EU-South East Asia Workshop on 2nd Generation Biofuels
EU-Southeast Asia Expert Meeting on 2nd Generation Biofuels: Identifying Opportunities for Collaboration
September 8-9, 2009 – Bangkok, Thailand
September 10-11, 2009 – Hanoi, Vietnam
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The foreseeable depletion of fossil fuels and the necessity to curb greenhouse gas emissions has led to a sharpened focus on alternative, environmentally friendly energy sources such as biofuels. However, there has been mounting concern that conventional or 1st generation biofuels, such as those derived from sugar cane, corn and oil palm may in fact contribute to higher food prices due to their competition with food crops, and that their production may in fact contribute to energy price volatility. It is increasingly accepted that 1st generation biofuels are limited in their ability to achieve targets of oil product substitution, climate change mitigation and sustainable economic growth.
There is, as a result, a growing interest in developing biofuels produced from agricultural and forest residues as well as non-food biomass, and these include cellulosic ethanol, biomass-to-liquid (BTL), and algae oil. These so-called 2nd generation biofuels are in the emerging stages commercially but hold great promise in avoiding many of the concerns of 1st generation biofuels. And though many of the conversion pathways have been known for some time, there are still a number of technical and economic challenges to overcome.
Since the potential benefits of biofuels are global, international collaboration on research and development (R&D) is essential. With abundant biomass resources in Southeast Asia and state-of-the-art biomass-to-biofuel conversion technologies from the EU, this workshop strives to foster partnerships between SEA and EU researchers in the sustainable development of 2nd generation biofuels.
It will bring together scientific experts to identify opportunities for collaboration and to formconsortia to bid into the upcoming EU FP7 calls on 2nd generation biofuels. The highlights of the workshop will include ample opportunities for researchers to network and brainstorm potential collaborations, as well as presentations by leading EU and SEA researchers on the current status of 2nd generation biomass utilization, conversion technologies, and adaptation into existing transportation framework. In addition, a roundtable discussion will allow local researchers to present their work and further explore collaborations with other SEA and EU researchers.
The workshop is sponsored by SEA-EU-NET project and the British High Commission (Singapore), supported by the European Commission and the British Embassy (Thailand), and organized by the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and the National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC) of Thailand
SEA-EU-NET (www.sea-eu.net) is a project supported by the European Commission FP7 Framework Programme and 16 key S&T institutions in Southeast Asia and Europe. Its main objective is to increase the quality, quantity, profile, and impact of bi-regional S&T cooperation between EU and ASEAN member countries.
With depleting fossil fuel, alternative energy resource is of great demand. Conventional, or 1st generation, biofuel has been extensively utilised due to abundant availability, easy implementation and simple adaptation to existing infrastructure. Bioethanol is substituted for gasoline while biodiesel is substituted for diesel. However, first generation biofuel has faced limitation, especially with rising concern on food-vs-fuel issue around the world since biofuel feedstock shares the same need for food crop, such as sugar cane, corn, oil palm and soybean. Hence, 2nd generation biofuel has been developed for sustainable supply, affordable production and environmental benefit, ranging from cellulosic ethanol, biomass-to-liquid (BTL) to algae oil.
With abundant biomass resource in SEA and efficient biomass-to-biofuel conversion technology from EU, the EU-SEA partnership can help foster the sustainable development of 2nd generation biofuel to the full scale. With focus on biofuel for transportation, the workshop aims to establish a research network and update current status of biomass utilization, conversion technology and adaptation into existing transportation framework to interested stakeholders.
The workshop consists of the presentations of both EU and SEA leading researchers, followed by comments and discussions on the following topics.
- Biomass utilisation for 2nd generation biofuel
- Conversion technology for 2nd generation biofuel
- Utilisation and adaptation of 2nd generation biofuel
Expected outcome of the workshop is to establish research collaboration among EU and SEA researchers on the topic of 2nd generation biofuel. Apart from the workshop, EU speakers are encouraged to give a more interactive and specific lecture to local researchers to form up more concrete collaboration.
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