Day 2 :
Keynote Forum
Ajit Sapre
Reliance Industries, India
Keynote: Biofuels and bio-chemicals: One perspective
Time : 09:00-09:30
Biography:
Ajit Sapre has more than 35 years of experience in the petroleum refining and petrochemicals business, technology development and management. He received his PhD from the University of Delaware and MBA from Cornell University. His experience includes technical and managerial assignments in research, engineering, licensing, business, manufacturing units and corporate planning. He has strong management and technical background in refining, petrochemicals processes development, catalyst development, chemical reaction engineering, optimization technologies, computer integrated manufacturing and intellectual asset management. He has experience in upstream, downstream (refining, petrochemicals, polyester, lubes) and renewable energy sectors. He has published more than 100 technical papers, one book and has more than 45 US patents to his credit.
Abstract:
Reliance Industries has committed a significant R&D effort in the area of renewable energy and bio-chemicals. The current focus at RIL is in four key areas: Agri-residue to kerosene; Jatropa to bio-diesel, algae to bio-crude and cellulosic sugars, and syngas to bio-chemicals, e.g., isoprene and butadiene. This presentation will mainly focus on role of synthetic biology and engineering to make these technologies commercially viable. Innovations in biology especially synthetic biology had made it easier to leverage living micro-organisms to produce products useful for human life and civilization. We at RIL have developed cutting edge tools and technologies for synthetic biology to utilize the fullest potential of this opportunity. We are exploring the use of micro-organisms like algae and natural photosynthesis, which forms the fundamental basis for bio-crude and other value added products such as proteins from algae. Algae, in particular, are highly efficient convertors of sunlight to stored energy. Advances in synthetic biology and gene editing can enable significant increases in productivity or overall photosynthesis. Coupled with the availability of different high-throughput technologies and bioinformatics platform along with innovative engineering breakthroughs, algae can potentially provide opportunities to significantly impact different facets of human life and civilization. To be commercially competitive, improvements in cultivation systems, biology, harvesting, and maximizing oil yield from biomass are still needed. This presentation will cover learnings from our algae research and will feature an amalgamation of engineering and biology. In parallel, applications of synthetic biology in E.coli and Clostridium with cellulosic sugars and syngas as feed, has made it possible for us to produce many high value bio chemicals. This presentation will cover use of modern biology tools and learnings from our algae and bio-chemical research.
Keynote Forum
Majid Hosseini
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, USA
Keynote: Technical challenges of large-scale microalgae harvesting for feed, food, and biofuels production
Time : 09:30-10:00
Biography:
Dr. Hosseini has earned both his PhD and MS degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Akron, in Ohio, USA. He has also completed an MSE degree in Manufacturing Engineering at UTRGV in Texas, USA, and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, Iran. Dr. Hosseini has edited book and book chapters, co-invented patents application technologies, and authored multiple peer reviewed research articles. He has served as a key speaker at national and international conferences and meetings and has been actively engaged in technology development. He is a persistent reviewer of leading international journals.
Abstract:
Presently, commercially produced microalgae are used in supplemental nutritional products for humans and animals. There is a great potential for microalgae to be used in food/feed supplements, biofuels production, electricity generation, carbon dioxide biofixation, etc. Throughout the world, many variations on cultivation methods, species of microalgae, harvesting means and the biomass processing technology have been implemented. Even though microalgae biomass has been rigorously studied in both the laboratory and in the field for years, its usefulness is impeded by the difficulty experienced in its large scale cultivation thereby making it commercially infeasible. Nevertheless, there are multiple issues that must be addressed before the widespread adoption of algal biomass production technology. Several species are already being used commercially in raceway ponds, but are still not produced in high enough quantities or in a cost effective manner that is required for fuels and feeds. While algae biomass demand continues to increase globally, producers require technological developments that drive cost reduction while retaining and elevating the quality of the product. Low cost, efficient and scalable harvesting and subsequent dewatering methods require technological advancement in order to drive cost reduction of downstream processing and ultimately biofuel production. The favorability of the carbon and energy balance is what determines the microalgae feedstock’s viability for the production of biofuel. In order to achieve large-scale production levels, not only must processing costs be drastically cut, but more importantly is the development of algae strains that are highly productive and can be cheaply harvested. The systems used for the identification, promotion and utilization of algal biomass are sought after by producers and processors alike so as to ensure profitability, supply security, eco-consciousness, sustainability, market competitiveness, and etc. This work detailed the challenges that microalgae biomass production and utilization face which span the breadth of the algal production chain. Constraints, both chemical and physical in nature, that obstruct mass production and application of large scale algal biomass is also addressed herein. Comparisons between various microalgae harvesting methods and their potential for scalability are discussed. Furthermore, a discussion on the technical, economic and environmental barriers that must be surmounted prior to the introduction of microalgae-based products into the global market is presented.
Keynote Forum
Ange Nzihou
Centre RAPSODEE, France
Keynote: Innovative catalysts for the conversion of greenhouse gases (CO2 and CH4) from biowastes to energy and chemical
Time : 10:00-10:30
Biography:
Professor Nzihou obtained his PhD degree in chemical engineering at the National Polytechnic Institute in Toulouse, France in 1994. His research interests focus on treatment processes and engineering new materials from waste and biomass. He has published about 120 papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, and supervised 10 PhD students and 12 post-docs. Since 2001, he has received 20 significant grants from industry and governmental agencies. He is the initiator and the Chairman of the Waste Eng Conference Series dedicated to organizing conferences and seminars on Waste and Biomass Valorization
Abstract:
The increasing levels of CO2 and CH4 concentration in the atmosphere, especially due to fossil fuels combustion for energy production, agricultural activities and other industrial processes have led to severe climate changes. CO2 reforming of methane CH4+CO2←→ 2H2+2CO) has gained increasing attention due to the conversion of these greenhouse gases into synthetic gas (syngas), which can be used for energy production or synthesis of high-value chemicals. Also, this reaction could be used for the valorization of biogas, natural gas and CO2 waste streams. However, rapid catalyst deactivation is commonly observed in this reaction, mostly due to coke deposit on the catalyst active sites and to catalyst sintering. In the present work, the hydroxyapatite-supported nickel catalysts were synthesized and evaluated in this reaction. The catalysts presented high greenhouse gases conversion and high syngas selectivity during long periods of time (>300 h). Moreover, the comparison between these catalysts with the conventional ones highlighted the competitiveness of hydroxyapatite-supported nickel catalyst. The good performance of these catalysts was linked to their physicochemical properties, such as nickel particle size, metal-support interaction and supports basicity. In addition, the occurrence of carbon gasification reaction (C(S)+H2O←→ H2+CO) was crucial not only for lowering coke selectivity but also for increasing syngas production. Characterization of spent catalysts revealed that besides the amount of coke, the type of carbon had an influence on the catalysts deactivation. In situ regeneration under air flow was also performed in order to evaluate the reuse of the catalysts
Break:
Networking & Refreshment Break 10:30-10:40 @ Foyer
Networking & Refreshment Break 10:30-10:40 @ Foyer
Keynote Forum
Wei-Hsin Chen
National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
Keynote: Recent progress in torrefaction for upgrading solid biomass fuels
Time : 10:40-11:10
Biography:
Wei-Hsin Chen has received his PhD degree in 1993 at the Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan and is a Distinguished Professor at the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Cheng Kung University. He has visited the Princeton University, USA, the University of New South Wales, Australia, the University of Edinburg, UK and the University of British Columbia, Canada as a Visiting Professor. His research interests include bioenergy, hydrogen energy, clean energy, carbon capture and atmospheric science. He owns a number of academic awards and has published over 160 SCI papers with an h-index of 33. He is the Editorial Board Member of international journals Applied Energy, International Journal of Energy Research and Energies. He is also the author of several books concerning energy science and air pollution.
Abstract:
Development of renewable energy is considered as an effective countermeasure for natural resource sustainability and climate change mitigation. Currently, bioenergy accounts for the largest share in the development and utilization of renewable energy and has been extensively applied in heat and power generation as well as residential and transport sectors. Biomass can be transformed into gas or liquid fuels via a variety of methods such as gasification, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion, fermentation and transesterification. It can also be utilized as a solid fuel and burned directly for heat and power generation. However, raw biomass possesses a number of disadvantages such as hygroscopic and biodegradable nature, high moisture content, low calorific value, large volume or low bulk density and nonhomogeneity. These characteristics result in a low conversion efficiency as well as difficulty in the collection, grinding, storage and transportation of biomass. Torrefaction is a promising technology to upgrade biomass for solid fuel production. After undergoing torrefaction, the aforementioned properties of biomass are improved to a great extent and close to those of coal. Figure-1 provides a summary to illustrate the impact of torrefaction on the properties of biomass. Consequently, torrefied biomass can be used as an alternative to coal consumed in industry. This article addresses the important issues in basic research of torrefaction, especially in the impact of torrefaction on the property variation of biomass. The potential applications of torrefied biomass in industry such as combustion, gasification, ironmaking, pyrolysis and liquefaction will also be illustrated.
- Entrepreneur investment meet | Special session |
Location: Dorothy
Chair
Malgorzata Slupska
POET, USA
Session Introduction
Malgorzata Slupska
POET, USA
Title: Advances in the commercial ethanol production
Time : 11:10-11:30
Biography:
Dr Malgorzata Slupska has completed PhD at the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences at Warsaw, Poland and postdoctoral studies at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and University of California Los Angeles, CA. For over 15 years she worked in the area of biofuels at biotech companies (Diversa and Verenium, San Diego, CA), BP Biofuels (San Diego, CA) and currently she is a Lignocellulosic Research Director at POET (Sioux Falls, SD). She has published more than 20 scientific papers and coauthored 12 patents and patent applications.
Abstract:
POET, the world’s largest biofuel producer, is a leader in biorefining through its efficient, vertically integrated approach to production. The 30-year-old company has a network of 27 production facilities with a production capacity of 1.75 billion gallons. POET employs approximately 1,800 team members and in addition to ethanol produces 9 billion pounds of distillers’ dry grains and approximately 550 million pounds of corn oil per year. POET’s mission is to be a good steward of the Earth by converting renewable resources to energy and other valuable goods as effectively as humanly possible. POET is also known for its excellent record of innovation with a “raw starch” process (BPX) being the most widely known. POET, through its joint venture with DSM, also operates a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa. Project LIBERTY has a 20-25 million gallon capacity. Project LIBERTY is currently ramping up production and has achieved a conversion rate of 70 gallons per ton of biomass. The latest achievements at Project LIBERTY will be further discussed during the meeting.
