11^th World Bioenergy Congress and Expo July 02-04, 2018 Golden Tulip Berlin – Hotel Hamburg, Berlin, Germany

Biography:

Soo Young No has his expertise in atomization and sprays, combustion and emission characteristics in applying the liquid biofuels to internal combustion engines, particularly compression ignition engines. The review papers on liquid biofuels published by him include the biodiesel obtained from inedible vegetable oils (Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2011,131-140, Atomization and Sprays 2011,87-105), alcohols such as methanol, ethanol (submitted to Applied Energy) and butanol (Fuel 2016, 641-658), bio-oil (Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2014, 1108-1125), straight vegetable oil (Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2017, 80-97), BTL diesel, hydrotreated vegetable oils (Fuel 2014, 88-96).

Abstract:

According to the importance of methanol as an alternative biofuel and the current research trends towards more advanced internal combustion (IC) engine, it is required to fully understand the combustion and emission characteristics of advanced compression ignition (CI) engines fueled with methanol. Biomethanol can be produced from various biomass such as agricultural waste, forestry waste, livestock and poultry waste, fishery waste and sewage sludge through pyrolysis, gasification, biosynthesis and electrolysis etc. The main concern in this review is the application of biomethanol to advanced CI engines such as HCCI (homogenous charge compression ignition), PPC (partially premixed combustion), DF (duel fuel), RCCI (reactivity controlled combustion ignition) combustion mode. This review is a part of an on-going review project of application of bioalcohols to the advanced CI engines. In this review, it is found that the method for HCCI combustion in CI engine fueled with biomethanol can be divided into three categories: i.e. external, internal, and combined mixture preparation. DF combustion mode can be divided into four categories, i.e. blends, emulsion, fumigation, and dual fuel injection. In DF combustion mode, dual fuel injection can also be divided by two strategies, i.e. 1) PFI of the methanol and DI of the diesel in cylinder, 2) PFI of the methanol and DI of straight vegetable oil, Of two techniques, the methanol PFI (port fuel injection) and diesel DI (direct injection) was the prevailing technique to be studied in the dual fuel combustion. RCCI combustion mode can be divided into three categories, i.e. 1) methanol PFI/diesel or biodiesel DI, single injection, 2) methanol PFI/diesel DI, double injection, 3) methanol PFI/ diesel DI, triple injection.

Lunch Break 13:20-14:20 @ Restaurant Rienäcker

Biography:

Brautsch Markus is a Full Professor for thermodynamics, energy technology and renewable energies at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Amberg-Weiden, Germany since 1998. He is the Founder of the Institute of Energy Technology and the Bavarian Center of Excellence for Combined Heat and Power Generation. In 2014 he was appointed as Guest Professor at the Jiangsu University of Science and Technology in China. He is a Guest Lecturer at the Renewable Energy Center in Mithradam (India) and the University of Santa Caterina (Brazil).

Abstract:

A system comparison involving two gasifier-CHP systems (Dual Fuel and Gas-Otto) was conducted, with an emphasis on the efficiency of the complete systems. A complete system consists of a biomass gasifier and a CHP unit. The gasifier is composed of a wood pellet storage, a gasification chamber, a gas cooler, a gas filter and dust removal, as well as a condensing unit. The system is a direct-current fixed-bed gasifier with a localized fluidized bed. Wood pellets and gasification air are introduced into the gasifier from below in direct current. The gasification process is autothermal, meaning the thermal energy required for the gasification process comes from the partial combustion of the pellets during the process. After the gas has formed, the wood gas emerges at about 800°C at the upper end of the gasifier. It is cooled to about 125°C by means of a gas cooler. A downstream fabric filter cleans the raw gas of dust and ash particles. Downstream, the raw gas is cooled to 40°C by condensation of water. In Dual Fuel operation the CHP system works with a compression rate of 14:1. The electrical efficiency of the complete system at full load (180 kWel) varies from 34.4 % (heating oil/wood gas), (biodiesel/wood gas), (rapeseed oil/wood gas) to 33.3 % (palm oil/wood gas) and (soybean oil/wood gas) dependent on the used pilot fuel. The thermal efficiencies vary from 44.4 % to 48.7 %. As a result, the power coefficients amount from 69.8 % to 75.2 %. The λ values are constant with 1.53 to 1.57 and independent of used pilot fuels. Considering the additional heat output from the gas cooler of 75 kW, the gasifiers total efficiency is 91.2 %. For the gas-otto operation the CHP system has been modified to a reduced compression rate of 12.6:1. The whole injection system and cylinder head has been replaced to a cylinder head with ignition coils and spark plugs, so that the 100 % woodgas operation without any pilot fuel comes possible. The maximum electrical power was limited to 165 kW. The wood pellet mass flow has been constant with 108.7 kg/h, which correlates to a wood pellet combustion heat performance to 532.7 kW. The electrical efficiency of the wood gasifier CHP system is 29.9 %. Its thermal efficiency is 52.3 %. As a result, the power coefficient amounts to 0.57 (λ value of 1.55). The reduction of the compression ratio and the conversion to the gas-otto combustion process shows a decrease in electrical efficiency and power coefficient.

Biography:

Bor Yann Chen has expertise in biomass energy and bioremediation for biotechnology. His serial studies focuses on applications in wastewater decolorization, bioremediation engineering, environmental toxicology and biofuel cells. Recently, his findings also deciphered chemical structures of electron shuttles and recalcitrant dyes which are crucial to simultaneous pollutant biodegradation and biomaterial/bioenergy recycling for sustainable green technology. Considering environmental friendliness, this study explored natural bioresources (e.g., medicinal herbs and edible flora) for bioenergy and high-value production generation. He has provided different alternatives to re-evaluate indigenous biomaterials with electrochemical potentials for bioenergy extraction, biorefinery development and derived applications.

Abstract:

Electron shuttle-stimulating microbial fuel cells is electrochemically promising to maximize performance of simultaneous wastewater treatment and bioproduct generation. Their prior studies revealed that bio decolorized intermediates owned capabilities as electron shuttles (ESs) to stimulate reductive decolorization and bioelectricity generation. Recent findings indicated that both antioxidant characteristics and electron-shuttling potential of chemical species were strongly associated. For medicinal herbs and edible flora, these properties are also directly proportional to contents of polyphenolics and/or flavonoids. Thus, this study quantitatively disclosed such relationships via electrochemical inspections for practicability. Moreover, the performance of bioelectricity generation using microbial fuel cells could be significantly augmented via supplementation of extracts of ES-rich medicinal herbs and edible flora. They also evaluated redox potential profiles (CV) and DPPH free radical scavenging capabilities of herbs or flora for the feasibility of bioelectrochemical applications. They also uncovered that extracts of Syzygium aromaticum, Lonicera japonica and green tea were promising ES-abundant herbs/flora for energy extraction/recycling. Due to reversible ES characteristics, wastes of medicinal herbs and edible flora were still feasible for reuse/recycling in electrochemically-steered applications to bioenergy and biorefinery.

Biography:

Wen Ying Li has her current research focused entirely on enabling discovery and design of processes and catalysts for sustainable energy, including converting coal to liquid and fuels, providing clean conversion technology from lower rank of coal and poor quality coal, clean and efficient catalytic pyrolysis and gasification of lignite and biomass, and optimizing traditional coal conversion processes and integrating carbon-based polygeneration system of carbon mitigation initiative.

Abstract:

