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Slow pyrolysis of ligno-cellulosic biomass residues represents a renewed opportunity to produce both sustainable bioenergy and high value co-products. The present work aims at evaluating the possible synergies for the integration of a slow pyrolysis plant within a steel-making plant, focusing on the use of biochar as a possible coal substitute to be used in a blast furnace. Within this framework, a model is proposed to calculate a preliminary sizing for the slow pyrolysis plant, and calculate the mass and energy balance for the integrated plant. Finally, it evaluates the main key economic parameters and performs specific sensitivity analyses. The model has been developed within the activities carried out by the H2020 MUSIC project, and applied to the Italian Case Study, located in the Apulia region and considering ArcelorMittal Taranto steel-making plant. The model estimated that more than 60 kt/yr of biochar could be produced for coal substitution, and 38M Nm3/yr of Natural Gas used in the steel plant could be substituted by pyrolysis gases. This in turn would lead to more than 240 ktCO2/yrof avoided emissions, that could be traded on the EU ETS market. Overall, the economic parameters proved viable, with a 7-years Pay Back Time and an Internal Return Rate for the investment of 19%., Proceedings of the 30th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 9-12 May 2022, Online, pp. 840-845

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing an unprecedented global health crisis and socio-economic upheaval and led to severe consequences well beyond previous crises of the last decades which mostly were related to financial issues. COVID-19 caused sudden economic, psychological, and partly physical shocks to markets, societal sub-systems (e.g., education, food, health), and people.As a direct consequence, today, food security and resilience are at stake. The effects on bio-based products and bioenergy (in particular: biofuels) vary and their role in the recovery (with possible changes in customer’s behaviour) could differ as well.The linkages of the bioeconomy to post-pandemic recovery with regard to impacts and possible responses are currently being discussed by many institutions and initiatives, even though there is currently limited data on the impact of the pandemic on the bioeconomy. This report presents preliminary results based on initial analysis from the authors on knowledge synthesis on the EU bioeconomy system, trends, and perspectives of the future development towards 2030 and 2050.

The 2018 EU Bioeconomy Strategy aims to develop a circular, sustainable bioeconomy for Europe, strengthening the connection between economy, society, and environment. It addresses global challenges such as meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations and the climate objectives of the Paris Agreement. A circular, sustainable bioeconomy can be a core instrument for the Green Deal in the post-COVID-19 era, making the EU more sustainable and competitive. In this context, the EC (Joint Research Centre in collaboration with DG Research and Inno-vation) created an ad-hoc external Network of Experts (NoE) through individual contracts to contribute to the EC’s Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy with forward-looking analysis needed for exploring possible scenarios towards a sustainable, clean, and resource-efficient bioeconomy, with a focus on climate-neutrality and sustainable development. The first work package concerned knowledge synthesis and foresight. This report presents the results of a collaborative foresight process which elaborated four scenarios for the future EU bioeconomy until 2050: Scenario 1: Do it for us - proactive policy, Paris target nearly achieved (2 °C global temperature increase by 2100), no societal change (Business As Usual trend for consumption) Scenario 2: Do it together – integrative policy, Paris target fully achieved (1.5 °C global temp. increase by 2100), fundamental societal change (towards sustainable consumption) Scenario 3: Do it ourselves - societal action, Paris target missed (global temperature increase 2.5 °C by 2100), fundamental societal change (towards sustainable consumption) Scenario 4: Do what is unavoidable - reactive policy, Paris target clearly missed (3.5 °C global temperature increase by 2100), no societal change (Business As Usual trend for consumption) Finally, this report presents initial reflections on transition pathways gained from these scenarios in 2050, and insights for the future of the bioeconomy in Europe, and abroad, with a focus on implementing a circular, sustainable, and transformative BioWEconomy, not only in the EU, but globally.

Slow pyrolysis of biomass represents a renewed opportunity to produce both bioenergy and high value co-products using modern technologies. The present work aims at valorizing the total outputs from slow oxidative pyrolysis: a process that convert the lignocellulosic feedstock without an external heat supply (hence an autothermal pyrolysis process) into char, bio-oil and non-condensable gaseous products. By means of an innovative fractional condensation unit developed in the framework of H2020 BECOOL project, liquid fractions can be collected at different condensing temperature and separated from permanent gases. Therefore, three lignocellulosic feedstocks have been processed in a slow pyrolysis unit of 50 kg per hour as biomass capacity, and part of the pyrogas has been condensed and collected in the innovative condensing system. The system includes two bubbler condensers and an electrostatic precipitator (ESP), located between the first two. The first stage of condensation was maintained above 100 °C to avoid water condensation; the second stage traps the not-collected droplets from the first stage by means of an electrostatic precipitator (ESP); the third cold stage collects water and low boiling compounds at about 0 °C. The main scope of the work was achieved by producing: an organic fraction of pyrolysis oil (with reduced water content) suitable for downstream conversion to advanced biofuels for transports or other chemical compounds of interest; a water fraction enriched in acids and alcohols suitable for downstream conversion to biochemicals., Proceedings of the 29th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 26-29 April 2021, Online, pp. 755-758

Within the BECOOL project, value chains based on lignocellulosic biomass are developed and investigated including biomass growth, harvest, transport, thermochemical conversion and finally catalytic synthesis of liquid biofuels. Pyrolysis is included in the thermochemical conversion as it can provide a valuable feedstock upgrading step prior to gasification. Slow oxidative pyrolysis can provide both high quality charcoal and heat for the drying of biomass, ideal for decentralized upgrading of biomass before shipment to a centralized conversion plant. Char combined with fast pyrolysis bio-oil can provide a high-density fuel in the form of char/bio-oil slurries. This paper reports on the preparation and characterization of the char/bio-oil as intermediate energy carrier (IBC). The char concentration was varied from 0 to 20 wt% using ground char with a particle size of, Proceedings of the 27th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 27-30 May 2019, Lisbon, Portugal, pp. 544-550

Within the BECOOL project, value chains based on lignocellulosic biomass are developed and investigated biomass growth, harvest, transport, thermochemical conversion and !nally catalytic synthesis of liquid biofuels. Pyrolysis is included in the thermochemical conversion as it can provide a valuable feedstock upgrading step prior to gasification. Slow oxidative pyrolysis can provide both high quality charcoal and heat for the drying of biomass, ideal for decentralized upgrading of biomass before shipment to a centralized conversion plant. Char combined with fast pyrolysis bio-oil can provide a high-density fuel in the form of char/bio-oil slurries. This paper reports on the preparation and characterization of the char/bio-oil as intermediate energy carrier (IBC). The char concentration was varied from 0 to 20 wt% using ground char with a particle size of

BECOOL project, Deliverable D2.1

Efficient digestate management from anaerobic digestion (AD) is one of the most important priorities for medium term bioenergy and bioproducts field development. Carbonized solid digestate results to be a sterilized and easily transportable value-added product: the so-called biochar. In this study, two digestate carbonization processes have been tested in lab and pilot-scale at different process conditions: slow pyrolysis carbonization and hydrothermal carbonization (HTC). The digestate came from an AD plant located in Italy, fed mainly with barley silage and, in smaller quantities, wheat and herbaceous silage and poultry manure. The digestate had a moisture content of 72.6 % w.b. w/w. The slow pyrolysis was carried out, with the feedstock dried at 75 °C for 48h, in a 1.5 kg h-1 plant, with a heating rate of about 7 °C min-1 to reach the maximum process temperature of 500 °C, which was maintained for 1 h. HTC, instead, is a technology capable of directly exploiting the digestate high water content. HTC experiments were carried out in a 27 ml micro-reactor, testing different temperatures and residence times (200-250 °C and 0.5-3 h, respectively). Yields and characteristics of the products were analyzed and discussed. Some char properties were also compared to European and International biochar standards., Proceedings of the 25th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 12-15 June 2017, Stockholm, Sweden, pp. 1063-1069

Numerous potential pathways to biofuels and biochemicals exist via the sugar platform1. This study uses literature surveys, market data and stakeholder input to provide a comprehensive evidence base for policymakers and industry – identifying the key benefits and development needs for the sugar platform. The study created a company database for 94 sugar-based products, with some already commercial, the majority at research/pilot stage, and only a few demonstration plants crossing the “valley of death”. Case studies describe the value proposition, market outlook and EU activity for ten value chains (acrylic, adipic & succinic acids, FDCA, BDO, farnesene, isobutene, PLA, PHAs and PE). Most can deliver significant greenhouse savings and drop-in (or improved) properties, but at an added cost to fossil alternatives. Whilst significant progress has been made, research barriers remain around lignocellulosic biomass fractionation, product separation energy, biological inhibition, chemical selectivity and monomer purity, plus improving whole chain process integration. An assessment of EU competitiveness highlights strengths in R&D, but a lack of strong commercial activity, due to the US, China and Brazil having more attractive feedstock and investment conditions. Further policy development, in particular for biochemicals, will be required to realise a competitive European sugar-based bioeconomy.