Jason Bootsma
Flint Hills Resources, USA
Title: Innovation at Flint Hills Resources
Time : 11:30-11:50
Biography:
Jason Bootsma is currently Director of Technology Innovation at Flint Hills Resources.He is Responsible for evaluation and development of new technologies and other sources of competitive advantage for all of Flint Hills' businesses.
Abstract:
Flint Hills Resources, LLC, is a leading refining, chemicals and biofuels company with operations primarily in the Midwest and Texas. Flint Hills Resources’ subsidiaries produce and market gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt, ethanol, biodiesel, liquefied natural gas, olefins, polymers, intermediate chemicals, as well as base oils, corn oil and dried distillers grain. Flint Hills Resources operates seven corn dry-mill ethanol plants in the Midwest and Southeast. The plants have a combined annual capacity of 820 million gallons of ethanol. The refining business operates refineries in Minnesota (Rosemount) and Texas (Corpus Christi), with a combined crude oil processing capacity of more than 600,000 barrels per day. The petrochemical business includes production facilities in Illinois and Texas. The asphalt business produces and markets product in the Midwest. A subsidiary owns an interest in a lubricants base oil facility in Louisiana. The company is based in Wichita, Kansas, and its more than 5,000 employees strive to create value for customers and society. Flint Hills Resources does not have a formal R&D capability; the company relies upon an open innovation model. Flint Hills’ culture is based on Principled Entrepreneurship™, which means it combines a commitment to integrity and compliance with a focus on innovation to anticipate market changes – faster than our competitors – and produce products that make lives better. Employees drive the innovation that has resulted in developing value-added fuels and new technologies, while achieving safety, efficiency and environmental protection goals.
Brooks Henningsen
Mascoma LLC, USA
Title: Improving first and second generation ethanol production with biotech yeast
Time : 11:50-12:10
Biography:
Brooks Henningsen has his expertise in molecular biology and genetic engineering. He joined Mascoma, LLC in 2012 following the completion of his Master of Science degree in Biological Sciences. Since joining Mascoma he has worked towards the development of advanced yeast strains and technologies for use in the cellulosic ethanol industry. These technologies include robust C5 sugar utilization and the anaerobic conversion of acetate to value added end-products. He has also spear-headed the improvement of molecular biology techniques at Mascoma to increase strain engineering throughput and efficiency.
Abstract:
Currently, the majority of liquid transportation fuel is derived from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. Commercial ethanol production is a proven technology and serves as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels. However, the operating margins of ethanol plants are narrow and significant efforts in research and development have been undertaken to improve the economic viability of the industry. Biotech yeast represent a drop-in solution that can increase ethanol yields and minimize costs without the need for further capital or process modifications. Using advanced molecular biology and genetic techniques Mascoma LLC has successfully created and commercialized a series of bio-tech yeast for use in the corn ethanol industry that minimizes external enzyme addition and increases ethanol product yield. Mascoma has also developed products for the Brazilian sugar cane industry and emerging 1.5 and 2.0 cellulosic ethanol processes. While these products have already demonstrated great progress in the field, vast opportunities still exist to further increase the sustainability of fuel ethanol production and increase profitability through the generation of ever improving bio-tech yeast strains.
Herman Pel
DSM, Netherlands
Title: Optimizing enzyme cocktails and process conditions for production of cellulosic ethanol
Time : 12:10-12:30
Biography:
Herman Pel studied Biology at the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands. In 1992 he completed his PhD on biogenesis of mitochondria of the baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae at the University of Amsterdam. He received a long-term EMBO fellowship to continue his work on mitochondrial genetics at the Institut Genetique Moleculaire at the University of Paris-South, Orsay, France. In 1995 he became Research Fellow at the department of Biochemistry of the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, where he worked on bacterial and mitochondrial protein synthesis. In 1998 he joined DSM where he currently holds a position as Principal Scientist microbial strain development at the DSM Biotechnology Center (DBC) in Delft. Within DSM he has been involved in the development of numerous enzyme and metabolite production processes. At present he is scientific leader of DSM’s enzymes for biofuels R&D program..
Abstract:
Royal DSM is a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials. By connecting its unique competences in life sciences and materials sciences DSM is driving economic prosperity, environmental progress and social advances to create sustainable value. DSM delivers innovative solutions that nourish, protect and improve performance in global markets such as food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials. DSM and its associated companies deliver annual net sales of about €10 billion with approximately 25,000 employees. DSM’s biotechnology cluster roots back to 1869 when Jacques C. van Marken, an innovative businessman believing in science, founded NG&SF (Dutch Yeast & Spirits Factory) to produce baker’s yeast and potable alcohol. Since 2014 DSM is, via its joint venture POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels, again involved in ethanol production. The joint venture operates a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa. Project LIBERTY has a 20-25 million gallon capacity and is currently ramping up production. The role of DSM’s advanced cellulosic enzyme cocktails and yeasts is to enable the bio-ethanol industry to diversify from starch crops to lignocellulosic agricultural residues. DSM has
developed robust enzyme cocktails and yeasts to reach the ambitious ethanol cost reduction targets. This presentation will highlight how combined efforts in enzyme discovery, yeast fermentation and application process development were used to make lignocellulosic bioethanol a commercial reality.
