Biofuels and Bioeconomy

Biography:

Probir Das has completed his PhD on Environmental Engineering at the age of 30 years from the National University of Singapore. Before joining Qatar University as post-doctorate, he worked at ICES, A*STAR Singapore as a scientist for 2 years. Currently, he is a Research Assistant Professor in the ‘Center for Sustainable Development’ at Qatar Univesity. His research interests include biofuel, bioremediation of wastewater, and high-value metabolite production using microalgae and cyanobacteria. He has published 18 papers in reputed international journals.

Abstract:

Harvesting of microalgae biomass is a major obstacle for the low-value microalgal product (e.g., biofuel). Although most of the microalgae remain in the culture suspension, some microalgae exhibit a self-settling phenomenon in the absence of mixing. A self-settling microalga could, therefore, be an ideal candidate for biofuel feedstock. The present study investigated the biocrude oil production potential of two indigenous marine microalgae: Chlorocystis sp. (self-settling), and Picochlorumsp. (non-settling). Both these strains were grown simultaneously in 2 identical 25,000L open raceway ponds in the Qatari desert. Anabaena-type cyanobacteria were spotted in Picochlorum sp. culture on the 6th day and the biomass was harvested on 8th day using a centrifuge. After 10 days of cultivation, Chlorocystis sp. biomass was harvested using sedimentation. Harvested biomass samples were then converted to biocrude oil, using a 500mL Parr reactor. The biocrude yield (AFDW basis) ofPicochlorum sp. and Chlorocystis sp. were 39.6 and 34.8% respectively. The energy content of the biocrude oil samples was 32.78 and 33.38MJ/kg for Chlorocystis sp. and Picochlorum sp. respectively. Both the strains were capable of efficiently recycling more than 95% of the HTL aqueous phase (AP) nitrogen when 50% of culture nitrogen was supplied as HTL AP. Although lower biocrude yield was obtained from Chlorocystis sp. biomass, compared to Picochlorum sp., harvesting ofChlorocystis sp. biomass would require much lower energy compared to Picochlorum sp. Therefore, a self-settling marine microalga (e.g., Chlorocystis sp.) could potentially be a better candidate, over non-settling microalgae, for producing biofuel feedstock.

Biography:

Abstract:

Microalgae are reported as a potential source of lipids and biodiesel, however, refinement and metabolic engineering are needed to enhance productivity and minimize the costs. Our investigation involved the production and quality evaluation of biodiesel from native microalgal isolates namely Chlorella sorokiniana MIC-G5, after transesterification of lipids with methanol in presence of sodium methoxide; and in Botryococcus sp. MCC31, after conventional and in situ transesterification. Total lipids extracted from dry biomass of Chlorella sorokiniana was in the range of  410 to 450 mg.g-1 whereas in Botryococcus sp. it varied as  330 to 410 mgg-1 DW. In Chlorella, the total saturated and unsaturated FAMEs were 43% and 57% while in Botryococcus these were 46% and 54%. The major FAMEs present in the biodiesel were methyl palmitate (C16:0), methyl oleate (C18:1) and methyl linoleate (C18:2). The 1H and 13C NMR spectra matched with criteria prescribed for high-quality biodiesel from both the isolates. The biodiesel from Chlorella  exhibited a density of 0.873g/cc, viscosity of 3.418mm2/s, CN of 57.85, HHV of 40.25, iodine value of 71.823g I2 100g−1, DU of 58% and a CFPP of –5.22℃ whereas biodiesel fromBotryococcus sp. showed a density of 0.853g/cc, viscosity of 3.512mm2/s, CN of 57.57, HHV of 38.88, iodine value of 75.56g I2 100 g−1, DU of 58% and a CFPP of 4.8ºC. The results were in accordance with the details as specified by American Society for Testing and Materials and EN standards. Our study reports the promise of in situ transesterification in Botryococcus sp. and illustrates that the two microalgal genera can be a valuable feedstock for high-quality biodiesel generation.

Biography:

Mario Ochoa is a Mechanical Engineer with a Specialization in Management of Technological innovation. He has 23+ years of international experience working in the oil and gas industry both in Venezuela and Canada. His professional experience has been heavily focussed in the development, management, and deployment of new technologies and projects associated to bitumen and heavy oil production & processing. He currently works as manager Renewable Liquid Fuels Enterprise Technology at Suncor Energy Inc., developing and implementing a strategy to successfully incorporate Renewable Fuels into Suncor’s value chain.