Besides the quantification of tar in the producer gas, it is essential to identify the compounds that are detrimental for the system performance. In particular, internal combustion engines are sensitive to the heavy tars, that create heavy residual depositions in the engine manifold, intake valves, turbo-compressor and on the cylinder wall. This study considers a gasification system, fixed bed gasifier coupled with ICE, of small scale (100-150 kWel). The system has been investigated in order to identify deposition of tar across the producer gas path, from the gasifier to the engine. Cleaning and removal of these depositions result in regular interruption of plant’s functioning. The collected depositions of tar have been analysed by means of calorimetric and thermogravimetry analysis, x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), gas-chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (MS), to identify the primary constituents. Furthermore, the characterization of the tars in the producer gas, after the clean-up section, has been carried out in accordance with the European protocol UNI CEN/TS 15439-2008. The results have been discussed and they provide an insight of the tar issue on the real scale plant systems. Further research is needed to identify the compounds that are more detrimental for the operation of the gasification systems., Proceedings of the 23rd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 1-4 June 2015, Vienna, Austria, pp. 362-365

GAST project stands for ‘Experiences in biomass GAsification in South-Tyrol: energy and environmental assessment’ and has raised an opportunity to monitor and analyze small scale biomass gasifiers in the region of South Tyrol (Italy). Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, in collaboration with other partner research institutes, is implementing this project in order to assess a test methodology for small scale gasification systems. In the framework of this project, a monitoring campaign has been carried out on three different gasification technologies for combined heat and power (i.e., CHP) generation. The monitoring has been performed in agreement with the test methodology proposed by the “Raccomandazione CTI 13” standard, i.e., a guideline about the contracting and commissioning of gasification systems recently published by the Italian Thermotechnical Committee Energy & Environment (CTI).The present work aims to assess the test methodology that should be utilized to evaluate both the energetic performance and the environmental impact of a small scale CHP gasification system. In addition, the main technical issues arisen from the measurement campaign and from the lab analysis have been discussed., Proceedings of the 22nd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 23-26 June 2014, Hamburg, Germany, pp. 579-584

A solar hybrid system to supply energy to a new hospital is under construction in Empoli, Italy. The system includes two solar tower plants, four small gas turbines, and co-generation of heating and cooling with absorption chillers. The system will provide to the hospital a mix of energy products including electricity, air conditioning, space heating, and hot sanitary water. Interesting aspects of the solar technology includes a new astigmatic-corrected heliostat design, and volumetric air receivers coupled to the gas turbines. The system design is described with a special attention to the heliostats and the power conversion and refrigeration components. Operation method and expected performance are also presented.

Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms living in marine or freshwater environment. In this study, samples of three different microalgae, fresh water Chlorella from open pond and marine Chlorella and Nanochloropsis from photo­bioreactors, differing in origin and growing medium and condition, were analyzed and subjected to intermediate pyrolysis in a novel research reactor to settle a preliminary characterization of these microorganisms as intermediate energy carriers. Microalgae were characterized in terms of elemental composition (CHONS and P) and relative abundance of constituents (protein, lipid, carbohydrates); then, approx.1 kg of each strain was subjected to pyrolysis at 450°C and the bio­oil recovered and analyzed. In this study, bio­oil from fast pyrolysis of pine chips was retained as the reference fuels form comparison purpose. Microalgae pyrolysis oil exhibited superior properties as intermediate energy carrier compared to pyrolysis oil from fast pyrolysis of pine chips, in particular higher HHV, higher carbon and hydrogen content, and lower oxygen; nonetheless, pyrolysis oils from microalgae resulted to be more viscous and less homogenous than the reference bio­oil. A corrosion test was also performed on alluminium alloy, copper, AISI 304 and AISI 316L strips and VITON, NBR and silicon elastomers to assess the aggressiveness of the bio­oils from microalgae compared to that of pine chips bio­oil on these common material. Bio­oil from microalgae was also analysed in GC/MS and GC/FID to quantify part of its constituents to make a preliminary estimate of its potential for the extraction or separation of valuable components., Proceedings of the 21st European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 3-7 June 2013, Copenhagen, Denmark, pp. 494-499

The EU BIOLYFE project aims at demonstrating the whole lignocellulosic ethanol chain at industrial scale: within BIOLYFE a demo industrial-scale second generation bioethanol production plant has been built, with a design output of approx.40,000 tons ethanol per year. Further than BIOLYFE, which investigates hydrolysis and fermentation and is supported by the EC FP7 Programme (DG Energy), the research activities on the pretreatment phase are developed with the support of the Italian National Programme "Industria 2015" through the project PRIT. The groundbreaking event took place in April 2011 in Crescentino (Vercelli Province, Italy), the commissioning phase started around mid-2012 and the start up started by the end of 2012, initially with the successful production of electrical power send to the grid and then with the whole lignocellulosic-to-ethanol plant. Chemtex has developed the process and designed the industrial unit. It is the first 2nd generation bioethanol plant of that industrial scale with a short supply chain, as approximately 4500 ha of marginal land are available in this area for cultivation. The overall industrial and technological development (named PRO.E.SA.TM) started in 2007-2008: today it is exclusively licensed worldwide by BETA RENEWABLES (a joint venture between M&G, TPG and Novozymes). Beta Renewables embed Novozymes’ enzymes in the PROESATM technology installed at Crescentino. The main feedstocks chosen within the BIOLYFE project for lignocellulosic ethanol production are Giant Reed (Arundo donax) and wheat straw (and other agriculture residues available in the area will be used according to necessity). Contracts with the first land owners are in place from 2011. Within BIOLYFE, crop cultivation was implemented at demonstration level (around 25 ha per feedstock plant) in order to compare and optimise the whole feedstock supply chains, including sowing / planting, harvest mechanisation, as well as storage and logistics solutions. The final aim is to provide around 180,000 tons of dry biomass per year to the demonstration bioethanol production plant. The new advanced pretreatment concept developed by the BIOLYFE project is thought to 1)by-pass the inhibitor formation drawback of standard steam explosion processes; 2)increase the extraction of hemi-cellulose and cellulose. A pilot plant was built at Chemtex labs and is operating in continuous mode since June 2009. It can be fed with several materials of a size up to 5 cm: the system (20-50 kg/h biomass input) has demonstrated at pilot scale that differents feedstock show similar behaviour during pretreatment. In order to demonstrate the full supply chain for second generation ethanol and to demonstrate the advantages of the technology, BIOLYFE included the setup of a fuel distribution infrastructure with E85 fuel pump plus E10 pump, this is run in Tortona (AL) nearby Crescentino since spring 2012. The final goal is to promote Flexi Fuel Vehicles (FFV) among local end-consumers, both private users, and public and company fleets. In addition, the produced fuel is under test in a dedicated test fleet of 4 vehicles, one used by the Tortona Municipality and 3 of them used by Chemtex employees. BIOLYFE provides a multi-criteria evaluation of the 2° generation bioethanol technological, environmental, economic and social aspects: the whole. This integrated assessment will generate descriptions and conclusive assessments of sustainability of both the basic and the optimised bioethanol systems. In addition, SWOT analyses will be performed in order to reveal the most sustainable pathways for bioethanol from lignocellulose materials. This plant will avoid approximately the production of 50.000 ton of CO2 each year, which is the CO2 production of 7000 vehicles., Proceedings of the 21st European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 3-7 June 2013, Copenhagen, Denmark, pp. 1425-1431

To make biorefinery processes valuable from both economical and energy perspectives, all components of the starting feedstock need to be properly valorized. In the present work the results obtained in steam/oxygen gasification tests on a lignin rich residue from second generation bioethanol production process are presented. The residue was collected at the end of a process of simultaneous hydrolysis and fermentation, adopted to convert sugars from steam-exploded biomass. The gasification tests were carried out with a bubbling fluidized bed reactor at: 850 °C, 1 atm, 0.3 equivalence ratio (ER) and 0.6 steam/biomass (S/B). Under these conditions, it was found an average dry gas composition of: 25%v CO, 37 %v H2, 30 %v CO2, 7 %v CH4, 2% C2+ and a gas yield of 1.3 Nm3/kgdaf. Clogging of the feeding screw and appearance of bed defluidization were occasionally observed. Nevertheless, the gasification tests were run for several hours without interruption. Based on the data of performance of the gasification facility it was possible to evaluate the potential of power production. The electrical output was found consistent with the internal needs of a commercial plant for bioethanol production, sized to process up to 200 ktonnes/y of biomass., Proceedings of the 21st European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 3-7 June 2013, Copenhagen, Denmark, pp. 430-434

In the last 18 months, several South-Tyrolean entrepreneurs have decided to invest in the biomass gasification technology, clearly conveying strong interest in the sector of small scale cogeneration plants. This was unexpected because the current state of this technology is still not completely mature for the market. On one hand, there is a clear economic interest of the companies that can obtain incentives for the selling of electricity produced by biomass. On the other hand, there is a scientific and a commercial interest in the demonstration of the energetic efficiency, environmental performance, reliability and optimization of this technology. At the moment, this type of survey is unique in Italy. In addition, it can support the local public administration, by providing useful tools for the authorization procedures of small biomass gasification plants. Currently, 14 small scale gasification plants are operating or fully authorized in the region of South Tirol. During the preliminary screening the most frequent technological choices of the constructors are gasifiers from Spanner RE and Burkhardt. Until the end of the year approximately 35 plants are projected to be operational or authorized., Proceedings of the 21st European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 3-7 June 2013, Copenhagen, Denmark, pp. 891-901