Sarah Teter
Novozymes, USA
Title: Customized enzymes and robust yeast- Novozymes’ solutions for cellulosic biorefineries
Time : 12:30-12:50
Biography:
Dr. Sarah A. Teter is Global Manager of Biomass R&D at Novozymes. Teter’s R&D teams have had a significant impact on reducing costs for production of cellulosic ethanol. Since 2001, when Novozymes initiated focused work on delivering enzymes for biomass conversion, she has been a key part of innovative research programs developing improved enzymes (cellulases, hemicellulases, and auxiliary enzymes). Teter has extensive experience in coordinating multidisciplinary research teams, as well as customer-facing enzyme application projects. Her technical training includes post-doctorate studies at University of Michigan (1999-2001) and Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry (1997-1999), a Ph.D. from UC Davis (1997).
Abstract:
In recent years, several industry front-runners have ramped up cellulosic ethanol production in commercial scale biorefineries. Novozymes’ Cellic® enzyme products are used in most of these plants. A diverse set of biomass feedstocks and fundamentally unique technologies in the marketplace have led Novozymes to deploy tailored enzyme cocktails, with biocatalysts designed to
meet specific customer needs. Building on success in the enzyme area, Novozymes has more recently launched Cellerity® – a yeast product specifically optimized to use sugars derived from biomass. Product robustness is critical in this industry, and both product lines have been developed to facilitate operation in relevant full-scale conditions. Novozymes is committed to continuing close collaboration with leaders in the biomass biorefining industry to further enable growth of the industry
Break:
Lunch Break: Lunch Break 12:50-13:30 @ Foyer
Lunch Break: Lunch Break 12:50-13:30 @ Foyer
- Advnaced biofuels | Biorefineries | Bioethanol
Location: Dorothy
Chair
Wolfgang Bauer
Michigan State University, USA
Co-Chair
Kesen Ma
University of Waterloo, Canada
Session Introduction
Wolfgang Bauer
Michigan State University, USA
Title: Comparison of bio-ethanol and biogas: Net energy ratio, total yield, and greenhouse gas emissions
Time : 13:55-14:15
Biography:
Wolfgang Bauer is a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University (MSU). He received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Giessen in Germany in 1987. After a one-year postdoctoral appointment at the California Institute of Technology, he joined the faculty at MSU in 1988. From 2001 to 2013 he served as chairperson of the Department of Physics of Astronomy, and in 2009 he became the Founding Director of the Institute for Cyber-Enabled Research. He has consulted on energy issues for hedge funds and oil companies, and he is co-owner of several companies in the renewable energy sector.
Abstract:
Liquid and gaseous biofuels can have a significant impact on the reduction of fossil transportation fuels and thus make a large contribution to reducing global CO2 emissions. Examples for these biofuels include ethanol produced from sugarcane, sweet sorghum, corn, switchgrass, and other energy crops, but also biogas/methane produced from the same energy crops or algae cultures. However, it is of fundamental importance to consider all fossil fuel based inputs into the biofuel production in a life-cycle analysis. In addition, we need to optimize the total yield of biofuels per area of energy crops in order to minimize the conflict of fuel versus food, we need to reduce the use of artificial fertilizers as much as possible, and we need to minimize the net emissions of greenhouse gases in the biofuel production process. In this presentation I will evaluate different biofuels and compare them to each other, taking all of the above considerations into account.
Daniel thran
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Germany
Title: Biofuels between manifold expectations - How to assess their potential for sustainable transportation?
Time : 14:15-14:35
Biography:
Prof. Daniela Thrän studied environmental engineering at the Technical University of Berlin. After completion, she obtained her PhD at the University of Weimar, Germany. Daniela Thrän is an accomplished researcher, having held positions at both the University of Potsdam and Stuttgart. In 2003, she became the Department Head of “Bioenergy Systems” at DBFZ - Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum gGmbH (former: IE Leipzig gGmbH). In 2011 she also took the lead of the newly established department "Bioenergy" at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH (UFZ). Professor Thrän is currently leading a multidisciplinary team of about 50 scientists, working in a broad spectrum of interests, investigating different national and international research projects focusing on areas of; biomass potentials, bioenergy pathways and their assessment, standardisation of solid biofuels material flow management and sustainability assessment. She is the author of more than 100 publications in the bioenergy sector.
Abstract:
Biofuels have been introduced 25 years ago and show constant increase globally. Today many biofuel technologies and concepts are developed and discussed to supply different transport sectors. They differ in feedstock, conversion technologies, levels of development, product quality and availability on the market as well. In 2016, the global market volume contained 2,086 PJ of bioethanol (from sugar and starch), 926 PJ of biodiesel and 177 PJ of HVO. Additionally biomethane, DME and MeOH and bioethanol from lignocellulosic materials are currently introduced into the market. Most biofuels are used in road transport sector. In parallel there is an intensive debate on relevant sustainability dimensions for the assessment of biofuels in general (i.e., GBEP, RED etc.) and it is well known, that the frame condition from support schemes, the specific demand from different transport sectors (road, ship, aviation) and the development of feedstock markets will influence the future feasibility substantially. With regard to those expectations, the assessment of the potential for current and future biofuel provision concepts has to consider different possible futures, which will be figured in a scenario approach. Based on defined expectations and framework conditions each scenario different biofuel concepts are analyzed, in particular with respect to their technical performance, potential for greenhouse gas emission reduction and their market potentials considering different prices for feedstock, energy and carbon certificates. Finally, we will provide the relevant driver for market implementation of the different biofuels for both, the short term perspective till 2020 and for the longer term
Shingjiang Jessie Lue
Chang Gung University, Taiwan
Title: Direct ethanol fuel cell performance using polyzenzimidazole/graphene oxide nanosheets electrolyte membrane
Time : 14:35-14:55
Biography:
Shingjiang Jessie Lue has obtained her BS and MS degrees from National Taiwan University, Taiwan and PhD degree of Biotechnology Engineering from University of Missouri-Columbia, USA in 1990. Her research interest focuses on the development of high-performance materials for separation, energy and biotechnology applications. She has published nearly 80 SCI papers and 2 book chapters, given 140 conference presentations and applied 2 patents.
