BTLtec 2008

Last call to register for 3rd BTLtec (Biomass to Liquids) 2008

admin — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:20:16 +0000

Only few days to go until the much awaited 3rd BTLtec 2008 forum take place.

If you have not done so yet, now is the time to register for the most comprehensive biomass to liquids event featuring international industry pioneers and over 20 expert speakers.

In fact, we are proud to announce that Dr. Mark A. Dietenberger, Research General Engineer of US Forest Service has been roped in as new addition to our invited expert speakers’ line-up at BTLtec 2008.

Dr. Dietenberger is expected to shed some insights on outlook and prospects of BTL for the US Forestry Industry in relation to the FPL initiative.

Established in 1910, the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) research concentrates on pulp and paper products, housing and structural uses of wood, wood preservation, wood and fungi identification, and finishing and restoration of wood products.

As for now, investing in stand-alone BTL facilities in the US are still not very attractive to the forest products industry because of limited integration potential with their wood or pulp mills, as well as their low-value and low-productivity products such as mixed alcohols or fast pyrolysis bio-oil that also lack long-term market viability. To meet the need for BTL guidance, the FPL is undertaking business case studies to evaluate (1) wood/paper mills that utilize the steam, power, and off-gas fuel for kilns from the biomass gasification to liquid fuel conversion facility that in turn utilizes discarded debris from the mills, and (2) ethanol bioconversion of hemi-cellulose separated from the woody chips prior to pulping in a paper mill.

Don’t delay! Register to attend BTLtec 2008 today and come away with invaluable knowledge bank that you can implement in your own organization.

Registration is Euro1195 and can be made at http://www.btltec.com/btl/attend/register-for-btltec/ or by calling us at 65 6345 7322. Seating is limited. Please contact us with any questions or for further information. We hope to see you there!

Yours Sincerely,

Program Director
Centre for Management Technology

PS: Be at the forefront to capture the latest updates and network with experts in the BTL business! Register for BTLtec 2008 NOW!

Speaker Profile: Anders Lewald, Head of Energy, Swedish National Energy Agency

admin — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:06:59 +0000

Anders Lewald is head of unit at the Swedish Energy Agency since 1998 with responsibilities for research and develpoment financing in the transport sector. He has also has long experience in energy efficiency development and policy instruments in all end use sectors. He has a Technology Licentiate exam in Energy Systems from 1990 and a Master of Sience in Fysics from 1987.

BTLtec 2008 Göteborg Speaker
Day 1 - Monday, 13 October
09:00 FUTURE DIRECTIONS OF SUSTAINABLE BIOMASS CONVERSION IN SWEDEN & FINANCING CONSIDERATIONS

3rd BTLtec 2008 is an authoritative platform for all the latest trends and shifts occurring in the Biomass to Liquids industry. 3rd BTLtec 2008 will showcase key experts who are already in the field, technology companies, researchers and investors from all over the world, presenting new perspectives on the latest technology advancements, new capabilities and improved BTL economics. To find out more about BTLtec 2008 in Goteborg from 13 to 14 October 2008, please visit http://www.btltec.com/btl/.

Speaker Profile: Sami Kokki, Research & Devt Engineer, Foster Wheeler Energia Oy

admin — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:34:48 +0000

Sami Kokki has Master’s degree in Energy Technology. He graduated at Lappeenranta University of technology in 2002. Currently he works for Foster Wheeler Energia Oy at the Varkaus Office in Finland. He is a Research and Development Engineer in the field of gasification process development.

Currently he is involved in BTL test plant project, which is based on biomass gasification and syngas ultra clean-up process.

BTLtec 2008 Göteborg Speaker
Day 2 - Tuesday, 14 October
08:40 DEVELOPMENTS IN BIOMASS GASIFICATION TECHNOLOGY FOR THE BTL INDUSTRY

Commercial Biomass-to-Liquids production projected to begin in 2015 - BTL Webcast addressed Issues.

admin — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 08:00:19 +0000

The “Developing Sustainable Feedstock for BTL Projects” webcast went live on 17 September at 10AM GMT to an audience of 103 participants from all over the world. Released in line with the 3rd BTLtec conference on 13-14 October in Goteborg - SWEDEN, the webcast aimed to provide listeners with a foretaste of the insights that they will be able to access at the conference.

Featuring insights from Dr. Sune Bengtsson, Dr. Anders Baudin and Dr. Marc Londo, key experts on the 3rd BTLtec summit’s panel, the webcast provided an insightful and in-depth view into the future of the BTL industry and the importance of BTL in meeting European and Global Energy needs.

The webcast swung into high gear with a focused discussion on the commercialization prospects for BTL. All three speakers agreed that first generation of BTL is already available, in terms of ethanol and Rape Methyl Ester (RME), and the markets for these products are growing.

Dr. Bengtsson added that the 5.75% target set by the EU for 2010 does not look achievable because the development of 2nd generation BTL fuel isn’t moving ahead as planned.

Dr. Marc Londo summed it up with a touch of humour when he described the commercial introduction of BTL as a ‘moving target I wish will stop moving’ but the general consensus among the optimistic panellists was that commercialisation for 2nd Generation BTL will be reached in 2015.