Abstract:

Suncor is the largest Canadian Oil Sands producer, vertically integrated with a successful history of innovation and a very stable business model. In order to ensure long-term/sustainable development new approaches, new ideas must be developed with an emphasis on deployment and commercialization. The incorporation of renewable/bioprocesses into Suncor’s value chain will significantly contribute to achieving sustainable development. This presentation explores the opportunities in the areas of biofuels and renewables liquid fuels within Suncor Energy and it is intended to guide/align academia and industry towards the development of opportunities with a “deployment” mindset

Biography:

Yaobin Zhang received his Ph.D in Environmental Engineering from Dalian University of Technology 2005. Currently he is a professor the Deputy Dean of School of Environmental Science & Technology, DUT. His research interest is anaerobic digestion of wastes to energy. He has published more than 130 peer-reviewed papers in international journals, and been authorized more than 20 patents. He was selected into the Program of the New-Century Excellent Talents in China University. He received the Youth Award of Outstanding Contribution in Scientific & Technological Innovation of China Petroleum & Chemical Association (CPCA), the Youth Scientific and Technological Award of China Environmental Scientific Society, and the First Prize of Scientific & Technological Award of CPCA.

Abstract:

Anaerobic digestion is a slow process and easily go sour, inhibiting methane production. In this study, scrap iron was applied to accelerate anaerobic digestion of organic waste. When adding scrap iron into an anaerobic digester for treating sewage sludge, the sludge reduction increased by 12%, and methane production increased by 21.3%. Chemical iron corrosion had not increased H2 content of the biogas, but decreased H2 content by 85%, which was due to the stimulate of the growth of H2-utilizing methanogens that consumed H2 to forward the anaerobic respiration to process. Especially, rusty iron was more effective in enhancing sludge digestion. Compared with the clean scrap iron, the rusty scrap iron could further increase methane production by 29% and increase sludge reduction by 7.1%. Iron-reducing bacteria like Geobacter was enriched in the rusty scrap iron-added system, triggering a dissimilatory iron reduction which is capable of utilizing complex matters in the sludge as electron donor to help the sludge decomposition and anaerobic sludge digestion.

Biography:

Kathleen Hefferon has completed her PhD from the University of Toronto and postdoctoral studies from the Department of Food Sciences, Cornell University. She is the Fulbright Canada Research Chair of Global Food Security. She is currently on Faculty at Cornell University and is writing a second edition to her book “Biopharmaceuticals in Plants.” She has published in multiple research journals and has edited 6 books. Kathleen just completed as editor of an Encyclopedia on Food Security and Sustainability.

Abstract:

Cellulases and other cell wall degrading enzymes are currently being engineered with improved traits for application in the breakdown of lignocellulosic biomass. The majority of assays with these ‘designer’enzymes have been carried out using synthetic substrates such as crystalline bacterial micro cellulose (BMCC). The use of synthetic substrates may not reflect the actual action of these cellulases on real plants. In the following study, suspension cell walls from several plant species were examined as possible alternatives for synthetic cellulose substrates. The results suggest that isolated plant cell walls can be used to reproducibly assay for cellulase activity.

Biography:

Margit Weltschev is a chemist and has been working in the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing since 1987 since 1990 in the department: Containment Systems for Dangerous Goods. The evaluation of the compatibility of metallic and polymeric materials for tanks, IBC, and packagings belongs to her work scope. These evaluations are part of the Database Dangerous Goods and the BAM-List-Requirements for Tanks for the Carriage of dangerous goods. She finished the PH thesis about the comparison of material parameters of polyethylene grades with the test performance behavior of packagings for the transport of dangerous goods in September 2009.

Abstract:

The objective of this research was to determine the resistance of frequently used sealing materials such as FKM (fluorocarbon rubber), FVMQ (methyl-fluoro-silicone rubber), VMQ (methyl-vinyl-silicone rubber), EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene rubber), CR (chloroprene rubber), CSM (chlorosulfonated polyethylene), IIR (butyl rubber), PA (polyamides), NBR (acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber) and PUR (polyester urethane rubber) in fuels and heating oil with admixtures of biogenic sources such as E10 (fuel with 10% ethanol), E85 (fuel with 85% ethanol), non-aged and aged biodiesel, diesel fuel with 5% biodiesel, non-aged and aged B10 (heating oil with 10% biodiesel) at 20°C, 40°C and 70°C. Mass, tensile strength and breaking elongation of the test specimens were determined before and after the exposure for 84 days in the fuels. The visual examination of some elastomer test specimens clearly showed the great volume increase until a break or partial dissolution. Shore hardness A and D (for PA) were determined before and after exposure of the test specimens in the biofuels for 42 days. There is not determined a threshold for the reduction in tensile properties and Shore hardness in the international standards. Therefore a threshold of 15% was determined for the evaluation of the compatibility. In summary, it can be therefore stated that the chemical resistance of the fluoropolymers FKM and FVMQ in fuels and biofuels is the best one.