Abstract:
Direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) have become a promising power generation technology due to the simple systems without the need of reformers. It is especially suitable for portable, mobile and transportation applications. Ethanol is an environmentally friendly fuel and possesses higher energy density than methanol (8.00 vs. 6.09 kWh kg–1). Ethanol can be easily produced in large quantities from biological processing of agriculture products and it is considered a renewable energy source. In this presentation, the developments of membrane electrolyte and electro-catalyst are presented. The design principle and the structure-property relationship between materials and cell performance are discussed. The best results from the author’s group are 184 mW/cm2 using Pt-based catalysts and 100 mW/cm2 using non-Pt catalysts, along with polybenzimidazole/graphene oxide composites. These values are significantly higher than literature data.
Ian Rowe
U.S. Department of Energy, USA
Title: Engineered carbon cycling strategies for advanced net-zero carbon Biofuels
Biography:
Dr. Ian Rowe is a Technology Manager with the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) at the US Department of Energy. Working out of DOE Headquarters in Washington DC, Ian is responsible for a number of projects within BETO’s Conversion program. His focus is primarily on biological strategies for generating biofuels and bioproducts, concentrating in molecular biology, organism development, and biophysics. Ian is active in BETO’s efforts in carbon efficiency, the feedstock/ conversion interface, and synthetic biology. He is a recipient of a STEM Presidential Management Fellowship. Prior to DOE, Ian received his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Maryland for his work on bacterial membrane biophysics and a BS in Biochemistry from Millersville University
Abstract:
Large-scale and rapid deployments of renewable power such as wind and solar are driving down both the carbon intensity and price of power. The transition to renewable power will help decarbonize every sector of the economy, which will increase environmental sustainability, energy security and economic competitiveness. However, grid integration challenges and disproportionate renewable power generation and use are preventing the most effective utilization of these resources and technologies to decarbonize fuel reliant sectors, such as the transportation sector, are not as advanced or readily deployable as wind and solar. Therefore, the U.S Department of Energy and its Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) are seeking to exploit the deployment of cheaper and cleaner renewable power to address these challenges and fundamentally change how organic carbon is synthesized from carbon dioxide. Specifically, one strategy that BETO is pursuing is re-imagining the carbon cycle without photosynthesis and it is exploring technologies that can efficiently leverage renewable power to productively utilize carbon dioxide to generate relevant organic chemical intermediates. This presentation will outline the social, economic and environmental implications of decoupling the production of renewable biofuels from the land sector by industrializing the non-photosynthetic conversion of carbon dioxide to useful products. Various
technologies and specific system configurations to enable enhanced carbon cycling to offer land-sparing organic feedstock for the advanced bioeconomy and to create tools that leverage renewable power to increase overall system efficiency, manage carbon, address climate change and support advanced bioproduct pathways for new economic opportunities will be discussed. Also, relevant organic intermediates, based on thermodynamic efficiencies and biological upgrading potential will be examined and contextualized in terms of associated pathway scalability. Finally, BETO’s efforts to exploit inexpensive power to supplement or reduce land use while generating low-carbon renewable biofuels as well as future opportunities and directions will be outlined.
Leandro Soter de Mariz e Miranda
UFRJ, Brazil
Title: Making a bridge between biomass and hydrocarbon in a standard refinery
Time : 14:55-15:15
Biography:
I Graduated in Pharmacy in 2001 and obtained my PhD in 2007 working on the synthesis of natural products. After obtaining my PhD I moved to the Pharmochemical Industry to work on the P&D department in nucleoside chemistry, searching for new synthetic strategies for the synthesis of clinically important nucleosides. In 2011 I Joined the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and an assistant Professor. In 2011 I went to the University Of Cergy-Pontoise, France, as an Invited Professor to work on Nucleosides against HCV. My research interests are Biocatalysis, Nucleoside and Carbohydrate Chemistry. In 2012 the interest on carbohydrate chemistry led me to work with Lignocellulosic Biomass, in a project with the aim to transform it, in order to allow its introduction into the FCC Unit for the synthesis of green hydrocarbons.
Abstract:
A conventional refinery is based on mature processes that obtain standard products from a large variety of non- renewable feeds. Despite enormous benefits to modern civilization, the adopted production and consumption patterns paradoxically put us at environmental risk. Therefore it is mandatory a paradigm shift to decrease the carbon footprint without reducing the energy access to people. Biomass is composed of functionalized biopolymers (lignin-cellulose) based on sugars- and phenol-derivatives. On the other hand, refinery processes have been designed to operate on poorly reactive compounds like hydrocarbons. The bridge between these two remarkable worlds was archived in two steps: 1- by transforming the biomass into a bio-crude, which was produced by ketalyzation in acetone [1, 2] and acetylation reactions in acetic anhydride [3] under mild temperature conditions (around 1000C). This black bio-crude (density 1.0-1.3 gmL-1 and Typical CHO composition of 60, 8 and 32 respectively) is chemically distinct of any other bio-feed so far. 2- -The transformation of bio-crude and model compounds by the fluid catalytic cracking and hydrotreatment into monoaromatic and saturated hydrocarbons respectively [4]. Herein the results of the fluidized bed pilot plant in laboratory scale of both model test and bio-crude are presented. A representative ketal- derivative,1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropyliden-α-D-glucofuranose (DX) mixture up to 50% in n-hexane achieved three main goals: small coke formation, remarkable selectivity to hydrocarbons and slight improvement in n-hexane conversion as presented in Table1. Moreover, no oxygenated compounds were observed in the liquid phase, thus resulting in a drop-in fraction in the fuel pool.
