Programme Outline

We are pleased to announce that the EUBCE 2023 Outline Programme is online.

 

 

Few weeks ago the Executive Committee met online to review the draft programme delivered by the international Scientific Committee which reviewed and scored all the abstracts submitted.

 

Programme
Outline!

A Remarkable Conference

The world’s biomass leaders from all sectors from policy to research to market deployment are getting ready to gather in Bologna for an incredible week!

Here is a sneak peak at the Conference Programme by our key themes.

OPEN

Topics

1.1 Biomass resources and potentials
Assessments of biomass potentials and land availability at regional, national and international levels;
Assessment of recoverable biomass potential;
Biomass mobilisation and logistics;
Spatial modelling and remote sensing;
Resources mapping.

1.2 Innovative biomass production for energy integrated into traditional agri-forestry systems
Innovative agri-forestry systems including biomass production for energy and materials;
Bioenergy production integrated into agriculture and forestry;
Biomass plantations increasing sustainability and ecosystem services;
Novel crops, multi-purpose crops, intercropping and alternative cropping systems;
Low ILUC impact feedstocks;
Crops from marginal and degraded lands;
Soil quality and soil fertility improvement - compost, digestate, biochar;
Phytoremediation solutions for contaminated lands.

1.3 Algae and aquatic biomass production systems
Identification, assessment and optimisation of algae strains;
Technologies and systems for micro and macro algae cultivation, nutrition and harvesting;
Integration of wastewater treatment into algae systems;
Algae production systems, marine farming systems;
Aquatic waste streams;
Aquaculture and aquatic waste streams;
Algae harvesting, drying, oil and chemical extraction.

1.4 Agroforestry residues and by-products
Supply of biomass and biomass by-products and residues from agriculture and forestry;
Biomass mobilisation: characterisation, harvest technologies, logistics and storage;
Resource efficient agriculture and forestry;
Agro-food waste;
Agro-industrial feedstocks and side streams.

1.5 Municipal and industrial wastes
Potential of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) for bioenergy, biofuels and bioproducts;
Availability of biowaste from MSW;
Techniques for source separation;
Industrial wastes;
Downstream use of pulp and paper waste;
Sewage sludge, slaughterhouse waste;
Integrated waste management systems.

2.1 Sustainability, socio-economic aspects and public acceptance
Sustainability aspects of biomass production and use;
Sustainability schemes, sustainability standards and products certification;
Socio-economic aspects, benefits and socio-economic opportunities;
Competition and risk mitigation of the increased use of biomass;
Bioenergy, food security and local, traditional use of biomass;
Actions for sustainable economic growth;
Bioenergy contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG);
Improving citizen awareness and acceptance;
Promoting good practices for bioenergy.

2.2 Environmental impacts
Biomass and land use, agricultural intensification, water and air emissions from biomass production and conversion;
Biomass production preserving biodiversity and ecosystem services;
Land use change impacts, monitoring and addressing indirect land use changes;
Land use and land governance;
Biomass production and water use, energy, land and water interactions;
Trade-offs between different impacts;
Environmental Life Cycle Assessments.

2.3 Climate impacts and GHG performance
Climate impacts of biomass, biofuels, bioenergy and bio-based products production;
Assessment of climate change mitigation potential;
GHG emissions, LULUCF and sustainable forest management;
Assessing direct and indirect land use change impacts;
Carbon storage on land and materials;
Innovative carbon utilisation options;
Assessing GHG of biomass pathways;
GHG Life Cycle Assessment.

2.4 Biomass strategies and policies
Policies for the sustainable and circular economy;
Agriculture, forestry and rural development;
Bioenergy policies and targets for 2030 and beyond;
Bioenergy and bio-based products contribution to a low carbon economy, LULUCF emissions and Emissions Trading Scheme;
The role of bio-based products for the 2030 and 2050 targets;
Biomass and rural development, opportunities in the sustainable and circular economy;
Strategies for international cooperation;
Strategies for the integration of bioenergy into a low-carbon economy;
Strategies for the integration of bio-based products into the chemical industry.

2.5 Resource efficient economy
Approaches for efficient management of natural resources (land and water);
Promoting resource efficient value chains;
Sustainable circular economy and cascading use of biomass;
Competition and risks of the increased use of biomass;
Opportunities of biomass use for food, feed, fuels, bio-based products;
Innovation, growth and job creation;
Exploiting the value of co-products;
Cross-sectorial synergies to avoid over-exploitation.

3.1 Biomass integration into energy systems
Innovative solutions for small communities, integrating bioenergy and other renewables;
Integrated bioenergy RES hybrid systems and technologies;
Bioenergy for electricity grid stability and gas grid balancing concepts;
Bioenergy in renewable energy communities and buildings;
Bioenergy solutions for rural electrification concepts and off-grid systems;
Biomass in district heating and cooling, poly-generation energy networks;
Greening the gas grids (biomethane, hydrogen etc.).

3.2 Biomass use in biorefineries
Biorefinery platforms for bio-based products, energy and fuels;
Integrated and innovative biorefineries concepts;
Process design and business development;
Integration of biochemical and thermochemical processes into biorefineries;
Biochemical and thermochemical conversion processes of biomass to fuels, energy, bio-based products;
Multi-purpose and versatile schemes;
Renewable energy utilisation;
Assessment tools for biorefineries.

