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Written by Anna Strom
Friday, 26 February 2010 13:37
Large-scale biorefinery at Bio4Energy industrial partner Domsjö Fabriker, at Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. Photo by courtesy of Domsjö Fabriker. Bio4Energy has seven research platforms, each of which corresponds to a link in the biorefinery value chain. Bio4Energy is a research environment that develops methods and tools for operating the biorefinery value chain from A to Z. There are five "process" platforms. Their members work to provide science to ensure that all steps of that chain may be run in an economically, environmentally and a socially sustainable way. In addition, there is one Process Integration Platform that serves to link up the work carried out across the others, and one Environmental Platform to check that Bio4Energy's credentials are as "green" as they are claimed to be. Bio4Energy notably aims to align its operations on sustainability criteria set out under the European Union's 2009 renewable energy directive. As far as possible, these efforts should pave the way for Bio4Energy's industrial partners to design products that are energy efficient and emit no or a minimum of noxious emissions, including no or low climate-change inducing and toxic output. The feedstock in all processes developed by Bio4Energy is sourced from forests and not from biomass which might be used for food production. Biofuels and other products developed by Bio4Energy are second generation or more advanced. In Bio4Energy platform leaders and their closest helpers are called principal investigators. These PIs will be listed under their respective platforms. Feedstock Platform Forest growth – a northern resource. The research in the Bio4Energy Feedstock Platform aims at: Increasing the quantity and quality of plant biomass and; Developing efficient processes for conversion of biomass to valuable products and energy. Platform leader is Björn Sundberg at the Umeå Plant Science Centre and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, both Sweden. Pre-treatment and fractionation $pretreatment_fractionation_600$ Leading technologies provide well-defined, fractionated biomass for further upgrading The Bio4Energy Pretreatment and Fractionation Platform is a leader in the area of research on: Maximally prepared biomass sourced from forests or organic waste and; The use of tree cell wall polymers as raw material for producing electrictiy, heat, biofuels and higher value-added co-products, employing biorefinery methods. Platform leader is Kristiina Oksman of Luleå University of Technology, in northern Sweden. Thermochemical Development of thermal technologies based on gasification and combustion. Researchers on the Bio4Energy Thermochemical Platform have set out to develop a complete set of experimentally validated sub-models that can be combined in different ways to predict all technologically important processes for thermal conversion of biomass, including reactions with containment materials. Platform leader is Rikard Gebart, of the Energy Technology Centre at Piteå, in northern Sweden, and of Luleå University of Technology. Biochemical platform Development of novel biocatalysts and bioprocesses On Bio4Energy's Biochemical Platform researchers develop new biocatalysts and bioprocesses designed for efficient conversion of lignocellulose into commodities such as second-generation biofuels, "green" chemicals and bio-based materials. Platform leader is Leif Jönsson of Umeå University. Catalysis and Separation Platform The Bio4Energy Catalysis and Separation Platform is at the helm of a world-leading centre for fundamental research on novel integrated catalysis and separation processes designed for lignocellulosics-based biorefinery. The research is highly multidisciplinary encompassing catalysis, materials development and integrated separation processes. Platform leader is Jonas Hedlund of Luleå University of Technology. Process Integration Platform The Bio4Energy Process Integration Platform provides systematic and general methods for designing integrated production systems, ranging from individual processes to total sites, to aid in the development of effective biorefinery concepts. There is a special special emphasis on energy and resource efficiency. Platform leader is Jan Dahl, who is seconded by Joakim Lundgren, both of of Luleå University of Technology. Environmental Platform Make waste products and surplus of energy useful for other processes. The Bio4Energy Environmental Platform has set out to create an environmentally sound and a sustainable biorefinery processes which should operate with high energy efficiency and a minimum of environmental pollutants and waste products. Platform leader is Stellan Marklund of Umeå University.