Micro gas turbines units are reliable and versatile units for distributed combined heat and power production (CHP). Compared to internal combustion engines, CHP units based on micro gas turbines offer several advantages, among which the compactness, the high power­to­weight ratio, lower pollutant emissions and lower maintenance costs. Depending on the specific type of gas turbine, also fuel flexibility could be higher than engines. This study report on the preliminary results obtained with a small size (25 kWe) Garrett GTP 30­67, liquid fuel micro gas turbine, which was adapted to run on alternative first generation biofuels, such as vegetable oil and biodiesel and pyrolysis oil. An in­house test bench for biofuel testing, capable of accommodating the micro gas turbine, was designed, engineered and built. In this paper, results from experimental measurement on the micro gas turbine are presented. Micro gas turbine performance (e.g specific fuel consumption, heat rate) were monitored and main exhaust emissions, i.e. CO and NOx, measured between idle and full load when feeding biodiesel, vegetable oil or pyrolysis oil to the engine; results were then collated with literature and accommodated with respect to environmental pressure and temperature to standard testing conditions (ISO/ASTM). Preliminary advice on engine operation with pyrolysis oil will also be given., Proceedings of the 21st European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 3-7 June 2013, Copenhagen, Denmark, pp. 514-516

Small scale biomass gasification is one of the most interesting option for lignocellulosic biomass and wastes. Small scale systems are attractive for farmers since the low energy density of biomass fuels makes transportation a relevant cost factor: valorisation of agricultural residues is gaining particular interest as they are considered "no land using" and potentially low cost biomass. CREAR /RE-CORD installed, in an experimental area located South of Florence, an innovative gasification system for multi-fuel applications developed by Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. The innovative open top downdraft double fire reactor configuration is capable of processing agricultural and forestry residues, and the cooling and cleaning system makes the gas fit as a fuel for a 70 kWe spark ignition engine. The paper highlights the outcome of a series of test with pruning residues as a feedstock, conveniently pre-treated in order to address low density and high ash content issues. Gas composition and quality of producer gas measured on line indicated very low level of contaminants in the gas and cold gas efficiency was found to be in excess of 75 %. Engine was tested and was found to respond to varying load excellently. Peak load of 70 kWe was achieved using a resistive load bank., Proceedings of the 21st European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 3-7 June 2013, Copenhagen, Denmark, pp. 480-484

Once the installation, the commissioning and the preliminary tests have been completed, the Bio_MGT plant was finally started up successfully and it has been running for some thousands of operation hours. The Bio_MGT plant is a micro CHP plant based on a commercial Micro Gas Turbine (MGT, 100 kW) modified to make it suitable for an externally fired cycle. The system is characterized by a dual combustion configuration and it supplies electric and thermal power exploiting, as primary energy, woody biomass chips without pre-treatment. En effect, a significant share of the total energy input (more than 60%) comes from solid biomass that feeds a biomass furnace and the thermal energy is transferred to working fluid (MGT compressed air) through an high temperature heat exchanger; the remaining primary energy is provided by natural gas internal combustion. In this case the plant works on “hybrid” mode, however the plant can run also on “full green” (without natural gas contribution) mode and this configuration has been investigated as well. The Bio_MGT plant was designed as prototype plant and it was equipped with several measurements instruments devices so that the main thermodynamic values of each section of the plant can be monitored and analyzed. This paper reports the more interesting data collected along several long run tests (one year of plant monitoring) summarizing the performance obtained up to now, for both configuration mode: “hybrid” mode and “full green” mode. Finally, the experimental results have been compared with numerical results obtained by an in house developed code. The code was designed to develop the system and, in the last period, after a wide field data collection, the code has been tuned to match the numerical results with the experimental. From now on the code will able to calculate, with high reliability, the reachable performances of system by changing some of main plant control parameters, so that to drive the next develop steps of the Bio_MGT system., Proceedings of the 19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 6-10 June 2011, Berlin, Germany, pp. 1193-1201

Attention to the environmental problems and strong dependency on fossil fuels make renewable resources very attractive. A strong interest has given to bioenergy and particularly to biofuels as they play a fundamental role to achieve, by 2020, the 10% goal of renewable in the transport sector. Since bioenergy is characterized by a complex long chain, that involves many subjects in order to obtain the final product, the sustainability of the sunflower biodiesel chain in central-northern Italy has been investigated through a LCA consistent with the 2009/28/CE Directive. The work focuses on each single stage of the sunflower biodiesel chain, for different Italian scenarios, to assess the variability of each stage in order to make an analysis of the most critical phases of the biodiesel production process, in terms of primary energy and of CO2 emissions. The work has been carried out using the software Gemis and all of the data, both agricultural and industrial, have been collected by literature or by field measurements. Results highlighted that the energy demand for sunflower cultivation in Italy shows a very large variation: consequently the associated emissions and GHG savings range between significantly different values too., Proceedings of the 19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 6-10 June 2011, Berlin, Germany, pp. 2641-2644

