Research hub to address burning bioenergy issues
17 Jul 2012
David Willetts has launched a research hub dedicated to exploring bioenergy processes and techniques
The SUPERGEN Bioenergy Hub will start work on 1st August 2012 and will address 10 research projects ranging from turning biomass into transport fuels to capturing carbon dioxide from burning biomass feedstocks.
Dr Patricia Thornley, director of the initiative, said: “The SUPERGEN Bioenergy Hub is going to really drill into a whole host of bioenergy prospects. It is not just going to look at what will work practically, in terms of generating power, but also the impact of such technologies. This is vitally important; we have to look at the sustainability of these new avenues.”
For example, two of the projects will focus on reducing emissions from biomass combustion. One of these will involve practical measurement work on real boilers, trying to identify cost effective methods of reducing particulates and other atmospheric pollutants at small scale.
A fundamental scientific study, led by Leeds University, will focus on identifying key markers for emissions from fuel analyses.
Meanwhile, Rothamsted Research will focus on identifying the most significant losses along key supply chains, quantifying their impact and proposing measures to mitigate these. Currently, biomass supply chains are long and complex, with multiple processing stages and the extent to which material is lost is poorly understood.
Further projects will address:
- Stages in some supply chains where knowledge of potential greenhouse gas impacts is limited
- Whole systems engineering integration of gasifiers and robust processing schemes
- The economic and environmental benefits of heating biomass
- Capturing carbon dioxide emissions when burning biomass
- Producing bio-oil by fast pyrolysis
- Alternative routes to producing a natural gas substitute from other feedstocks, including wood
The SUPERGEN Bioenergy Hub is funded by a £3.5m grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) as part of the RCUK Energy programme.
