Highlights of a Highly Successful Conference: tcbiomass2009

“The technical papers and presentations were top quality…tcbiomass2009 was an excellent use of my time and travel budget.” This is just one of many glowing comments received following the 2009 International Conference on Thermochemical Conversion Science, September 16-18 at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers in downtown Chicago.

The conference focused on new research in thermochemical biomass conversion and was co-sponsored by GTI, the U.S. Department of Energy, Natural Resources Canada, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, IEA BioEnergy, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Chemical Society, and Biomass Magazine. Twenty-six presentations and 48 posters showcased research in gasification, pyrolysis, and upgrading of pyrolysis oil. Conference co-chairs were GTI’s Vann Bush and DG TREN’s Kyriakos Maniatis.

Who attended? Nearly 250 participated in this unique event. They came from 22 countries and 130 organizations and included government policymakers, senior experts and young researchers from major corporations and entrepreneurial startups, professors and student researchers in academia, and plant operators. This diversity provided an energetic and engaging meeting.

Three Keynote Speakers set the tone.

• Valri Lightner, Technology Deployment Lead for the Biomass Program at the U.S. Department of Energy spoke on the conference’s opening day, Wednesday, September 16. Valri presented her vision for the role of thermochemical conversion in the U.S. for biomass utilization.
• On Thursday, Jim Frederick, Thermochemical Program Lead for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), discussed NREL’s vision of advanced transportation fuels via gasification and pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass.
• Friday’s Keynote was delivered by Ralph Overend, former NREL Research Fellow, presented a summary of bioenergy in Canada and a global opportunity for biomass.

Daily presentation highlights:
Wednesday’s program was devoted to new R&D on biomass conversion through gasification. Suresh Babu, consultant to GTI, and Reinhard Rauch, Vienna University of Technology, chaired the sessions. Topics presented include new research in tar reforming, tar reforming catalysts, a comparison of biomass gasification processing alternatives, black liquor gasification, and the technoeconomics of mixed alcohol production via gasification. Following the presentations, a gasification panel discussion led by Suresh Babu featured gasification experts from GTI, NREL, Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands, Catchlight Energy, Chemrec, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Vienna University of Technology and Carbona, Inc.

On Thursday, the focus was new R&D on biomass conversion through pyrolysis. Program chairs for this session were John Scahill, U.S. Department of Energy, and Robert Brown, Iowa State University. Topics included LCA (life cycle analysis) of pyrolysis, characterization of fast pyrolysis oil, biocarbon production through pyrolysis, and mobile pyrolyzers. A pyrolysis panel discussion, led by John Scahill, included experts from Aston University, the Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute, Metso Power, Envergent, Pytech, the USDA, the USDOE, and the University of Western Ontario.

Dedicated poster sessions on Wednesday and Thursday gave presenters the opportunity to describe their research projects in candid, face-to-face group discussions. Posters displayed new R&D in gasification, pyrolysis, and upgrading. These sessions were well-attended, interactive, and lively.

On Friday, presentations covered new research on the upgrading of pyrolysis oil and torrefaction—a form of mild pyrolysis. This session was chaired by Doug Elliott of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Topics included upgrading pyrolysis oil to gasoline and diesel, upgrading pyrolysis oils to feedstocks suitable for refineries, integrated hydropyrolysis and hydroconversion to make gasoline and diesel, upgrading lignin, and torrefaction. A pyrolysis/oil upgrading panel discussion, led by Doug Elliott, centered around upgrading experts from PNNL, Mississippi State University, NREL, BIOCOUP, and KiOR.

Following the close of the conference sessions, delegates were transported to GTI, where they toured selected GTI laboratories, including GTI’s Henry R. Linden Flex-Fuel Test Facility, which evaluates innovative gasification processes with a 40 t/day gasifier, and GTI’s Gas Processing and Hot Gas Cleanup laboratories.

Award Ceremony. Another highlight of the conference was the presentation of the Don Klass award to Tony Bridgwater of Aston University for Excellence in Thermochemical Conversion Science. (Donald L. Klass was president of the Biomass Energy Research Association (BERA) and one of its original founders in 1982. He also managed biomass, natural gas, and petroleum research and educational programs for the Institute of Gas Technology—now part of GTI—and established the Energy From Biomass and Wastes conferences, held annually for 16 years.)