Animesh Dutta
University of Guelph, Canada
Title: Hybrid thermochemical and biochemical conversion of biomass for renewable fuels and products
Biography
Biography: Animesh Dutta
Abstract
Food security, climate change, and energy sustainability are three major challenges in the 21st century. Among different renewable energy sources, bioenergy is a renewable primary energy source that touches all three major issues due to its competition with food on land use, low net CO2 emissions, and potentially sustainable if the economical, environmental and societal impacts are properly managed. The research at Bio-reneable innovation lab (BRIL) at Guelph focuses on research and development of a novel approach for the production of an array of renewable products such as energy, fuels, and products from Canada’s particular range of low grade biomass sources. These sources range from woody biomass to agricultural wastes, municipal green bin collections, and animal manures. This novel approach integrates thermochemical and biochemical conversion processes through a series of innovative technologies (i.e. hydrothermal pretreatment, supercritical gasification or anaerobic digestion with dry reforming, gas-to-liquid fuel through fermentation). The innovative and synergistic integration of design with processing through the above projects are expected to result in renewable fuels and value-added products. The resulting biocarbon can substitute fossil resources on a cost-performance basis with the added benefit of eco-friendliness. This could mean a tremendous reduction in greenhouse gas emission through the use of bioproduct, reducing our dependency on petroleum.The use of hydrothermal, chemical looping and supercritical gasifications, anaerobic digestion, dry reforming of biogas to produce syngas, and syngas fermentation techniques in the development and application of biofuels and products would lead to reduced dependency on petroleum and a sustainable economy.