Biography:

Claudia Cardoso has completed her PhD at the age of 31 years from the Federal University of Pernambuco-Brazil and postdoctoral studies from the Federal University of Minas Gerais-Brazil. She is the Associate Professor of chemistry at Federal Rural University of Pernambuco-Brazil, since 2006. She has published 11 papers in reputed journals and has been working with biodiesel and biojet fuel since 2012.

Abstract:

Biofuels are renewable fuels and the main alternative to fossil fuels. Actually, we can call the attention for the two most studied, the biojet fuel and biodiesel. Biojet fuel can be produced by different routes and biomass, while Biodiesel consists of alkyl esters and is mainly obtained by the transesterification of a triglyceride with an alcohol in the presence of a homogeneous or heterogeneous catalyst. Heterogeneous catalysts, especially CaO, are widely studied for biodiesel synthesis since they can be reused and synthesized from renewable sources. Its precursor is the CaCO3 that can be obtained from limestone or alternative source as fishery residue. Our group has processed and characterized the different fishery residue, actually seen as an ecological problem at the Brazilian littoral, evaluating its usage as a heterogeneous catalyst in the production of biojet fuel and biodiesel, respectively. Crustaceans and bivalve carapaces, crude and calcined, were studied in the production of both biofuels. A special attention is given to the crustacean considering that is reach in the biopolymers chitin and chitosan (about 50%), that can be used as carbon and hydrogen extra source at the biojet fuel production, plus the CaCO3 (about 50%), used as an alkaline catalyst. Both crustaceans and bivalve, once calcinated, originates the CaO that has been used as a heterogeneous catalyst for biojet fuel as for biodiesel.

Biography:

Matts Lilja, an expert in camera imaging and technical development with more than 30 years of experience, started his career as an 18-year-old in the security business, monitoring surveillance cameras. He rapidly moved up and 1993 founded ISG, a company in the surveillance industry: After selling the business to Lagercrantz, an industrial conglomerate, in 2003 he continued to Saab-owned Opax as CEO and later Ameeral Beltech. Today, he is the CEO of Blink Services, network operator for LoRaWAN. He is also a board member of several companies aside from Tracy of Sweden: Blinkfyrar, Precis Biometrics and Smart Agritech Solutions of Sweden.

Abstract:

A bio-based economy not only offers great opportunities to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. It also offers opportunities to increase the proportion of renewable energy, create green jobs and strengthen the world's forestry's competitiveness and export. Bioeconomy is a key to sustainable, low carbon and circular economies in line with the EU climate goals and Agenda 2030. North America and the Nordic region, with its long-term sustainable forestry, contribute strongly to the global bioeconomy and are good role models for other forestry countries to invent and establish long-term care plans, where the possibility of an increased withdrawal of total biomass will be one of the good consequences. A long-term forest management plan increases the overall forest volume in each country and also enables the disposal of valuable biotopes with high nature conservation values. The withdrawal from the forest will never be bigger than growth every year. With this as a starting point, we lock in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in environmentally-friendly buildings, furniture, and constructions of wood and creates forests that increase in the long term both in terms of volume and importance in order to curb climate change.

Tracy of Sweden® offers the market a sharp tool for planned and controllable withdrawal of biomass, which creates the conditions for an efficient and balanced bio-based economy. It identifies and traces the origin of each log and digitizes the entire forest flow from stump to the consumer. Image analysis is done by each end area of logs and pulp bits and links individual log to the coordinates where the tree stood. With advanced patented cloud-based image recognition methodology can the individual log be recognized at any time (e.g. on truck, sawmill, port or customs). The system is global and built together with IBM.

Tracy man® the product for manual registration when cutting with a chainsaw.

Tracy aut® the product for registration directly on the harvester. The method makes the logs to unique individuals. If you want to add more information such as species, length, diameter, and quality, it will be fully possible within a year. Tracy man® already has that feature.

Some countries are struggling with problems such as illegal felling and/or stolen timber. Tracy of Sweden makes a big difference by identifying and registering the origin of all legal felling and "unlabeled" wood thus becomes automatically illegal. Tracy of Sweden can guarantee the origin of the requirements that the EU Timber Regulation, FSC or PEFC has on traceability is met. Tracy of Sweden more or less affects all UN sustainability goals (www.svenskskogsdata.com). Svensk Skogsdata AB is changing its name to Tracy of Sweden for the global launch of our products.