Study on microalgae massive cultivation production dates back to the ‘70s, when the crude oil shortage following the first oil shock caused a sudden steep rise of the real price of crude, and alternative pathways for the production of fossil fuel substitutes were investigated. Compared to conventional energy crops, microalgae exhibit significant potential advantages as a feedstock for the production of biofuels, because typically produces more oil, consume less space and could be grown on land unsuitable for agriculture. The feasibility of producing liquid biofuels and gases from thermochemical or biochemical conversion of microalgae has been demonstrated for a range of species. In this study, a preliminary review of the current and past technology for the pyrolytic processing of microalgae biomass is presented. Data and process technology from literature are critically analyzed and compared toward the more established process technology for pyrolysis of lignocellulosic material. Despite the amount of data, energy­related literature still lacks of detail on the biological aspect algal cell growth conditions. These aspects play a significant role in determining the economical and environmental sustainability of the process, especially in terms of energy and growth media input. The still open areas of research are highlighted in the paper., Proceedings of the 19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 6-10 June 2011, Berlin, Germany, pp. 807-816

The use of vegetable oil for power production is a viable route that allows for environmental, social and economic benefits. Nevertheless the increasing interest in pure vegetable oils for energy and biodiesel production promotes market volatilities and, in recent years, high and peak prices. In this framework the OVEST project, supported by the Tuscany region, aims at investigating the possibility to use waste oil streams of the food industry to obtain an alternative feedstock for bioliquids and biofuels production. Most of these waste oil streams are composed by distilled fractions obtained during vegetable oil refining, i.e. free fatty acids, di­ and mono­glyceride, etc. In the current market, a number of waste streams are available from the food industry: oleins and fatty acids, sludge oils and WCO (Waste Cooking Oils) represent several examples of these waste streams from edible oil production. In the OVEST project, vegetable oil is obtained from waste materials by the re­esterification process, in order to obtain a new feedstock for biodiesel production and for power generation. A market analysis is carried out in OVEST, to estimate the economic viability and the potential of each waste streams. PFAD (Palm Fatty Acid Distillate), fatty acids from vegetable oils and WCO are very interesting feedstock to obtain ”re­esterified” oils. The new vegetable oils obtained in OVEST show promising chemical­physical characteristics for power generation, such as contamination from solids and inorganics: for this reason these vegetable oils are under test on reciprocating engines and micro gas turbine for power production. From the environmental point of view, the use of these feedstock allows to meet the requirements of the recently issued European Directive, that introduces minimum targets in terms of GHGs saving for bioliquids and biofuels. According to the EC Directive, LCA must be carried out considering equal to zero the wastes and residual products GHG emissions before processing. Nevertheless, in order to apply this approach to LCA, as proposed in the RED, some preliminary work has to be done in order to ensure the classification of the specific raw materials as waste/residue or by­products on both the technical as well as legal base. In fact, GHG emissions strictly depends on the nature of the raw materials (e.g. in case of residual material no impacts are associated to it, whilst for the by­product the emissions allocated during its production chain must be considered). Moreover, the geographical area of raw materials production as well as the transportation means must be identified in order to correctly quantify the impacts associated to the transport phase, therefore an adequate traceability must be assured. The present work showed that most of the input materials to the esterification plant may be classified as wastes or residues, and that assuring an accurate traceability for each treatment and transport phase is a really complex issue. However the GHG savings of 83.5%, indicated in the RED for bioliquids from wastes, was confirmed by the work here carried out. The OVEST project therefore demonstrates the viability of the use of re­esterified oils (reconstructed oils) for power production and transport., Proceedings of the 19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 6-10 June 2011, Berlin, Germany, pp. 294-298

