1. Editorial
On 14-15 October 2014, the 6th EBTP Stakeholder Plenary Meeting SPM6 will bring together European experts from research and academia, biondustry, feedstock production, engineering and end use, as well as finance, the EC, Member States and civil society to discuss the most recent developments in advanced biofuels and debate the best path forward. The focus this year will be on Energy Security and the role of biofuels in decarbonising transport by road, air and water, to reduce the EU's reliance on imported fossil fuels.
We currently live in turbulent times, and the economic, environmental and political upheavals continuing around the world have a significant impact on European energy markets. Against this volatile backdrop, the EU needs to continue its measures to reduce dependence on imported oil and gas, to minimise and mitigate the effects of man-made climate change, and create sustainable wealth and jobs through innovation and investment in bio-based technology. SPM6 will highlight the vital contribution made by biofuels in all these areas, and discuss how the benefits of biofuels can be maximised in the future.
Since 2006, the European Biofuels Technology Platform has provided expert, science-based guidance on the technology and economics underpinning the most promising biochemical and thermochemical value chains to convert sustainable feedstocks into marketable end products for road, air and water transport.
The first commercial advanced biofuels plants are now in operation. For example, the Beta Renewables cellulosic ethanol facility in Crescentino, Italy, and more recently Project Liberty in the United States, which uses technology developed by Royal DSM, based in the Netherlands. Thermochemical technologies are also emerging with industrial-scale biomass gasification plants in operation in Europe, and waste-to-jet-fuel plants in the early phases of construction.
To help build the momentum of this trail-blazing innovation and to maximise the huge potential offered by sustainable feedstocks in Europe, biofuels stakeholders in Europe need to work together to develop synergies, to overcome technical and economic bottlenecks and to improve the confidence of the public, politicians and investors.
EBTP looks forward to meeting many of you in Brussels in October to continue mapping a productive future for advanced biofuels in Europe, and discuss how biofuels can help improve European energy security.
European Biofuels Technology Platform
2. EBTP Developments
The 33d Steering Committee Meeting of the EBTP will be held in Brussels on 16th October 2014 in conjunction with the 6th Stakeholder Plenary Meeting.
New Chair of Working Group 3: End Use
Following a nomination procedure in the summer, Nils Olof Nylund, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, has been voted as the new Chair of EBTP WG3: End Use.
New applications for WG3 membership are welcomed from stakeholders in the aviation, shipping and motor industry, and any organisation with an active role in engine development, fuel blending and distribution, fuel standards/testing and related areas.
Please submit your C.V. to secretariat@biofuelstp.eu
3. New speakers confirmed for 6th Stakeholder Plenary Meeting SPM6, Brussels, 14-15 October
Over the summer, several new speakers have been confirmed for the 6th EBTP Stakeholder Plenary Meeting SPM6, which will take place at the Diamant Conference Centre, Brussels, on 14-15 October 2014. It promises to be a very productive meeting focusing on the role biofuels can play in European energy security, as well as providing updates on EC biofuels policy and progress reports from existing and new demonstration projects covering both thermochemical and biochemical value chains. The sessions include:
- Low-carbon transport and energy security: the role of biofuels in a 'low-carbon' energy system
- Europe and beyond: perspectives from the global biofuels industry
- The road to success: steps towards commercial advanced biofuels
- Cocktail Reception and Stakeholders Networking Session
- Biofuels value chains: technology advances
- Advanced biofuels end-use for road freight, air and shipping
- Panel discussion on biomass mobilisation
Speaker Programme for SPM6
The following speakers are now confirmed for SPM6.
Full details are available on the SMP6 web page.
- Tomas Kåberger, Chair of EBTP Steering Committee, Chalmers University of Technology
- Paul Verhoef, Head of Unit, Renewable Energy Sources, European Commission DG Reseach & Innovation
- Andreas Pilzecker, European Commission DG Energy
- Ausilio Bauen, E4Tech
- Charles Esser, IEA
- Heather Hamje, FuelsEurope
- Jonathan Hood, Low Carbon Fuels, Department for Transport, UK
- Liping Kang, Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation (iCET), China
- Don Smith, BiofuelsNet Canada
- Petri Lehmus Neste Oil, Finland
- Frédéric Martel, Procethol
- Niels Henriksen, DONG Energy
- Dina Bacovsky, Bioenergy 2020+, Austria
- Sari Mannonen, UPM Biofuels
- Dominik Behrendt, FZ Jülich, Germany, Aufwind Project
- Inmaculada Gomez Jimenez, ITAKA - Initiative towards Sustainable Kerosene for Aviation
- Nils-Olof Nylund, VTT, Finland
- Per Stefenson, Stena Rederi AB
- Calliope Panoutsou, Imperial College London (discussion leader)
- Luc Pelkmans, VITO
- Udo Mantau, University Hamburg
Final few places available - please register a.s.a.p.
Thank you to everyone who has registered so far. There are now only a small number of places left at the event, so if you plan to attend please do register a.s.a.p. The meeting will start around midday on the 14th and conclude in the early afternoon on the 15th, with the aim of maximizing opportunities for networking and discussion.
