Speakers and contributions
Prof. A.T. Bell PhD, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Ca.
Co-chairman of a team that prepared “Basic research needs: catalysis for energy” a report from the U.S. Dept. of Energy, August 2007. This report shows developments in active and selective catalysts that are stable or regenerable to carry out chemical reactions in the most efficient, economical, and environmental responsible manner.
Dr. J-L. Duplan, IFP-Lyon, France. Production costs, poor well-to-wheel assessments and restricted land surface, due to competition with food crops, lead R&D work to find solutions to produce new biofuels from lignocellulosic matter. We will describe the existing industrial processes, discuss the possible improvements and present the new routes under development that will allow biofuels to gain a significant percentage of the diesel, gasoline and kerosene pools. Assessments indicate that the use of these automotive fuels of vegetable origin, especially those of second generation, yield definite benefits in terms of GHG emissions.
Ir. G.J. van Luijk, is chairman platform Chain Efficiency of the Energy Transition advisory Group.
He had a long career with Shell, was President of the executive board of the TU Delft. World demand for energy and feedstocks is expected to increase significantly in the next 40 years and in order to meet the sustainability goals and contain CO2 emissions it is necessary to follow three different, but coherent strategies. Firstly the introduction of energy efficient and effective processes and production/consumption chains. Secondly the switch to sustainable energy and feedstock sources. And thirdly, where necessary, carbon capturing and storage (CCS). New process concepts, incorporating chain efficiency, lifecycle concepts and C2C principles as well as new process technologies will be a critical success factor for each of these strategies .
Dr.ir. M. van Sint Annaland, associate professor, Fundamentals of Chemical Reaction Engineering, University of Twente.
Novel developments in reaction engineering on process integration and process intensification for improved energy efficiency and reduced anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Current trends highlighted with examples, such as fluidized bed and packed bed membrane reactors, reverse flow membrane reactors and reactors coupling endothermic and exothermic reactions.
Dr.ir. G. Meier, LyondellBasell, Frankfurt a.M., Germany.
Due to the continuous improvements in catalyst efficiency, process technology and product properties, the use of polyolefins have gone through a tremendous growth over the last decades. As an example the Spherizone process will be explained. Via this innovative reactor concept, improved products can be produced against lower production costs.
Ir. H.S. Feenstra, Energy Coordinator AkzoNobel Industrial Chemicals-Energy. A consortium of Akzo Nobel, Ingrepro, WUR/A&F and Essent is developing a “whole crop” biorefinery concept for algal systems, co-producing coating components, fuels and heat and electricity. Until now, focus has been either on biofuels or on very high value added food components.This project takes an integral approach. Novel methods for production, separation and conversion of coating components from algal systems will be developed.
Prof.dr.ir. L.A.M. van der Wielen, Dept. of Biotechnology, TU Delft; scientific director of B-Basic, the private-public consortium for Biobased Sustainable Industrial Chemistry. “Bio-energy” can become a serious contributor to the portfolio of long term solutions. Although biomass grows in a fairly democratic (distributed) manner, and the entry level seems relatively low, a next step towards a truly sustainable contribution needs major investments in a severely neglected agro/forestry-sector.
Issue 1 – the change is urgent and needs resources and time – the latter being determined by the combination of science & technology development, logistics as well as human aspects.
Issue 2 – we need a comprehensive strategy –taking the above into account- towards a biobased economy, with a reasonable and understandable trajectory. A necessary step is clarity on drivers for such a global biobased economy as well as its constraints and sustainability criteria.
Dr. F. Lippert, Research Chemical Engineering BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. In the growth cluster “Raw Material Change” BASF experts are engaged in identifying processes for the utilization of alternative fossil raw materials and renewable resources. They are evaluating these processes under technological, economical and ecological aspects. This presentation outlines a systematic methodological approach to evaluate and identify the products in BASF´s value chains which are the most attractive for a raw material change.
Dr. F.G.M. Niele, Shell Global Solutions, Amsterdam. The objective of the study presented was to develop a science-based contribution to the dialogue about Sustainable Development from an energy perspective. It revealed the Staircase of Energy Regimes as a conceptual model for the development of life and living. Sustainable development, at this juncture, is thought to have meaning at the scale of ‘system Earth’ in the first place. Consequently no single process or product can be sustainable in isolation. The implications of this notion for conversion technology development are historic: conversions should be designed within the context of optimising societal, or industrial, metabolisms as a whole.