This article academically discusses the role of biomass during the co-gasification of coal and biomass, according to the effects of addition ratio of biomass, biomass ash, alkali metal compounds in biomass ash, and mineral matters in the coal on anthracite char gasification under CO₂ atmosphere. The transformation of organic structure and mineral matter in coal-biomass mixtures during co-gasification, the anthracite and rice straw addition with different ratios were isothermally gasified at 1100°C. The phase-mineral composition, morphology and organic structure of solid residues produced at different gasification time were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectrometer, Raman spectroscopy and other methods. Results revealed that the organic structure was changed in char as it became less ordered with the addition of biomass. The bulk concentrations of K and Na and their bearing minerals and phases in char increased with the addition of biomass during gasification process. The transformation of mineral matter played a significant role in promoting the coal gasification. Biomass ash containing alkali metals has been proven as a natural and disposable catalyst for the thermal conversion of carbon-containing material. Meanwhile, it was observed that 50% biomass ash addition resulted in the agglomeration of the co-gasification ash. The catalytic effect of alkalis in biomass ash was attributed to the H₂O soluble and HCl insoluble forms alkali metal containing chemicals during gasification process. Catalytic activity of 2.5% biomass ash addition to demineralized coal char is similar to the 30% biomass ash addition to coal char. The mineral matter in the coal was observed to decrease the catalytic activity of the biomass ash which could be partially remedied by calcium additives. The catalytic mechanism of biomass ash on coal char gasification was elucidated. We researched the fusion process from sintering to melting of anthracite coal ash, rice straw ash and their mixture with different rice straw ash additions. Two different fusion mechanisms were applied to elucidate the fusion process with the increment of rice straw ash addition. The above results can be used in the development of coal-biomass co-gasification technology.

Networking and Refreshments Break 15:50-16:20 @ Sylt Foyer

Biography:

Tanja Radu is a Lecturer in International Relief, Water Supply and Sanitation Engineering at Loughborough University, UK. She has more than 15 years of international experience in water and environmental engineering. Her main research interests include waste water treatment, renewable energy from waste and supplying energy for rural communities in developing countries. Currently, she is focusing on the process of biogas generation from waste using the technology of anaerobic digestion. She is involved in a range of international projects providing small-scale, decentralized sustainable energy generation. This includes collaborative effort with Universities of India, Thailand and Bahrain.

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: The Minamata Convention on Mercury entered into force in August 2017 and seeks to redress mercury contamination across its 128 signatories and 84 ratified parties. Some 5,500-8,900 tonnes of mercury are released into the biosphere annually negatively affecting the health of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Cleaning up contaminated site using standard methods is expensive and unrealistic in many affected areas, primarily in developing countries. Developing a more cost-effective method that includes co-benefits is needed. 

Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: The research team worked with an industry partner to test its patented method for site decontamination. The method uses plants to take up heavy metal pollution (called phytoremediation), decontaminates phytoremediation biomass, and uses treated biomass as a feedstock for anaerobic digestion. This is a novel method of coupling land remediation with renewable energy generation using plants. Mercury distribution throughout this system is monitored with the special emphasis on efficiency of its removal from every step of the cycle using a novel polymer (adsorbent). Systematic analysis of soil, plant, and AD (anaerobic digestion) digester samples indicates sinks of mercury and the optimal conditions for its adsorption. The experimental work includes using real soil and plant samples from mercury contaminated sites in Indonesia. Several types of plants are studied to provide maximal mercury uptake and biogas yield.

Conclusion & Significance: The research shows the efficacy of the method to remove mercury from contaminated biomass, and the efficiency of treated biomass when used as an AD feedstock (typically mercury interferes with the AD process). It is significant because the method could be applied to vast tracts of contaminated land to support site remediation whilst creating a bioenergy value stream from currently poisoned land. The method complies with Minamata Convention provisions and could significantly improve the health and welfare of people especially in developing countries.

Biography:

Knawang Chhunji Sherpa is currently pursuing her PhD at PK Sinha Centre for Bioenergy at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India. Her research work is focused on second generation bioethanol using sugarcane tops as lignocellulosic biomass.

Abstract:

Second generation bioethanol has been advocated as a promising substitute of petroleum based fuels for mitigating GHG emissions and lessening our dependency on fossil based fuels. Bioethanol has emerged as one of the advantageous sustainable biofuel that aids in being an effective factor in the transportation sector for reducing emission of pollutants from tailpipe that are the reason for smog and ground-level ozone. Bioethanol due to its high octane number of 108 has high anti-knock value and can be used in bioethanol-diesel blend to decrease exhaust gas emission. In addition, bioethanol is less noxious producing less air-borne pollutants in comparison to petroleum fuel. Typical process for the biological conversion of carbohydrates to ethanol comprises of pretreatment, saccharification and fermentation. Development in fermentation technology plays a significant role in making the process viable. Fermentation being a key element in the bioethanol production process, the present study investigates different strategies viz. separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF), simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) and semi-simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSSF) to produce ethanol from sugarcane tops enzymatically pretreated with laccase. Sugarcane tops, an agricultural residue was used as the substrate since it is rich in carbohydrates that are usually burnt in the field or used as low quality roughage. The focus of the study was to check the efficiency of various approaches among which SSF and SSSF were able to enhance ethanol titre in the range of 6-7 % (v/v) with shortened biological processing time (24-36 h).