The discussion then touched on the new capabilities and advancements in the BTL industry. The latest developments in the industry were remarked on; Dr. Bengtsson and Dr. Baudin referred to the Chemrec & Volvo pilot plant for DME production from a 2MW Black Liquor Gassification plant in Piteå, Sweden as an important milestone. Dr. Londo went on to identify Choren’s “SIGMA” BTL Plant development project as a major industry landmark.

All three however agreed that the major barrier to the development of BTL still remains the extremely high cost of the initial investment.

The discussion moved on to zoom into the issue of feedstocks for the BTL industry. While all three speakers agreed that the forestry industry can supply the required feedstock for the short and medium term demand, Dr. Londo cautioned that idea of a long-term alternative feedstock for BTL needs careful evaluation, especially if the industry moves to adopt agricultural lingo-cellulosic feedstocks to meet the rapidly increasing demand for BTL fuels.

As the discussion shifted to cover the EU’s views on BTL, Dr. Londo started the ball rolling with his comment that the EU Vision and directives for BTL were not clear and the target setting was still under development.

Dr. Londo did however compliment the EU strategy of setting up a biofuels technology platform to encourage the development of 2nd generation biofuels and BioEnergy. However, the need for BTL technologies to reach commercialisation is especially critical as competition from other options like Jatropha, renewable hydrogen and electric fuel cell are also rapidly hurtling towards commercialisation.

As Dr. Anders Baudin said, “BTL is not THE solution but part of the solution to make our world a better place” thus summing up the speakers’ sentiments on the importance and future of Biomass-to-Liquids in the future, and nicely rounding off the discussion and setting the stage for the Question & Answer Session.

The Question & Answer session allowed for listeners to pose their questions to the three panellists via real time submission. Questions came from all over the world as listeners clarified and debated their doubts on a number of key issues incuding:-

The point of Maturation for the BTL industry
EU’s sustainable biofuels criterion
Role of BTL in the new biofuels criteria identified by the EU
If Algae Biomass can be a viable feedstock for BTL
Converting existing bio-refineries to produce 2nd generation BTL biofuels
The expansion of the forestry industry for biofuel feedstock.
The feasibility of Jatropha as a feedstock for Biofuels and even BTL.

To sum up, the webinar not only afforded an excellent overview and summary of the latest developments in BTL, but also became an excellent learning platform for those seeking insights into what’s really important in the BTL industry today and the long term outlook for current and future BTL projects.

If you missed the webcast on Sept 17th, you can still listen to the webcast recording. Visit http://www.btltec.com/webcast/ for immediate access or simply enter your first name and primary email address in the form below.

>>Register for 3rd BTLtec 2008 today

>>Download the Brochure

>>Explore the Conference Schedule

Webcast Examines Long-term Outlook of BTL and Uncovers Challenges in Developing Viable Feedstock for BTL Projects

admin — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 03:56:16 +0000

Wednesday, Sept 17, 2008
10am GMT / 6pm Singapore

In line with BTLtec 2008’s commitment towards bringing the best expertise to discuss and analyze the biomass energy industry, CMT has decided to open the lines for dialogue between YOU and our Experts.
We are happy to announce our first Web seminar, “Developing Sustainable Feedstock for BTL Projects.”

The webcast is a hands-on discovery session dedicated to creating greater clarity around you and your BTL investment.

In this webcast or online seminar, you’ll have an opportunity to:

Hear from and interact with Marc Londo , who is one of the experts speaking at BTLtec 2008.
Have YOUR questions answered directly by our panelists.
Ask questions and learn more about the long term outlook for BTL.

Debate and Analyze the issues that undermine BTL sustainability.

Register now and listen in to the live online discussion for FREE.

About the Panelists

Marc Londo
Marc Londo works as scientific researcher at ECN since 2005. His main field of interest is biomass energy, with a project portfolio focusing on application in fuels, electricity as well as heat. He is project leader of REFUEL and Elobio, two projects under Intelligent Energy Europe. REFUEL develops an EU road map for biofuels; Elobio develops biofuels policies with reduced impacts on agricultural commodity markets.

Marc also leads a review study for IEA Bioenergy dedicated to policy makers. He participated in an assessment study of global potentials for sustainable biomass for energy for the Dutch government. He will be talking briefly about the theme of the webcast, “Developing Sustainable Feedstock for BTL projects” following which, he will very kindly address YOUR questions.

Sune Bengtsson
Sune Bengtsson is since 2004 with Växjö University as co-ordinator for the CHRISGAS project and was until 2008 managing director of and is now a board member of the VVBGC Company.

Before this he has over 20 years of work experience within the area of R&D and technology working for ABB Fläkt and ALSTOM Power – i.e. for the development of processes and environmental plants in the area flue gas cleaning.

