Workshop on Advanced Biorefinery Concepts and Technologies

The production of fuels for transport and – to a lesser extent – of power and heat from biomass is still more expensive than from fossil resources. The economics and ecological benefits of biomass processing can be improved via the biorefinery approach i.e. the sustainable processing of biomass into multiple products that are separately marketable. The overall goal of the Integrated Project BIOSYNERGY (2007-2010) is to develop sound techno-economic processes (from lab-scale to demonstration at pilot-scale) for integrated production of fuels, chemicals, power and heat from lignocellulosic biomass. The aim is to develop integrated, synergetic biorefinery concepts, using advanced fractionation and conversion processes, and combining biochemical and thermochemical pathways. The project is performed by a consortium comprising 17 partners from industry, research institutes and universities from 10 EU countries and is supported by the European Commission through its Sixth Framework Programme.
A major project objective is to produce a basic design for an integrated lignocellulose biorefinery based on the cellulose ethanol demonstration plant of Abengoa Bioenergy in Salamanca, Spain. The demo plant is in the commissioning phase and has a capacity to produce 5 Million Litres of ethanol per year from straw. Furthermore the project will identify the most promising biorefinery chains for Europe based on energy efficiency, environmental performance, socio-economic aspects and costs. More info at: http://www.biosynergy.eu(opens in new window) and http://p30322.typo3server.info/(opens in new window)