Production of microalgae biomass as an alternative feedstock for biodiesel is a promising technology. The reduction in energy consumption of traditional algae cultivation systems is today one of the most important issues towards sustainable biofuel production. In the MAMBO project an innovative pond has been designed and realized to investigate the possibility of reducing energy consumption of the cultivation phase as well as the use of water. The aim of this project is in fact to demonstrate the possibility of using algae as an alternative and cost­effective feedstock for the biodiesel industry. The innovation is based on the reduction of the mean fluid velocity in the pond and the reduction of the water head, while maintaining sufficient turbulence and recirculation of the culture. The typical energy demand for mixing in a traditional raceway pond, operated at 20 cm depth and 20 cm/s speed, is estimated in 0.034 W/m2. The reduction in fluid velocity has a large impact on the energy demand of the cultivation phase (essential in view of biofuel production), nevertheless the major drawback is that it also reduces the effectiveness of mixing, which is a key factor to obtain high productivity per unit area. A reduced culture depth also offers the advantage of a lower amount of water needed per square meter of pond maintaining the same area for solar energy input and leads to higher algae concentration in the fluid medium. Injection and solubilisation of carbon dioxide in the fluid stream also deserve attention. Systems have been developed in the innovative pond to avoid or reduce uneconomical CO2 losses. The real flow field in both the traditional and the innovative ponds was evaluated by velocimetry measurement under actual operation conditions. The methodology adopted in this research work was based on a combination of numerical and experimental activities. A numerical tool was designed to estimate the effect of the reduction in fluid velocity and culture depth on energy consumption and mixing. The results obtained from numerical simulations were then used in designing the innovative pond and defining the main operational parameters and characteristics. Tests on the traditional raceway pond and on the innovative one were carried out during summer 2010 in Florence (Italy). The on­field collected data were elaborated linking microalgae productivity to solar input and energy consumption. The preliminary results obtained during the first year of experimentation showed that the innovative pond has a slightly lower productivity compared to the traditional pond, but needs significantly less energy and water. The solutions tested in this research is already interesting in all the country where water is a precious resource and land is often not yet profitably used., Proceedings of the 19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 6-10 June 2011, Berlin, Germany, pp. 90-93

Micro gas turbines units are reliable and versatile units for on­site combined heat and power production (CHP). Compared to internal combustion engines, CHP units based on micro gas turbines offer several advantages, among which the compactness, the high power­to­weight ratio, lower pollutant emissions and lower maintenance costs. Depending on the specific type of gas turbine, also fuel flexibility could be higher than engines. Within the framework of the EU­Russian Federation FP7 cooperative and specifically the Bioliquids­CHP project, a Garrett GTP 30­67 liquid fuel (diesel) micro gas turbine was adapted to run on alternative first generation biofuels, such as vegetable oil and biodiesel. An in­house test bench for microgasturbine characterization and biofuel testing, capable of accommodating the engine was designed, engineered and built. In this research work, results from experimental measurement on the micro gas turbine are presented. Micro gas turbine performance and main exhaust emissions were measured a various load when feeding biodiesel, vegetable oil (or blending of them) to the engine. Measured exhaust emissions included CO and NOx. The experiences gained on the operation of the micro gas turbine on first generation biofuels will serve as a basis for testing of bio­oil from fast pyrolysis of pine and straw and emulsion between bio­oil and biodiesel in the Bioliquids micro gas turbine. Authors wish to acknowledge the European Commission and FASI for the support given to the present research work, as well as the project coordinator BTG and the project partners., Proceedings of the 19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 6-10 June 2011, Berlin, Germany, pp. 1672-1680

A survey on available MGT suitable for the Bioliquids-CHP project purpose has been carried out, comparing technical characteristics towards needed modifications. The MGT architecture was carefully examined, as the possibility to implement minor modifications largely depends on the type of MGT: issues such as combustion – chamber type, injector characteristics, fuel line, and control system, were the driving factor for comparing the various options. The criteria which drove the selection of the MGT for the project were therefore summarised. Main fuel physical and chemical characteristics were reported and compared towards standard fossil fuels as diesel oil or kerosene. A preliminary correlative study of droplet evaporation and combustion has been carried out, in order to better understand the peculiarity of each bio-fuel, and data compared to experimental data by Istituto Motori-CNR in Naples, Italy. The only purpose of this activity is to derive preliminary indications about conversion strategies for the MGT Combustion chamber. Finally, preliminary CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) work on the MGT combustion chamber was initiated., Proceedings of the 18th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 3-7 May 2010, Lyon, France, pp. 1036-1042

Based on experimental and literature agricultural data, and focusing only on the impact category “GHG emissions”, the present work aimed at studying the LCA as well as the Directive methodology applied to the sunflower biodiesel chain in 4 different Italian Regions (Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Toscana and Umbria) and analysed 16 different scenarios developed by combining maximum and minimum conditions in terms of field inputs and yields. The impact of the inputs data on LCA results was investigated, and the related environmental pressures were assessed. The LCA model was developed using the software Gemis and additional considerations were carried out comparing Gemis average figures versus typical Italian field conditions for some inputs. Results highlight that the energy demand for sunflower cultivation in Italy shows a very large variation and consequently the associated emissions range between values significantly different and also the GHG savings can vary from 31% to +58 %, and only few scenarios meet the 35 % target. These results are obtained applying the energy allocation for the coproducts; besides, using the substitution method, very different results are obtained. Finally, the impact of transport was modelled: this figure, which usually has lower weight in comparison to the agricultural phase, strongly depends on the adopted mean of transport. Summarising, the LCA methodology could reasonably aim at developing quantitative assessment of bioenergy chains only in well defined and constrained conditions, not only geographically but also in time., Proceedings of the 18th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 3-7 May 2010, Lyon, France, pp. 2215-2222

