BIOENERGY AUSTRALIA WEBINAR SERIES

BA Webinar: IEA Bioenergy Task 37 -  The role of renewable gas in decarbonisation and current status of biomethane frameworks in IEA Bioenergy member countries

Decarbonisation is about so much more than electricity which only accounts for about 20% of final energy demand. We must make decisions informed by scientists and engineers and implemented through policy as to what technologies and roadmaps will be employed to decarbonise the hard to abate sectors including: heavy transport; high temperature industrial heat; agriculture; fertiliser and chemical production. When it is considered that at present in the EU and the US the natural gas grid provides more energy than the electricity grid, it cannot be seen as a sensible process to abandon such infrastructure and start again, not with the imminent climate emergency and the need to act fast. 

The existing natural gas infrastructure is very extensive in many industrialised countries and rather  than be viewed as  a future redundancy associated with a fossil fuel system, it could instead be seen as offering huge benefits for green renewable gas as a future decarbonised energy carrier. The whole natural gas infrastructure system was put in place at huge cost and includes for an extensive transport system of transmission and distribution pipes and connections to industries and homes. Within specific industries gas boilers, CHP units and associated systems are in place to provide the necessary ingredients and energy provision for end products that range from ammonia to whiskey.

Renewable gas technologies include biogas and biomethane from wet organic material, syn-gas from dry woody material and hydrogen from electricity. Power to gas includes initially hydrogen production via electrolysis but also further processing to renewable methane via the Sabatier Process (4H2 + CO2 = CH4 + 2H2O). The source of the carbon dioxide can be from for example the food and beverage industry and include reducing the carbon footprint of industry. Electro-fuels can convert hydrogen to liquid fuels such as methanol (CH3OH) and fertiliser such as ammonia (NH3). Production of renewable gases tend to be part  of broader circular economy systems which impact not only the energy sector but have a role in environmental protection, waste management, facilitation of intermittent renewable energy systems and act as biological batteries.

Register for this interactive Bioenergy Australia live webinar where you will hear from some of the world’s leaders on the potential roles for green gases in decarbonising a range of sectors. The presentation also addresses major highlights of a survey within countries participating in IEA Bioenergy on the current status of biomethane frameworks and provides recommendations for a successful sector development. The technology of biomethane provision is mature given more than 500 applications only in Europe. However, as long international framework conditions for the greenhouse gas emission reduction are given, every nation implements more or less successful support schemes for the implementation of renewable energy in general and for biomethane in particular. 

Agenda

Welcome
Georgina Greenland, National Manager, Industry Development & Advocacy Bioenergy Australia
Professor Bernadette McCabe, University of Southern Queensland, Australian National Team Leader IEA Bioenergy Task 37

The potential role of renewable gas in decarbonisation 
Dr David Wall University College Cork, Ireland and IEA Bioenergy Task 37 co-lead for Ireland
Professor Jerry Murphy, University College Cork, Ireland and IEA Bioenergy Task 37 leader

Biomethane – status and framework conditions – results of a survey 
Dr.-Ing Jan Liebetrau, Rytec GmbH Germany and IEA Bioenergy Task 37 lead for Germany

Q&A 
Panel session moderated by Professor Bernadette McCabe, University of Southern Queensland, Australian National Team Leader IEA Bioenergy Task 37 

Cost
Bioenergy Australia Members: FREE
Non-Members: FREE

Speakers

Dr David Wall is Lecturer for Transportation Engineering in the School of Engineering and Architecture in University College Cork. David has obtained a MSc in Biosystems Engineering from Michigan State University and a PhD in Energy Engineering from University College Cork. David is a Funded Investigator in the SFI-funded MaREI Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine. He specialises on the topic of Advanced Fuels and the Circular Economy and has secured over €1M in previous grant funding He has published ca. 35 peer reviewed journal papers on renewable gas systems (h-index of 24). David co-represents Ireland for the International Energy Agency Bioenergy Task 37 on Biogas. 

Professor Jerry Murphy is Director of the SFI MaREI Centre for energy, climate and marine (which has over 250 researchers), Professor of Civil Engineering in University College Cork and leads the Biogas Task of the International Energy Agency Bioenergy. He was awarded the Engineers Ireland Excellence Award (2015) for best paper/presentation, The Marine Industry Award for Excellence in Marine Research (2017), an adjunct professorship in University of Southern Queensland (2018), a fellowship of the Irish Academy of Engineers in 2019 and was elected to the international advisory board of DBFZ (German Bioenergy Research Centre) in 2020.
He is a leading authority on circular economy energy and environmental systems with more than 170 peer review journal papers, over 12,000 citations and a h-Index of 58. He has supervised 31 postgraduates and currently leads a team of 20 researchers.  
 

DR.-Ing. Jan Liebetrau is head of the department consulting and research at the RYTEC GMBH. After obtaining a Diploma in Civil Engineering Jan Liebetrau received his PhD at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar on the topic “Control System for the anaerobic treatment of organic waste”. From 2006 to 2007 he was visiting scientist at the Alberta Research Council, Canada. From 2008 to 2019 he was working for the DBFZ In Leipzig  (German biomass research centre) since 2011 as Head of Department Biochemical Conversion. Since the beginning of 2020 he is working for RYTEC GMBH. Current activities include methane emission identification and reduction at biogas plants and landfill operations and contributions to IEA Bioenergy Task 37 Enerrgy from Biogas.  Jan Liebtrau’s main experise are process control of AD processes, methane emissions from biogas plants and landfill operations and managemnet of research activities.  

Professor Bernadette McCabe is a Principal Scientist at the University of Southern Queensland's (USQ) Centre for Agricultural Engineering (CAE) and is the Research Program Team Leader for Energy and Bioresource Recycling. Bernadette is Australia's National Team Leader for the International Energy Agency (IEA) Bioenergy program Task 37: Energy from Biogas and is a member of the Australian Research Council (ARC) College of Experts. Bernadette has a background in agricultural biotechnology and has over 25 years’ experience as an academic and researcher. Her research investigates technologies to enable intensive Australian farming and food-processing industries to turn their commercial waste into a valuable commodity. She works with these industries to be more profitable by using organic waste to produce biogas, clean recycled water and biofertiliser.