Entrance to the SPM6 conference is free for European biofuels stakeholders from industry, academia, research organisations, common interest groups or other associations with an interest in biofuels production and use. The conference capacity is limited and attendance is subject to successful registration.
Please note: No travel, accommodation or other expenses can be met for participants, and terms and conditions are specified on the SPM6 conference web page.
4. Biofuels Events and Training Courses for 2014/2015
Details of events and courses related to biofuels may be sent to secretariat@biofuelstp.eu to be listed on the website and included in EBTP newsletters.
Further details and links to agendas and registration for the following events can be found on the EBTP Events Database:
Conferences and other Events 2014
23-25 September 2014
Fourth International Conference on Lignocellulosic Ethanol (4ICLE), Landshut-Munich, Germany
24-25 September 2014
Biofuels International 2014, Ghent, Belgium
30 September - 2 October 2014
Conference of the European Biogas Association, Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands
8-9 October 2014
EBEC European Bioenergy Expo and Conference, Stoneleigh, United Kingdom
14-15 October 2014
EBTP SPM6 - 6th Stakeholder Plenary Meeting of the European Biofuels Technology Platform, Brussels, Belgium
15-16 October 2014
8th SGC International Seminar on Gasification, Malmo, Sweden
20-22 October 2014
Sustainable Aviation Fuels Forum, Madrid, Spain
Covering the projects: CORE-JetFuel, FORUM-AE, ITAKA
23 October 2014
BIO-TIC Workshop on Advanced Biofuels,
London, United Kingdom
26-29 October 2014
Lignobiotech III Symposium, Concepción, Chile
28 October 2014
Benefits and Risks from Biomass Production with Seaweeds,
London, United Kingdom
3-6 November 2014
World Ethanol and Biofuels, Budapest, Hungary
6-7 November 2014
7th International AGQM Conference: FAME - Renewable Fuel and Chemical Building Blocks, Berlin, Germany
11 November 2014
10 Years ERA-NET Bioenergy: Conference on Research for the Agri-Foestry Sector, Bio-based industries, energy consumers and society, Hanover, Germany
19-20 November 2014
Russian Forum for Industrial Biotechnology & the Biobased Economy: Graintek-2014, Moscow, Russia
2-5 December 2014
European Electric Vehicle Congress
Brussels, Belgium
2015 Conferences and Events (and calls for abstracts)
Many of the following events currently have open calls for abstracts, please consult the individual websites for more details (links and further details are available on the biofuels events database).
21-22 January 2015
Lignofuels 2015, Madrid, Spain
25-27 February 2015
The Energy and Materials Research Conference - EMR2015, Madrid, Spain
10-14 March 2015
21st ISAF International Symposium on Alcohol Fuels, Gwangju, Korea
24-25 March 2015
ACI 4th Gasfication Summit 2015, Prague, Czech Republic
7-8 May 2015
2nd International Conference on Renewable Energy Gas Technology, REGATEC 2015, Barcelona, Spain
1-4 June 2015
EUBCE 2015: 23rd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, Vienna, Austria
Workshops and Training Courses
30 September - 1 October 2014
Understanding Biofuels Policy, London, United Kingdom
5. New Reports on Advanced Biofuels and Related Topics
Links to a number of new biofuels reports have been added to the EBTP Reports Database. Links to biofuels presentations are also included on relevant pages of the EBTP website. Recent examples include:
Feedstock supply, demand and sustainability
Scientific Papers from the EnAlgae project on Sustainable Algal Biomass Production
EnAlgae
OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2014-2023 (Chapter 3: Biofuels)
OECD
Advanced Conversion Technologies and End Use of Biofuels
Sustainable and synergetic processing of biomass into marketable food & feed ingredients, chemicals, materials and energy (fuels, power, heat)
IEA Bioenergy Task 42 Biorefining
Proceedings of the REGATEC 2014 Conference on Renewable Energy Gas Technology
Renewable Energy Technology International AB
Biogas Opportunities Roadmap: Voluntary Actions to Reduce Methane Emissions and Increase Energy Independence
USDA
Renewable ethanol: driving jobs, growth and innovation throughout Europe: State of the Industry Report 2014
ePure
Market development, investment and deployment
Smart Sustainable Mobility
VTT
6. News from other Organisations
IEA Task 39 Newsletter September 2014 - Focus on Biofuels in Brazil
IEA Task 34 Pyrolysis (PyNe) Newsletter July 2014
EBTP-SABS would be pleased to help disseminate links to newsletters from relevant biofuels and advanced bioenergy organisations in Europe. Please forward details to secretariat@biofuelstp.eu
This newsletter is produced on behalf of the EBTP by the EBTP-SABS project team, funded under FP7. The broad aim of EBTP-SABS is to enhance communciations and networking among Advanced Biofuels Stakeholders from research, industry, government, NGOs, feedstocks production, end use and related areas in all European countries.
The contents of this newsletter are copyright © EBTP-SABS 2014
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