Biography:

G Lohit K Srinivas is currently a PhD Scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India. His area of research include: biodiesel production utilizing oleaginous microbes.

Abstract:

Waste cooking oil generated as a waste product during the manufacture of fried foods poses grave health risk to its consumers owing to the change in the chemical and physical properties of the oil during the frying process. In this regard, waste cooking oil can be a potential resource for biodiesel production owing to its abundant availability and moreover its utilization will curb the problem of its disposal and thereby negating the pollution incurred towards water and land resources. The availability of waste cooking oil depends upon the quantity of the consumption of edible oil and according to EIA (environmental impact assessment), in the United States of America, availability of waste cooking oil is estimated to be 100 million gallons per day. Major fraction of the waste cooking oil is dumped in the landfills thus leading to environmental problems while a small fraction is utilized for soap manufacturing and also as an additive during the manufacture of animal fodder which is also under the scanner owing to the European Union regulation of 2002 according to which its use in the manufacture of animal fodder is banned. Thus the route of biodiesel production from waste cooking oil is a potential value addition to this resource. Conventionally biodiesel is manufactured via transesterification of the lipids to yield fatty acid methyl esters utilizing acid, alkali etc., catalysts which pose the issue of corrosion to the reactors as well as the waste disposal issues. In this regard, utilization of lipase extracted from Rhizopus oryzae was investigated for transesterification of waste cooking oil to FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Esters) and it was observed that the biodiesel produced majorly composed of palmitic and stearic acid methyl esters. Moreover the fuel quality of the produced biodiesel yielded calorific value of 37.83 MJ/kg, acid value of 0.2 mg KOH/ g biodiesel, iodine value of 8.71 g I2/ 100 g biodiesel and cetane index of 67.3. The characteristics studied fall well within the ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 standards prescribed for biodiesel thus justifying the use of green catalysts – lipase for biodiesel production of waste cooking oil.

Biography:

Patricia J Harvey is a Senior Expert in bioenergy value chains, and the water-food-energy nexus, with particular focus on the use of algal and non-food plant systems for the capture of CO2, use of non-potable water and production of green chemicals and biofuels. She is a Coordinator of several projects including: “the CO₂ microalgae biorefinery: D-Factory”; a 10 million Euro FP7-funded project “Macrobiocrude”, (EPSRC-funded); Non-food bio-oil supply chains (EU-ACP-funded) aimed at capacity building measures in South Africa, Namibia and Ghana to create sustainable, non-food supply chains; Ecotec21 (EU-Interreg) which installed novel, biofuel-fired CHP technology at the University of Greenwich (UK) using biooils and glycerol; tuning algae for biofuel profitably (NERC, Innovate UK).

Abstract:

Statement of the problem: Global energy consumption will grow by up to 50% by 2035; 60% more food will be needed and global water use for irrigation could increase by 10% by 2050. Glycerol, a new biofuel and by-product of biodiesel manufacture, is planned to be combusted using new engine technology (410kW electrical; 450kW thermal) to provide heat and power at the University of Greenwich UK, provided sufficient reliable supplies of glycerol can be sourced at the right specification. Biofuels, however, can necessitate substantial water inputs depending on feedstock production: by 2030, the global blue biofuel water footprint might have grown to 5.5% of the totally available blue water for humans, causing extra pressure on fresh water resources.

Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: The blue water footprint of the net energy provided by microalgal biofuels has been concluded to be significantly smaller compared with fuels from other energy crops. Extremophile, halotolerant microalgae such as Dunaliella produce glycerol without the requirement to process lipids to release the glycerol. The potential for commercial glycerol production from Dunaliella was examined in the D-Factory, a €10m, 14-partner, FP7-funded project (2013-2017).

