Workshop 2023 Urban biorefineries: myth or reality?
The concept of urban biorefinery arises from the need to recover for the productive fabric the materials contained in urban waste sources of biogenic origin (organic fraction of urban solid waste, surplus biomass from parks and gardens and domestic wastewater) in the form of bioproducts and bioenergy. This requires the integration of different innovative technologies in order to create new value chains and increase the added value of waste management.
Today, these integrated complexes are at a low stage of technological development and there are still a large number of barriers to be overcome before they become a commercial reality. However, the ambitious targets proposed by the EU in terms of greenhouse gas emission reduction and energy independence should be an important driving force for the development of the biorefinery concept and for it to play an important role in the transition towards a more sustainable Europe.
This Workshop will analyse the practical application of the urban biorefinery concept, through the participation of companies from sectors linked to the valorisation of these biowastes in the framework of the Circular Economy. It will also be a forum in which the researchers of the BIOTRES network will show the results most likely to be scaled up after four years of joint work in this field and future challenges for the continuation of the research network will be discussed.
PROGRAMME
9.45 Inauguration
D. Santiago Gomez Ruiz. Academic Director of International Research Promotion. Vice-rectorate for Research, Innovation and Transfer.
Mr. Juan Antonio Melero Hernández. Professor of Chemical Engineering and general coordinator of BIOTRES.10:00-11:30 BLOCK 1: Technologies developed in the framework of the BIOTRES network
Lecture 1. Emerging treatments for the fragmentation of lignocellulosic biomass. José Miguel Campos Martín. Research Scientist at the Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry (CSIC).
Catalytic pyrolysis of biowaste. Patricia Pizarro de Oro. Senior Researcher at IMDEA Energía.
Material and energetic valorisation of biomass waste by hydrothermal treatment. Angel Fernández Mohedano. Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Autonomous University of Madrid.
Biorefinery of purple phototrophic bacteria for the production of high added value compounds from organic urban waste. Daniel Puyol Santos. Ramón y Cajal Researcher at the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid.
Use of biomass and CO2 valorisation by electrochemical means. Juan Ramón Avilés Moreno. Assistant Doctor of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
Municipal green waste as raw material for the production of lactic acid. Ignacio Ballesteros Perdices. Senior Researcher at CIEMAT.
Talk 7. The importance of techno-economic and environmental analysis in the development of future biorefineries. Mario Martín Gamboa. Postdoctoral researcher at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos de Madrid.
Discussion and debate
Moderator: Mr. Juan Antonio Melero Hernández. Professor of Chemical Engineering and general coordinator of BIOTRES.
11:30-12:00 Coffee Break
12:00-13:30 BLOCK II: Round table with companies. Theme “Biorefineries: Myth or Reality”.
AQUALIA. Patricia Zamora. Head of Innovation and Technology Projects.
FCC. María Paula Marozzi. Head of R&D Projects.
REPSOL. Vicente Bernal. Senior Scientist, Technology Lab.
PERSEO BIOTECHNOLOGY. Caterina Coll. CEO.
Moderator: Juan Romero Luis. Predoctoral Researcher, Cyberimaginary Group, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos.13:30-14:00 BLOCK III: Informative contents of the BIOTRES network.
Mario Rajas Fernández. Professor of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos de Madrid.
Alejandro Carbonell-Alcocer. Pre-doctoral researcher, Cyberimaginary Group, Rey Juan Carlos University.14:00-14:30 BLOCK IV: Future plans of the BIOTRES network
Future plans for the BIOTRES network. Juan Antonio Melero Hernández. Professor of Chemical Engineering and general coordinator of BIOTRES.
14:30 Conclusions of the conference and closing session.
