Free webinar addresses agricultural biomass in bioenergy production

A free webinar, looking at the role of government incentives and supporting policies in advancing the use of agricultural biomass for bioenergy production, will be offered Wednesday, Oct. 20 from 10:30 a.m. to noon EST.

The presentation is being offered by Biomass Canada, the Biomass and Bioenergy Research Group and BiofuelNet Canada. Speakers include Murray McLaughlin, president of McLaughlin Consultants and an adviser to the agriculture and forestry industries with a focus on the bioeconomy; Neil Harrison, director of re:heat in the U.K.; and Louis Krogh Johnson, business and development manager of the Food & Bio Cluster Denmark.

McLaughlin will share his decades of experience on how the agriculture biomass industry can build in Canada. Harrison and Johnson will share their insights on the impact of incentives and policies on the use of agricultural biomass for heat and power production in their countries.

There are many uses for heat on farms and in other agriculture and agri-food businesses – from space heating in rural households and buildings, machinery shops, poultry and swine production, and horticulture (greenhouses and nurseries), to feed and grain drying. Process heat in the form of steam and hot water is also used to ensure the maximum quality of food and beverage products and to adhere to strict regulations for food safety. The biofuel industry also uses process heat to produce biofuels such as ethanol, and pre-treat/refine feedstocks such as animal fats, used cooking oil and oilseeds for biodiesel, renewable diesel and biojet production.

Globally, using bioheat from locally produced forest and agricultural biomass has been at the forefront of decreasing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with agriculture and agri-food processes and biofuel production. This has largely been accomplished through the adoption of biomass boilers and the rise of anaerobic digestion on farms. There are many successful installations of boilers using local biomass resources to produce heat in modern combustion systems in Europe. As of June 2020, the AgroBioHeat consortium has identified 126 agrobiomass heating facilities throughout Europe.

Government incentives and supporting policies in some of the European countries have proven to be a key component in encouraging the use of agricultural biomass for bioenergy production.

To register for the free webinar, click here.

To view the speakers’ topics and bios, click Webinar.