INDUSTRY NEWS


INDUSTRY NEWS


New enzymes for sustainable biofuels


Research funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council at the Department of Chemistry at the University of York has resulted in the discovery of a family of enzymes that can degrade hard- to-digest biomass such as wood chips into its constituent sugars. ‘First generation’ biofuels have already made an impact in the search for renewable and secure energy sources, particularly through the generation of bioethanol manufactured from easy-to- digest food sources such as corn


starch. However, the resulting need for energy crops is using up valuable arable land, thus threatening food price stability and limiting the amount of biofuel that can be made in this way.


The new research led by Professor Paul Walton and Professor Gideon Davies at York and also involving Professor Bernie Henrissat, of CNRS, Aix- Marseille Université, Marseille, France, opens up major new possibilities in the production of ‘second generation’ biothanol from sustainable sources.


Irish dairy’s biomass project


A


new wood-fuelled energy system being installed at the Aurivo dairy ingredients


plant at Ballaghadereen, Co Roscommon, Ireland, will cut carbon emissions in half through a dramatic reduction in the use of heavy fuel oil. The €5.5m biomass plant now under construction will use 30,000 tonnes of wood chips per annum, all sourced from forests in the West and North- West of the country. It will result in the annual displacement of almost five million litres of heavy fuel oil.


With a capacity of 15 tonnes of biomass, the plant is the first of its kind in the West of Ireland and Aurivo will become the first large scale-milk processor in the country to switch to biomass as a source of energy.


The new plant, which will become operational in April, 2014, will have an output of 15Mw of steam energy. Ultimately, it will be developed


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into a combined heat and power (CHP) plant and, by 2016, Aurivo plans to be exporting energy into the national electricity grid. Aurivo chief executive Aaron Forde said the new plant provides a long-term, sustainable energy solution for its dairy ingredients business, which is supplied by 1,000 dairy farmers in the West, North-West and Midlands.


“As well as cutting carbon emissions, it will also result in energy savings. The move to biomass is an integral part of our commitment to Bord Bia’s ‘Origin Green’ sustainability charter. As a major food exporter, sustainable systems must be at the core of all stages in the production and manufacturing chain,” said Mr Forde.


The plant was designed and manufactured by Irish company HDS Energy. The components, weighing over 200 tonnes, were transported from Kells to Ballaghadereen in a convoy escorted by the Garda (police).


Award for bioenergy promotion in Spain


The 4th Fomenta la Bioenergía award for bioenergy promotion, which recognises strategic actions in support of Spain’s Regional Bioenergy Plan, was given to the regional government of Castile and Leon (Junta de Castilla y León) in 2013. The award was in recognition of the enormous amount of work it has developed over the years to encourage bioenergy, which makes this Autonomous Community an important reference for other regions. AVEBIOM has awarded the


Fomenta la Bioenergía prize for the past four years to public or private bodies and institutions that are note-worthy for establishing measures aimed at fostering the bioenergy sector’s development in Spain, including support for the installation of boilers in public buildings. There are now many with such equipment, which are also supplied with biomass harvested in the region itself, thus promoting job creation and generating wealth in rural areas where it is much needed.


Co-ordinator joins EERA


Juan Carrasco has been elected as the new Joint Programme Co- ordinator of the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) Joint Programme for Bioenergy. Based at CIEMAT in Spain, Juan has taken over from Kai Sipilä of VTT, Finland, who has successfully led this Joint Programme since 2010.


Juan brings with him extensive international experience in many different areas of bioenergy research and development (R&D).


He is currently scientific co- ordinator of the CEDER-CIEMAT Biomass Programme in Madrid and possesses over 25 years’ experience of co-ordinating, managing and organising R&D groups focusing on topics such as: energy crops; solid biofuels characterisation; evaluation of sustainable biomass resources; biomass pre-treatment; solid biofuels combustion behaviour; and bioethanol from lignicellulose processes.


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