Wensheng qin
Lakehead University, Canada
Title: Effective microbial production of 2,3-butanediol from Biodiesel derived crude glycerol
Time : 15:35-15:55
Biography:
Wensheng Qin has received his BSc and MSc in Agriculture and Biotechnology from Zhejiang University in China. He has earned his PhD in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in 2005 from Queen's University in Canada. He further received Postdoctoral training at Stanford University in Biochemistry and Biotechnology. During his studies, he was awarded multiple fellowships and scholarships such as NSERC Fellowship and Ontario Graduate Scholarship. He has also worked in several other institutions including University of Toronto and University of Waterloo in Canada, Kansas State University and Yale University in USA, National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico. He has published 98 peer-reviewed papers. He has extensive research experience and holds expertise in the fields of biorefining, biofuels, microbial engineering, molecular biology and biochemistry.
Abstract:
Biodiesel, a renewable biofuel, is produced from vegetable oils and animal fats by transesterification. The booming of biodiesel industry all over the world has led to generate a large amount (10% v/v) of crude glycerol, created an oversupply problem. The high volume of this non bio-degradable glycerol is becoming of a great environmental and economic concern for the development of biodiesel industries. Herein, we report the product concentrations of major metabolic products attained from pure and crude glycerol biotransformation process using an adapted mutant strain Klebsiella variicola SW3. Real-time qPCR and glycerol dehydrogenase (GDH) enzyme activity assay revealed that the overexpression of GDH gene resulted in an increased GDH enzyme activity, led to a markedly boosted 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) production. Based on these results, the SW3 strain obtained from wild type strain Klebsiella variicola SRP3 displayed a 1.39-fold increased 2,3-BD production of 82.5 g/L from 59.3 g/L, yielding 0.62 g/g using pure glycerol. However, in a batch culture, a final 33.5 g/L of 2,3-BD was accumulated within 96 hours from 50 g/L glycerol. Moreover, the strain SW3 withstanding high concentration (200 g/L) of crude glycerol displayed 64.9 and 29.25 g/L 2,3-BD in fed-batch and batch cultures respectively. These results indicated that our newly developed adapted mutant can tolerate high concentration of glycerol, have a high glycerol utilization rate and high product yield of 2,3-BD. It is demonstrated that the mutant strain K. variicola SW3 has an ability to produce fewer co-products at trace concentrations at higher glycerol concentrations and could be a potential candidate for 2,3-DB production in an industrial bioconversion process.Therefore, this bioconversion of crude glycerol to 2,3-BD; a valueadded green product with potential industrial applications as a liquid fuel or fuel additive would represent a remarkable alternative to add value to the biodiesel production helping biodiesel industries development.
Break:
Networking & Refreshment Break 15:55-16:05 @ Foyer
Networking & Refreshment Break 15:55-16:05 @ Foyer
Kesen Ma
University of Waterloo, Canada
Title: Thermostable pyruvate decarboxylases are key enzymes in the alcohol fermentation at high temperatures
Time : 16:05-16:25
Biography:
Kesen Ma is a Microbiologist, graduated from the Department of Biology, Wuhan University. After graduated with an MSc degree from the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), he went to Germany as a Max-Planck-Institute Fellow and obtained his PhD from Philipps-University Marburg. He worked as a Research Associate at the University, and a Postdoctoral Fellow and then an Assistant Research Scientist at the University of Georgia, United States. He became a Graduate Faculty at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Georgia. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Waterloo, Canada. His current research has a focus on enzymology, metabolism, bio-processing and biotechnological applications of hyperthermophilic microorganisms.
Abstract:
Many anaerobic hyperthermophiles can grow on carbohydrates and peptides and produce ethanol as an end product. Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) catalyze the final step of the ethanol production from acetaldehyde; however, there is a lack of understanding of the enzyme catalyzing the production of acetaldehyde at high temperatures. No homolog genes are found to encode commonly-known pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) and CoA-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase respectively. Anovel bifunctional PDC is present in Pyrococcus furiosus, which catalyzes both oxidative (pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase, POR) and non-oxidative (PDC) decarboxylation of pyruvate, producing acetyl-CoA and acetaldehyde, respectively. Our results showed that the PDC activities were also present in hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus guaymasensis (Tg) and bacteria Thermotoga maritima (Tm) and Thermotoga hypogea (Th). Coenzyme A or desulfo-CoA was required for the PDC activity. PDC and POR activities were co-eluted during different steps of chromatography. All three purified enzymes from Tg, Tm and Th were revealed to be a hetero-tetrameric protein using SDS-PAGE. The purified Tg enzyme had PDC activity of 3.8±0.22 U mg-1 with optimal pH-value of 9.5. The optimum pH for both TmPDC and ThPDC was 8.4, while specific activities of PDCs were 1.9±0.4 U/mg and 1.4±0.2 U/mg for Th and Tm, respectively. Another PDC activity (25.94±0.6 U/ mg) was also identified in T. maritima, which also had acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) activity. It was concluded that the bifunctional PDC and POR enzyme is present in hyperthermophilic archaeon T. guaymasensis and bacteria T. maritima and T. hypogea, and the bifunctional PDC and AHAS is also present in T. maritima. These bifunctionalities are likely a common property of the same type of enzymes in hyperthermophiles. Further studies of these thermostable PDC enzymes are required for bioengineering a more efficient alcohol fermentation process at high temperatures.