Findings: Dunaliella can be cultivated at large-scale in hypersaline water using solar energy and with minimal fresh water and flue-gas CO₂. These algae can be processed for glycerol and a range of high-value products for disease mitigation, and biomass can be used in new food products and in feedstuffs. A demonstration is underway to show the potential for commercialization of algae such as Dunaliella. From this work, the scope to produce commodities such as glycerol from algae is discussed in the context of the water-food-energy nexus and circular economy.

Conclusion & Significance: Awareness of the water-food-energy nexus offers opportunities to utilize algae sustainably for the production of biobased products.

Biography:

Regina Nogueira focuses her research activities on the application of biological processes in water and wastewater treatment and their performance optimization. She has been involved in lab- and full-scale projects dealing with the diversity, dynamics and performance of different microbial populations for various reactor operation parameters, both for biofilms and suspended microbial populations. She has been implementing molecular methods like FISH and real-time PCR for the detection of key microorganisms in wastewater in order to give a fast response to the wastewater operators of the efficacy of their measures. More recently, she is working on the production of biopolymers using industrial wastewater from the brewery and yeast industries using microbial mixed cultures. Her aim is to contribute to the valorization of industrial wastewater and to bring to the market biopolymers with a competitive price.

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: Plastic and plastic products have become integrated part of our daily life. Even after recycling 5.6 million tons of undegradable plastic waste is produced per year in India which will persist in landscapes. Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) are biodegradable, biocompatible, and have thermoplastic features; and can substitute conventional plastics. PHA biopolymer cost is estimated to be ranging between US$2.25–2.75/lb which is significantly higher than the conventional plastics and is attributed to use of pure cultures, high price of high purity substrates, and usage of batch and fed-batch production modes, thus hampering the wide commercialization and industrialization. To make PHA production economical, cheap industrial waste water like yeast production industries, which are rich in volatile fatty acids can be used. This will serve purpose of reducing the cost of production and waste water conditioning to reduce VFA (volatile fatty acids) content. Use of PHA producing microorganism rich mixed microbial culture will allow bioreactor operation under non-sterile condition reducing costs further.

Objectives: The objective of current study is cost effective production of PHA namely PHB and PHV by using mixed microbial culture (MMC) by feeding yeast industry waste water.

Methodology: To produce MMC, activated sludge was subjected to ecological pressure of aerobic dynamic feeding, in sequencing batch reactor selecting the PHA accumulators. PHA accumulation capacity of MMC was evaluated using batch, fed batch and continuous mode of bioreactor operation using acetate and waste water as feed.

Results: Experiment with waste water produced 71.63 % PHA per dry cell weight (DCW) in batch mode and continuous mode produced 65.38 % PHA per DCW hence yielding 242.21 tons and 296.46 tons of theoretical possible production per year respectively.

Recommendation: We recommend using continuous reactor due to its simplicity and ease of operation and ability to handle large quantity of feed in very small reactor volume.

Biography:

K S Patel has completed his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, India and Postdoctoral studies from several German Institutes and UC Davis, USA. He continued as an Emeritus Professor in the same University and is now working in medicinal and herbal plant chemistry. He has published more than 100 papers in reputed journals in various fields of analytical chemistry.

Abstract:

Thousands of phenolic compounds are present in plant tissues to protect them from ultraviolet radiation, microbial infections or/and chemical changes. Polyphenols are antioxidants in plants having substantial amount of health benefits. Among the most well-known are the flavonoids, which are a grouping of several thousand of individual compounds. Their concentration and chemical types differ with respect to phylum and plant parts. Hence, in this work, the total phenolic and flavonoid contents in a variety of plant materials i.e. bark, seed pod, seed coat and leaf are identified by using Folin-Ciocalteu and AlCl₃ as reagents for spectrophotometric measurements. The concentration of total phenols and flavonoid in term of tannic acid and quercetin in 212 plant materials was ranged from 0.09-5.11 and 0.10-4.23% with mean value (p=0.05) of 1.89±0.15 and 1.18±0.13%, respectively. The total phenolic contents in the barks (n=74), seed pods (n=11), seed coats (n=37) and leaves (n=90) were ranged from 0.010-5.10, 0.94-2.88, 0.09-5.11 and 1.10-4.13% with mean value (p=0.05) of 1.11±0.22, 2.19±0.31, 1.46±0.39 and 2.66±0.14%, respectively. Relatively lower concentration of flavonoids was observed, ranging from 0.11-4.20, 0.21-1.74, 0.10-4.23 and 1.06-3.76% with mean value (p=0.05) of 0.50±0.16, 0.68±0.26, 0.74±0.30 and 1.98±0.14% in the barks, seed pods, seed coats and leaves, respectively. The concentration variations and sources of phenolic compounds in the plant materials are discussed.

