I Latin American Congress

Biorefineries

Innovation opportunities for the forestry sector

21 and 22 November 2006, Concepción, Chile.

What is Biorefineries?

Wood was an important building material and the main source of energy used by man for thousands of years; during the twentieth century, the industrial and massive use of wood as a raw material for cellulose and reconstructed panels was added. At the dawn of the 21st century, there have been profound changes in paradigms that determine the comparative advantages of wood over other raw materials, mainly oil. The most important factors in this context are the increase in the price of fossil fuels and petrochemicals and a gradual decline in their availability, in the face of a growing world demand for this product.

Thus, the forest resource is greatly expanding its role as a raw material for obtaining materials, chemicals and energy, a situation that has been called “Biorefineries”. The concept can be plotted according to the following figure:

Forest biomass (renewable organic matter of forest origin) is growing strongly in Chile. Having a potential that goes beyond current projections, if we consider the use of by-products of forest management and harvesting, the underutilized residues of industrial processing of wood, an increase in the rational and sustainable use of native forest and the eventual initiation of forest plantations for energy purposes. Chile, in turn, has a modern forestry-industrial industry, which may well be the pillar that sustains the development and implementation of technologies that facilitate a broader use of the resource, as a raw material for processes based on advanced chemistry and biotechnology fundamentally. This development will result in the integral use of forest products, promote the production of higher value-added products and diversify the sector’s business activity.

Aims

The “First Latin American Congress on Biorefineries, Innovation Opportunities for the Forestry Sector” aims to bring together national and foreign experts of the highest level, and representatives of companies, universities and the public sector to analyze technological advances related to new uses of forest biomass as a source of chemicals, materials and energy.

The congress also seeks to articulate the university’s joint work with companies around innovation in the forestry industry. Wanting to unify the vision of the future on this one identifying the challenges for both.

Within this framework, we wish to establish the bases for a joint work between the different actors in the sector, which will allow us to promote the development of new uses of forest biomass in Chile and Latin America.

Speakers

My Ahmed Said Azizi Samir, KTH Fibre and Polymer Technology, Div of Biocomposites. Sweden. 
Cellulose nanofillers based nanocomposites

Jaime Baeza, Renewable Resources Laboratory, Biotechnology Center, Universidad de Concepción. Chile.
 Bioethanol: key element for a biorefinery in Chile.

Christian Bidart. Technological Development Unit, Universidad de Concepción. