has volume and is degradable
• An attractive possibility is to establish e.g.
  ethanol production units close to existing power
  plants already using biomass.
• The structure of the network combining the
  knowledge and expertise within biomass for both
  fuel and electricity maximises the potential
  synergy within the area.
• The network will assemble a critical mass of the
  highest qualified European researchers and
  industry within exploitation of plant biomass.

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Purpose

• The Network of Excellence will adress issues
  needed for providing Europe with a technical and
  an economical feasible supply of biomass energy.
  The network will combine all areas dealing with
  energy from biomass. Focus will be on short to
  medium term development of a biomass based supply
  of green electricity and liquid biofuels.

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Network Organisation
Brussels
Member
Coordinator Management team
Member
Activities Symposia PhD program Research
schools Exchange Etc.
Member
Member
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Network Working environment
culture

• Development and dissemination of novel concepts
  are interdisciplinary activities

policy
development
technology
economy
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Network activities

• Three major areas
• Scientific
• Organisational
• Educational

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Scientific

• Identify bottlenecks and critical areas
• Setup selected short and medium term goals
• Pre-treatment of biomass for combustion and
  hydrolysis
• Biomass-supply Agricultural infrastructure,
  live-cycle-analysis
• Fermentation New microorganisms, new enzymes
• The Biobased economy economical and sociological
  aspects.

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Organisational

• Build the best possible forum of researchers
  within the area, an open and active network key
  issue is synergy
• Adapt research strategies
• Coordination of technical facilities
• Conduct symposia, workshops and conferences
• Setup one or more internet sites for
  dissemination of knowledge and servicing academia
  and industry

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Educational

• Exchange of scientists inside and outside
  network
• PhD programmes
• Research schools
• Internet based forum linking participants e.g.
  the virtual laboratory.

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Partners

• Universities and research centers
• Microbiology
• Agri- and Silvi-culture
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Engineering
• Economy
• Ecology
• Industry
• Biotech
• Biofuel producing companies
• Power companies