Biography:

Ramachandran Sivaramakrishnan has been working in the production of biofuels from microalgae. He is working as a Senior post-doctroral researcher in the department of biochemistry, Chulalongkorn University. His doctoral studies were about methyl ester production from macroalgae using lipase catalyst. He has been awarded as Junior Research Fellow by Department of Science and Technology, India. He has published Ten research articles in international journals.

Abstract:

Problem

The continued use of fossil fuels depletes the reserves, more than 75% of petroleum based fuels are burnt in the transportation sector. The utilization of global energy is expected to be increased in the future due to increase population and demand. Therefore, there is a need for alternative fuel, which is not only satisfying the need, but also solve the environmental problems. Microalgae feedstocks, a reliable biofuel source, has drawn much attention as an alternative and renewable. This is due to the microalgal species have the excellent photosynthetic efficiencies and the biomass reproducibility potential than any other terrestrial crops. In this study, the integrated approach of ethanol and biodiesel production from algal biomass. This integrated method is to develop the microalgae based biorefinery model.

Abstract

The present study focuses on the biorefinery approach of integrated production of bioethanol and biodiesel from microalgae feedstock. Various pretreatment methods were used to determine the maximum recovery of sugars from Botryococcus sp. The total sugar yield of 84 % was obtained when pretreated by acid hydrolysis. The hydrolysate produced 90 % of ethanol (theoretical yield) after the fermentation using Saccharomyces cerevisiae.  Enzyme catalyzed direct transesterification of biomass was performed using dimethyl carbonate as a solvent and the maximum of yield of 87 % methyl ester yield, 2.6 % glycerol carbonate and 5.6% glycerol dicarbonate was obtained. In the integrated process, the acid hydrolysis was done first, and the sugar extracted biomass was used for the enzyme catalyzed direct transesterification. The obtained hydrolysate was further fermented with S. cerevisiae and at the optimized conditions of fermentation 90 % of ethanol (theoretical yield) was obtained. The direct transesterification of spent biomass produces 92 % of methyl ester yield with 2.1% glycerol carbonate and 4.9% of glycerol decarbonate. Thus, the biorefinery approach of integrated production of ethanol and biodiesel may offer a suitable alternative way to current methods and has the potential application to replace petroleum-based fuels in the future.

Biography:

Rajiv Chandra Rajak, currently pursuing PhD under the guidance of Prof. Rintu Banerjee from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India. Mr. Rajak is working in the area of Biomass Deconstruction using biological catalsyt and its role in reducing sugar production. 

Abstract:

Biological processes are becoming more competitive and gaining increased attention worldwide due to sustainability and eco-friendly nature. Biocatalyst, such as enzymes produced from microorganisms act as an effective green catalyst for biomass deconstruction. Laccase (oxidoreductase, EC 1.10.3.2) is a multicopper phenol oxidase enzyme that oxidizes electron-rich phenolic and non-phenolic substrates. Lignocellulosics such as Saccharum spontaneum (Kans grass), contains huge amount of carbohydrates in its cell wall and to make this enormous amount more accessible for hydrolysis and to be used further in fermentation, degradation of lignin through appropriate pretreatment process is an essential prerequisite of the complete biofuel production process.

In the present work, laccase obtained from Lentinus sp. has been used for biomass deconstruction. The process was optimized through Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based on Central Composite Design (CCD) to investigate the effects of the different process parameters on biomass pretreatment. The maximum delignification obtained was 81.67% at 6 h of incubation time upon monitoring the initial lignin content of 17.46 %. Highest reducing sugar yield from enzyme-pretreated Kans grass was 500.30 mg g−1 substrate after 5.30 h of incubation time at a low cellulase loading. SEM analysis indicated changes in the surface characteristics, whereas FT-IR shows that the pretreatment condition does not pose any major changes in the chemical nature of cellulose and hemicellulose. This work contributes towards the emergence of greener biomass pretreatment and utilization strategy.