Nuwan Sella Kapu
University of British Columbia, Canada
Title: Bamboo: A fast-growing feedstock for a biorefinery
Time : 16:25-16:45
Biography:
Nuwan Sella Kapu has more than fifteen years of experience in the plant sciences and biomass processing. He obtained his Ph.D. (2006) in Plant Biology specializing in cell wall biology and biochemistry from the Pennsylvania State University, University Park. In 2007, he joined Expansyn Technologies, Inc., a startup company, as Principal Scientist to spearhead research and development programs to commercialize plant cell wall proteins to produce biofuels. From 2010- 2015 Nuwan led research efforts in ethanol fermentation and bamboo pulping with Drs. Jack Saddler, Mark Martinez and Rodger Beatson at UBC. He later joined FPInnovations as a Scientist in the Chemical Pulping-Process Engineering group and worked on mill-targeted, applied research programs in kraft pulping. His current research at UBC is focused on developing technologies for bio-products and biorefineries
Abstract:
Bamboo is a fast-growing species that is widely distributed in many parts of the world, especially in Asia, with India and China leading in acreage. Moreover, over 1200 species of bamboo have been reported indicating the existence of
remarkable genetic diversity. Over the past decade or so there have been increased efforts to develop bamboo as a feedstock for conventional pulp and paper products, dissolving pulp, and cellulosic ethanol. However, its high silica content is a challenge for bamboo processing. Consequences of high silica such as scale build-up in evaporators are well acknowledged in the pulp and paper industry. Recently it was reported that silica also affects enzymatic hydrolysis during cellulosic ethanol production. We investigated alkali-and acid-based chemical methods and mechanical treatments to develop technologies for using bamboo as a feedstock in biorefinery applications. Treatment with NaOH at moderate temperatures led to the removal of more than 95% of silica in bamboo. We successfully integrated this method to a modified kraft pulping process scheme to co-produce dissolving grade pulp, lignin, cellulosic ethanol, and silica at 32%, 20%, 9%, and 1% (% wt. on input dry bamboo), respectively,
at lab-scale. Further studies have shown that NaOH treatment can be bolted-on as a unit operation in several approaches for cellulosic ethanol production from bamboo. On the acidic treatment front, we improved the conventional pre-hydrolysis kraft pulping process by incorporating mechanical refining and xylanase treatment to produce dissolving grade pulp. Collectively, these results demonstrate the feasibility of using bamboo as a promising feedstock for a biorefinery.
Franklin Kalu
Heriot-Watt University, UK
Title: The potential black liquor has to improve the sustainability of kraft process if used as feedstock for kraft biorefinery
Time : 16:45-17:00
Biography:
Franklin Kalu has his first degree in Bio-resource Engineering, and holds a Masters degree in Renewable Energy Engineering. Recently he is a PhD student at Heriot Watt University. His research interests are focusing on how the integration of a biorefinery concept can make large industries sustainable. Currently he is working on how changes in input parameter (woodchip length) affect energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission. Furthermore, he is analysing the impact of converting by-products from Kraft pulping mills into value-added products.
Abstract:
Among different chemical pulping processes, conventional Kraft pulping process is commonly practised. In this chemical pulping process, woodchips are converted into pulp and black liquor in presence of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium sulphide (N2S). This black liquor is subjected to combustion in the recovery boiler to produce steam, used for power generation and smelt recycled to extract cooking chemical (white liquor). However, Birch wood was used for this experiment. After cooking the wood sample, the pulp was separated from the black liquor using a filter paper. Furthermore, the product was washed and dried at 105oC. The by- product obtained from cooking each particle size (0-2, 2-4 and 4-8mm); at these cooking times (30, 60 and 90mins) resulted to different strong Kraft spent liquor (SKSL) samples. A liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) was carried out on the SKSL’s using Hexane as the separation solvent. The results obtained from analysing the extract using a GC/ MS and a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), indicate that particle size 0- 2mm contain higher percentage of extractable biocrude that can be converted to value-added products In summary, the result obtained from the TGA and GC/MS analysis has shown that black liquor has the potential to improve the sustainability and economic viability of Kraft pulping mills when used as a feedstock in Kraft bio-refinery to produce value- added product.
Amanpreet Singh
Engineers India Limited, India
Title: India BioFuel industry- Challenges, Opportunities and business strategies
Time : 17:00-17:15
Biography:
Amanpreet Singh Chopra is presently working as Executive Assistance to Chairman & Managing Director of Engineers India Limited and providing support on operations, strategy and business aspects. He is also part of Corporate Strategy & Business development Group at Engineers India Limited and heading a team of technical and commercial specialities in BioFuels and Alternate Energy. He is a Mechanical Engineer from Thapar University, Patiala (erstwhile Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology) and completed his Master in Business Administration from IIM-Indore. He is currently pursuing his Doctoral degree in management from UPES. With more than 16 years of extensive experience across the hydrocarbon value chain, he has served all the major clients in the sector. He has travelled extensively in connection with professional and business activities and has presented many papers in various forums.
