2008 Press Releases
11.09.2008
University College Cork (UCC) is honoured to host The International Energy Agency (IEA) at a Symposium on Tuesday next, September 16th in G19, Kane Building, UCC.
The top expertise in biofuel technology and policy from 15 OECD countries including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany and the USA will present their viewpoints on biofuels. Numerous biofuel systems will be discussed including first and second generation bioethanol, biodiesel and biomethane. Feed-stocks from tropical countries will be compared with feed-stocks from temperate Northern European Climates.
The symposium will be divided into sessions that will include:
- Biofuel policy and practice in different countries;
- Producers of first and second generation biofuels;
- Potential for biofuels in Northern Europe;
- The Biofuel Debate.
The Symposium will be chaired by Dr Jerry D. Murphy of UCC and Professor Jack Saddler (University of British Columbia). The delegates will be an invited audience from Irish Government Departments & Agencies; Local Government; Academia; and the Biofuel and Transport Industry.
The policy and practice session will include contributions from Professor Axel Munack (Institute of Agricultural Technology and Biosystems Engineering, Germany) and Dr Les Edye (Queensland University of Technology).
One of the sessions will be geared toward present potential production of biofuel in Ireland through examination of the role of the farmer, the role of biotechnology in increasing yield of feedstock, the role of residues in removing food from biofuels. This session will finish with a presentation from Tony Sidwell (British Sugar) of his experience with a large scale sugar beet ethanol plant in the UK.
A case study of a second generation bioethanol plant from straw in Denmark will be presented by Michael Perrson, VP of Inbicon. Dr James MacMillian of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado will present an overview of second generation biofuel technology and of how far from commercial development we are.
The final session is a debate/discussion on how biofuel can (or can not) co-exist with food production. The debate will be preceded by an alternative view point on the food fuel debate by Don O'Connor (President of S&T2, Canada). An hour is set aside for a structured analysis of key issues associated with biofuel policy, practice and technology.
Academic Leader of the Symposium is Dr Jerry D Murphy, Lecturer in Transportation Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UCC and Principal Investigator in Bioenergy and Biofuels in the Environmental Research Institute (ERI).
All enquiries should be addressed to Ms Mary McCarthy-Buckley/Ms
Deirdre Crone, Symposium Secretariat, Tel 021 4903363/4903178, e-mail
IEABio2008@ucc.ie
Picture: Dr Jerry Murphy, Academic Leader of the Symposium
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