Workshop: Development of torrefaction technologies and impacts on global bioenergy use and international bioenergy trade

Torrefaction is an interesting pre-treatment technology for biomass before pelletisation and/or combustion. It is a thermo-chemical process for the upgrading of biomass that is usually run at temperatures ranging from 200 to more than 300°C under the exclusion of oxygen and at ambient pressure.

This workshop will give a comprehensive overview of fundamentals of torrefaction, the main advantages of and the challenges in producing torrefied biomass. Ongoing R&D activities will be shown, demonstration plants under construction or already in operation will be presented and the latest state-of-science in torrefaction will be discussed.

A major focus of the workshop will also be put on logistic aspects of torrefied biomass and the possible impacts on global international bioenergy trade. International biomass trade of e.g. wood pellets, ethanol or biodiesel has been growing strongly in the past decade, but is still relatively small compared to other commodities. While the technical biomass potential would in theory allow for much larger quantities to be utilized, in practice the use is hampered by a geographical mismatch of supply and demand, and associated high logistical costs. Torrefaction is a pre-treatment technology that may help to overcome this barrier as it might enable the use of so-far unutilized biomass potentials, and may thus play a pivotal role for the future growth of bioenergy trade.

• 13:30 Welcome address
  Martina Ammer, Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology, Vienna, Austria
• 13:35 Introduction
  Chairman: Jaap Koppejan, IEA Bioenergy Task 32, Enschede, The Netherlands
• 13:40 Task 40 overview of international developments in torrefaction
  Chris Kleinschmidt, KEMA, Arnhem, The Netherland
• 13:50 The ratio behind torrefaction: trade-off between additional investment & energy use vs. logistical & end-use advantages
  Michael Wild, EBES AG, Vienna, Austria
• 14:10 Fundamentals and basic principles of torrefaction
  Martin Englisch, ÖFI, Vienna, Austria
• 14:30 Pilot-scale biomass torrefaction - an extensive parametric study
  Anders Nordin, Umea University, Umea, Sweden
• 14:50 ECN's torrefaction-based BO2-technology - from pilot to demo
  Jaap Kiel, ECN, Petten, The Netherlands
• 15:10 Presentation of the Torrbed process
  Robin Post van der Burg, Topell, The Hague, The Netherlands
• 15:30 Presentation of the Torr Coal process
  Jan Brouwers, Torr Coal, Sittard, The Netherlands
• 15:50 Presentation of the ACB process
  Klaus Trattner, Andritz AG, Graz, Austria
• 16:10 Coffee break
• 16:30 Regional/global biomass potentials that are currently unutilized and that may be accessed through torrefaction
  Hubert Röder, Pöyry, Freising, Germany
• 16:50 Possibilities and bottlenecks for long-distance transport and storage of torrefied material
  Ger Ostermeijer, Peterson Control Union Group, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
• 17:10 Case study: exports of torrefied and non-torrefied biomass from a Latin American country to Rotterdam Comparison of costs and GHG emissions
  Andre Faaij, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
• 17:30 Torrefaction from the view of a large end-user
  Jan de Jong, Essent, The Netherlands (invited)
• 17:50 Closing

Chairman: Martin Junginger, IEA Bioenergy Task 40, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Lukas Kranzl (Task 40)
Tel: +43 (1) 58801 37351
E-Mail: kranzl@eeg.tuwien.ac.at

Martin Junginger (Task 40)
Tel: +31 (30) 2537613
E-Mail: H.M.Junginger@uu.nl

Jaap Koppejan (Task 32)
Tel: +31 (53) 711 2519
E-Mail: jaapkoppejan@procede.nl