The main purpose of the BIOGENIC GASES AS FUELS FOR THE FUTURE-2010 seminar is to promote scientific and technical exchange between research institutions, industry, stakeholders and public agencies in the field of combustible biogenic gases. The three principal topics of this seminar relate to the implementation of biogas project, the gasification of biomass, and catalysts for biomass gasification and biogas upgrading.

 

Session 1. Implementation of biogas projects

This session focuses on the presentation of ongoing  projects in Europe, aimed at producing biogas through fermentation, with sequential upgrading of biogas  using established technologies, to be fed into the natural gas grid. Aspects such as environmental benefits, political and economic barriers will also be discussed.

 

Chairman: Owe Jönsson [*]
Project Manager R&D at E.ON Gas Sverige AB, Sweden

 

Session 2. Gasification of biomass

Significantly less effort has been devoted to the development and commercialization of advanced biomass gasification systems than to coal gasification. However, since about the 1970s, considerable research has been carried out into the production of fuel gases, synthetic fuels and synthesis gases. In this section leading projects on methanization, cleaning and production of substitute natural gas from biomass will be discussed.

 

Chairman: Dr Ljubisa Radovic [*]
Professor Pennsylvania State University, USA, visiting professor Universidad de Concepción, Chile

 

Session 3. Catalysts for biomass gasification and biogas upgrading

Remarkable progress has been achieved in recent years in the development of biomass gasification processes for the production of Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) and Synthesis Gas. Nonetheless, there is significant ongoing research about related subjects, such as catalytic gas upgrading and cleaning; conversion of carbon dioxide into valuable compounds through CO2 reforming of methane, CO2 methanation, methanol or ethanol synthesis from CO2 and hydrogen; selective synthesis of high quality gasoline; and else. 

In this session, leading concepts on catalytic biomass gasification; new process concepts of CO2-reforming; novel, cheaper and efficient catalysts; will be discussed.

 

Chairman:  Dr Patricio Ruíz [*]
Professor Université Catholique du Louvain, Belgium