The supplying Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO) chain is probably the first generation biofuel chain which have the greatest chances of “surviving” to the development of second generation biofuels. In fact, the advantages offered by bringing the added value of the final product to the biomass producer improve the economics and makes the project manageable by medium/small farmers or entrepreneurs. This research paper report the results obtained by the 3-year project LIFE-VOICE (Vegetable Oil Initiative for a Cleaner Environment), which investigated the entire chain in Italy. The purpose of this large EU project was to investigate the most suitable oil crops for Italy, some EU and non-EU Mediterranean Countries, as well as to transfer the know-how developed in Germany on SVO technologies (both production and use) to Italy. Three different EU Countries, and 12 different partners (research Institutes, Industries and Companies, Association of Farmers, etc), participated to the field activities, studying each single step of the SVO chain. The overall VOICE strategic objective was the development of proposals for policies to National and local authorities in this area. Various oil crops were investigated: among others, standard and high-oleic sunflower, rape, camelina, and flax were the most interesting ones for the Italian conditions. Field activities, either in conventional or organic cultivations, were performed and data collected. Oil was then extracted both in a dedicated decentralised pressing and filtering system, as well as in a centralised plant: the oil was analysed according to the German norm DIN 61605. When necessary, actions to reduce the content of phosphorous and alkali content were taken, and the resulting refined oils examined. Vegetable oil was used to feed technologies converted to SVO: 5 kWe Senertec-DACHS cogenerators, a 50 kWe generator, a Capstone C-30 kWe micro gas turbine, some burners for greenhouse and school heating, and a John Deere tractor. The engines and the tractors were converted by the partner VWP-Germany, while the conversion of the microturbine was developed by CREAR-Italy. The most significant emissions were measured and compared. Oil crops were selected, and field performances assessed under various cultivation practices, locations, etc. The decentralised pressing-filtering unit as well as converted technologies performed very well during the project, while industrial extraction confirmed its poor oil quality for energetic purposes. Long term demonstration is still necessary for the newly developed microturbine, which major advantage compared to diesel engine was however the extremely low emission level of the exhaust gases. Results from the VOICE project were elaborated into proposal for supporting policies and promotional strategies at both local (regional) as well as national levels. The potential in terms of land available and vocation of agricultural area was assessed in Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal, as well as the potential was preliminary estimated for some non-EU MED Countries., Proceedings of the 18th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 3-7 May 2010, Lyon, France, pp. 1810-1815

The use of biomass-derived liquids (in short: bioliquids) instead of solid biomass can help overcome some of the barriers hindering a wider use of biomass in smaller-scale CHP systems. Relevant bioliquids included biodiesel, vegetable oils as well straight and upgraded pyrolysis oil. In this joint EU-Russian research project Bioliquids-CHP prime movers (engines and turbines) will be developed and modified so that these can run efficiently on bioliquids. At the same time, bioliquids will be upgraded and blended in order to facilitate their use in prime movers. Preliminary results with regard to bioliquid selection, production, and characterisation; the selection and modification of a micro gas turbine; and the development of engines and components are discussed. The research also covers NOx emission reduction and control and an assessment of the benefits and economics of bioliquids-based CHP systems in EU and Russian markets., Proceedings of the 18th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 3-7 May 2010, Lyon, France, pp. 1921-1925

Biomass obtained from olive pruning has been torrified at different conditions, namely at 180 - 280°C for 60 -120 min. , grinded with mill having sieve of 50 mesh (0.32 mm), and used as substrate in SHF experiments. The bioconversion has been carried out at flask scale using a mix of cellulosolytic, hemicellulosolitic and ß­glucosidase enzymes, and a commercial strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The comparison between the bioconversion yields achieved using grinded biomass or torrified + grinded biomass highlighted that: 1) Mild torrefaction conditions limit sugar degradation within 5-10 percent; 2) Torrified biomass do not lead to enzymatic and fermentation inhibition. How a torrefaction step could be integrated in an ethanol production process has been preliminary estimated, above all as regard the energy integration. The new developed concept has been patented., Proceedings of the 18th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 3-7 May 2010, Lyon, France, pp. 1560-1563