Biography:

Jianrong Li is working at the Van Swinden Laboratory (VSL), the Dutch Metrology Institute, as Scientist in the R&D Department. Her work focuses on metrology and gas analysis in the fields of Energy and Environment. Currently Jianrong is coordinating the European joint research project “EMPIR 16ENG05 - Metrology for biomethane” and is leading a Task in “EMPIR 16ENG09 – Metrological support for LNG and LBG as transport fuel” project. In the past, she has led Work Packages and Tasks in several other research projects under the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP), such as ENG54 Biogas, ENG60 LNG II and ENV56 KEY-VOCs. 

Abstract:

Under the Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC, mandate M/475, CEN/PC 408 developed specifications for biomethane (i.e., EN16723). Currently, the test methods cited in EN16723 are neither harmonised nor validated, lack aspects of metrological traceability, and are usually not dedicated to biomethane. Thus, they are hampering the energy transition from natural gas to biomethane and are causing the realisation of the EC’s H2020 goals to be too slow. Regulators, grids and refuelling stations, and testing laboratories urgently require harmonised and validated test methods to enable the transportation of biomethane using existing infrastructure as well as clear financial transactions without disputes. Recently an ISO Working Group for Biomethane has been established, i.e. ISO/TC193/SC1/WG25 Biomethane.

In order to assess conformity with the EN16723 specifications and to provide valuable input to ISO/TC193/SC1/WG25, as the successor project of EMRP ENG54 – Metrology for biogas [1], the European joint research project EMPIR 16ENG05 – Metrology for biomethane [2] aims to develop standardised test methods for the parameters (mainly impurities) to be monitored when injecting biomethane into the natural gas grids and when using it as a transport fuel, for example the content of total silicon and siloxanes, halogenated volatile organic compounds, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, ammonia, terpenes, compressor oil and amines in biomethane. A further objective of this work is to develop or improve the measurement standards for these parameters, in order to enable SI traceable calibration and measurement results. For legal purposes, a standardised test method is also needed for determining the fraction of biogenic methane in blends of biomethane and natural gas.

This work will closely liaise with the biogas producing and upgrading industry, regulators and biomethane testing laboratories and other end-users to ensure that the developed test methods are robust and efficient and can readily be implemented.

Latest progress of this work, with focus on results obtained at VSL, will be reported and discussed.

Biography:

S.P. Jeevan Kumar is pursuing his Ph.D at Indian Institute of Technology, India . His research interests are biodiesel production from oleaginous microbes.

Abstract:

The dramatic increase in demand for transportation fuels coupled with depletion of finite resources and the increased environmental concerns have kindled to search for renewable fuels. Among several renewable fuels, biodiesel is a promising fuel, which is synthesized by transesterification reaction of vegetable oils/animal fats using methanol. On the other hand, exorbitant cost of vegetable oils and succinct supply of animal fats have crippled the development of biodiesel.  Oleaginous yeast has the potential to synthesize lipid in significant amounts using lignocellulosic substrates. In the present study, Trichosporon sp. an oleaginous yeast was isolated, identified and evaluated its efficiency to utilize various lignocellulosic substrates that are delignified with laccase. It was observed that 21.45 %(w/w), 20.23 %, 18.82 %, 15.75 %, and 14.80 % of lipid contents were resulted with delignified Ricinus communis, cotton stalk, Lantana camara, Saccharum spontaneum and pineapple leaf waste, respectively. Further, the lipids were subjected to enzymatic transesterification using immobilized lipase and obtained yield of 85.00 % fatty acid methyl esters with oil:methanol ratio 1:15, 10 U of immobilized lipase/g of oil in 36 h at 30 °C of 150 rpm. The fatty acid methyl esters were tested for suitability of fuel properties and found that the iodine value, cetane index, saponification value, acid value and calorific value were within the limits of international standards. These studies signify that the delignified substrates could be used for biodiesel production by oleaginous yeast.