Abstract:
The existing Government Targets of 5E/10E/20E fuel ethanol blending with gasoline and analysed the current and future demand and supply of fuel ethanol in India till 2020. This presents huge business opportunities for technology providers to participate in forthcoming projects in India. Author also studied the techno-economic feasibility of production of Fuel Ethanol through standalone 2nd Generation Technologies (lignocellulosic) and through sensitivity analysis concluded that with current capping on Fuel Ethanol Pricing @ INR 39/L, the Ethanol production through 2G technologies is economically not viable in the country. This is hampering the huge potential available for Fuel Ethanol in India. Author also analysed that the current (1G) technological set up in the country i.e production of Fuel ethanol through Sugarcane Molasses, India willstill fall way short of its blending targets. This calls for scouting newer and economical viable technologies or innovative methodologies for ramping up ethanol production in the country. To bridge this ever increasing supply and demand gap and acieve certain degree of economic viability, author proposed the future strategies of process and 3rd level integration of 1G and 2G technologies along with sugarmill to achieve economy of scale for the forthcoming projects.
Funmilayo Faloye
University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Title: Microwave-assisted organic acid pretreatment of starch based agro-residue: Assessment of fermentable sugar and bioethanol production
Time : 17:15-17:30
Biography:
Funmilayo Faloye has recently completed her PhD from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa which focused on the optimization of bio hydrogen production leading to publications in reputable journals. For her Postdoctoral research, she is investigating integrated biofuel production systems from agricultural wastes in South Africa with focus on bioethanol and biogas. Her research interest includes bioprocess development, fermentation technology and biofuel production.
Abstract:
Biofuels production continue to generate increasing interest as an alternative to fossil fuel more importantly the advanced biofuel production using agro industrial wastes as feedstock. Over the last decade, newer approach for sustainable and efficient utilization of agro-industrial residues to produce value added products such as biofuels and bioenergy has sparked a lot of interest. In South Africa, potato is regarded as one of the major vegetable crops with about 4% of the total production capacity in Africa; the resulting peels is normally disposed as waste contributing significantly to disposal problems and environmental pollution. In this study, the potential of potato peels waste as a feedstock for bioethanol production was investigated. Furthermore, a hybrid pre-treatment technique of microwave assisted organic acid was modeled and optimized using the response surface methodology. The input factors considered were microwave duration (min), microwave power (watt), acid concentration (%) and solid loading (%). A coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.90% was achieved indicating the fitness of the model. Optimum conditions of 10 min, 800 watt, 2.5% and 10% for microwave duration (min), microwave power (watt), acid concentration (%) and solid loading (%) respectively was achieved leading to a maximum reducing sugar yield of 56 g/l corresponding to a fermentable sugar yield of 0.85 g/g potato peels. Furthermore, the hydrolyzed potato peels waste was subjected to ethanol fermentation with and a maximum ethanol yield of 11 g/l was achieved. These results demonstrate the potential of potato peels waste for the production of fermentable sugar as feedstock for bioethanol production.
M Ali Mandegari
University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Title: Fossil fuel co-combustion of lignocellulosic sugarcane biorefineries: Techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA)
Time : 17:30-17:45
Biography:
M Ali Mandegari is presently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Process Engineering Department at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, since August 2014. His
current research work is being carried out to develop bio-refinery simulations annexed to an existing sugar mill in South Africa and these include a baseline bioethanol plant as well as the production of biobutanol, lactic acid, furfural, syn-crude, methanol and electricity. He has also conducted and cooperated in eight research projects, seven of which have been completed. The results of his research are summarized by six ISI published papers, three ISI papers and twenty two presented conference papers. He has more than 8 years industrial experience in the petroleum, gas and petrochemical plants as R&D Manager, Project Engineer and Engineering Manager and Energy Auditor.
Abstract:
In this study, alternative lignocellulose biorefineries annexed to a typical sugarcane mill were investigated, which produce ethanol (EtOH), lactic acid (LA) or Methanol (MeOH), or co-produce EtOH and LA, all with surplus electricity for sale, by the conversion of bagasse and harvesting residues (brown leaves). The energy demands of the combined complex (sugar mill and biorefinery) were not met by burning the residues of biorefinery therefore, a portion of feedstock or a fossil source (coal) were burnt along with residues in the centralized CHP unit. A thorough simulation was developed using Aspen Plus for each biorefinery scenario for which energy assessment, economic evaluation based on Monte Carlo simulation, and environmental life cycle analysis (LCA) were carried out, in a multi-criteria assessment of the desirability of each scenario.The lactic acid production process was found to be the most energy intensive process with highest chemical consumption and the highest conversion of biomass carbon input to products. Consumption of coal as an alternative source of energy enhanced the available biomass for valorization. Biorefineries with coal combustion producing ethanol or ethanol&lactic acid had better environmental performance than methanol producing biorefineries, based on 1 ton of product. The co-production of EtOH and LA showed the largest likelihood of economic success, while some of the EtOH producing scenarios could achieve a positive NPV. MeOH producing scenarios had a zero likelihood of a positive NPV without substantial financial incentives or improved market prices.