3.3 Strategies for bio-based products in the chemical industry
National, regional, local strategies;
Market uptake initiatives and policies;
Perspectives for bio-based chemicals and materials and contribution to the climate neutrality goals;
Strategic decisions for bio-based products and chemicals;
Assessing most promising value chains, processes and concepts;
Economics, incentives and subsidies towards developing a bio-based economy.

3.4 Market implementation, investments & financing
Market uptake initiatives and policies;
Initiatives for decarbonisation of the economy;
Challenges of scale-up and market implementation of new technologies;
Support schemes;
Economics and financing of bioenergy projects;
Economics and financial bio-based projects;
Risk assessment of financing;
Global bioenergy and bio-based products markets;
Biomass trade, contracting and logistics;
Innovative business models.

4.1 Biomass pretreatment for solid fuels and production of intermediates
Biomass pretreatment and densification;
Physical, chemical, physico-chemical and biological methods for biomass pretreatment;
Process development and  optimisation;
Characterisation and utilisation of solid fuels and intermediates;
Logistics, storage and distribution.

4.2 Advanced biomass combustion
Innovative concepts for small scale and medium scale combustion;
Advanced and innovative small scale and medium scale systems;
Large scale advanced combustion systems;
Process modelling and monitoring;
Advanced process and emission control systems;
Tri-generation (power, heat and cooling);
Innovative concepts and thermodynamic cycles;
High efficiency, increased steam parameters plants;
Bioenergy and Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) enabling negative GHG emissions.

4.3 Gasification for power, CHP and polygeneration
Fundamental studies;
Technology development;
Process modelling and monitoring;
Gas cleaning and upgrading;
Syngas utilisation in engines, turbines and fuel cells;
Advanced process control systems;
By-products utilisation.

4.4 Gasification for synthesis gas production
Fundamental studies;
Technology development;
Advanced gasification systems;
Gas cleaning, reforming and upgrading for BTL and SNG applications;
Process control systems;
By-products utilisation.

4.5 Anaerobic digestion for biogas and biomethane production
Anaerobic digestion process improvement;
Advanced plant and fermenter concepts;
Optimising conversion, improving design and process integration;
Dry fermentation and thermophilic processes;
Anaerobic digestion of innovative feedstocks (straw, waste, algae, etc.);
Biogas utilisation for power, CHP and poly-generation;
Biogas upgrading to biomethane;
Biomethane injection into the grid.

5.1 Pyrolysis
Production of liquid bioenergy carriers from solid biomass;
Fundamental studies;
Technology advances;
Process modelling, improvement and optimisation;
Bio-oil purification, upgrading and utilisation (combustion, chemical extraction, gasification, etc.);
By-product utilisation;
Wastewater treatment;
Energy balance and techno-economic analysis.

5.2 Hydrothermal processing
Advances in hydrothermal liquefaction, gasification and hydrothermal carbonisation;
Process fundamentals and studies;
Technology and process improvement;
Biocrude production, purification, upgrading;
Value-added compounds extraction;
Energy balance and techno-economic analysis.

5.3 Oil-based and renewable hydrocarbon biofuels
Oil-based fuels and renewable hydrocarbon biofuels from lipids and lignocellulosic biomass;
Bio-Synthetic Natural Gas (Bio-SNG);
Algae biofuels production, technology advances;
Bioprocesses for microbial oils production;
Innovative processes for synthetic fuels production from lignocellulosic biomass (biomass based electrofuels);
Co-processing biomass feedstock with fossil fuels in common processes;
Technology and process improvements;
Energy balance and techno-economic analysis.

5.4 Bio-alcohols from sugars, starch and lignocellulosic biomass
Biochemical routes for lignocellulosic ethanol, other alcohols production;
Pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass;
Enzymatic hydrolysis and microorganism fermentation into alcohols;
Novel C6 and C5 fermentation techniques;
Progress on ethanol production from sugar and starch;
Innovations in bio-alcohol production from lignocellulosic biomass;
Process advances;
Downstream wastewater treatment;

5.5 Synthetic fuels from biomass and hydrogen
Synthetic fuel production processes;
Technological innovations of Power-to-X (Power-to-gas, Power-to-liquids, etc.);
Renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO), Recycled Carbon Fuels (RCF);
Hydrogen production pathways: thermochemical, electrolytic, photolytic, biological processes;
Hydrogen and fuel cells for stationary and mobile applications;
Alternative fuels and hydrogen logistics and infrastructure;
Technico-economic assessments.

6.1 Processes for bio-based chemicals and materials
Advances in renewable chemicals;
Production of high-added value organic compounds;
New products from biomass: bio-based chemicals and polymers, bio-catalysts, additives; bioplastics, etc.;
Production of organic fertilizers and compost;
Nutrients cycles and recovery (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium).

6.2 Biorefinery platforms for bio-based chemicals and polymers
Fuels and chemical building blocks from synthesis gas;
Production of value added chemicals and macromolecules from lignin;
Production of fine chemicals from sugar and oil platforms;
Process development, maximising conversion efficiency;
Technical and biological barriers and economic considerations.

6.3 Co-production of biofuels and biochemicals
Combined production of fuels, chemicals and materials from biomass;
Innovative processes integrating fuel production into bio-based refineries;
Process integration;
Co-production options and economics;
Technical and economic assessments.