Anders Baudin
Anders Baudin has wide experience in research and consultancy on European timber trends, studies on end use of forestry resources, European Forest Sector Outlook Studies etc. He has written many literatures on modelling & forecasting demand for forestry products, supply & trade for Sweden & Europe in general. His recent contribution was on the Socio-Economic Effects of a Bio-DME Plant in Växjö CHRIGAS, WP 16, Report no D133

All panellists will be talking briefly about the theme of the webcast, “Developing Sustainable Feedstock for BTL Projects” following which, they will very kindly address YOUR questions.

Pose YOUR Questions Directly to our Panelists

The main thrust of this webcast is for YOU to ask questions and have them answered by our expert speaker. Sending in your questions early will ensure that:

Your questions will be answered and discussed.
Your questions will set the course for the direction of the web seminar to deliver. information that YOU want to hear.
If you are unable to send in your questions beforehand, we also have an option for you to address your questions directly to our panel during our live Q&A session during the webinar.

So don’t forget to tune in on Wednesday, Sept 17 at 10am GMT or equivalent times below:

12pm Willemstad (Netherlands - Netherlands Antilles)
3.30pm Mumbai (India - Maharashtra)
6pm Singapore
6am US EST

To register for this authoritative webcast, simply enter your first name and primary email address in the form below!

To Your Success with BTL,

Liming
Program Director
Centre for Management Technology

Speaker Profile: Harri Turpeinen, Vice President, Corporate Stakeholder Relations, Neste Oil Corporation

admin — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:34:15 +0000

Harri Turpeinen graduated from the University of Oulu with a degree in organic chemistry. He has worked with Neste Oil as a research engineer, as a marketing manager in the coal business, as a Vice President in charge of the bitumen business and as a Vice President in charge of the oil specialities business group (bitumen, solvents, lubricants and base oils). Between 1997 and July 2007 Harri was responsible Research and Technology function and now he is responsible on the stakeholder management issues of the corporation.

BTLtec 2008 Göteborg Speaker
Day 1 - Monday, 13 October
14:00 ROUND TABLE FORUM OF BTL PLAYERS

Speaker Profile: Pekka Jokela, Manager, Bioenergy, UPM-Kymmene Corporation

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:18:39 +0000

Pekka Jokela has Master’s degree in Energy Economics and Power Plant Technologies. Mr Jokela has over 15 years experience in novel biomass processing technologies including biomass drying, pyrolysis and gasification. Experience has been gained through evaluation, demonstration and piloting activities.
Currently Mr Jokela is working for UPM-Kymmene Corporation in the department of New Businesses and Biofuels Department as Technology Manager.

BTLtec 2008 Göteborg Speaker
Day 1 - Monday, 13 October
10:00 BIOFUELS IN PULP AND PAPER ENVIRONMENT

Speaker Profile: Dr. Tech. Marita Veringa Niemelä, Vice President Biofuels, Pöyry

admin — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:57:49 +0000

Marita Veringa Niemelä holds a Dr. Tech. degree from Helsinki University of Technology. She works presently as a Vice President Biofuels in Pöyry Chemical Industry in Vantaa, Finland. Dr. Tech. Marita Veringa Niemelä has approx. 20 years of experience in Industrial Chemistry, majoring in Catalysis. Her specialization includes development of fuels and chemicals related catalytic processes, and in particular for the FT synthesis step in the GTL/BTL processes. She has experience also in the development of environmentally benign products and processes as well as greenhouse gas mitigation.

BTLtec 2008 Göteborg Speaker
Day 2 - Tuesday, 14 October
09:10 BIOREFINERY CONCEPTS - CHALLENGES IN INTEGRATED PRODUCTION

Speaker Profile: Derek Atkinson, Business Development Director, Oxford Catalysts Ltd

admin — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:47:11 +0000

Derek Atkinson is a Business Development Director at Oxford Catalysts, a catalyst technology development company located in Milton Park, Oxfordshire, UK. He is responsible for Oxford Catalysts’s carbide technology platform, specifically its application in F-T and hydroprocessing. He has a degree in Chemistry and Polymer Science Technology from Loughborough University of Technology. He held many global sales and marketing positions during his 17 years at Grace Davison, where among other things, he was the key driver in Grace Davison for the initiation and early development work on silica and alumina based supports for Fischer-Tropsch.

BTLtec 2008 Göteborg Speaker
Day 1 - Monday, 13 October
17:10 CATALYTIC SOLUTIONS FOR SMALL SCALE FUEL PRODUCTION FROM DISTRIBUTED BIOMASS

Important Travel Information for VVBGC Site Visit!

admin — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:54:39 +0000

Keen on attending the optional VVBGC site visit on the 14th of October but concerned about catching your next flight out of Sweden? Please read on …

There are a few train connections between Varnamo and the Copenhagen Kastrup Airport that you can select to suit your travelling plan. The railway station in Varnamo is only about 15 minutes’ drive from the VVBGC facility.

Train schedule between Varnamo Train Station and Kastrup Airport are:

LEAVE VARNAMO                         ARRIVE KASTRUP
       16:27                                            19:23
       16:54                                            19:43
       17:57                                            20:43

So don’t miss out on this opportunity to tour a Biomass gasification plant. Participate in the lively discussion during the visit where you can pose your questions to our site host and get first hand accounts on plant management issues.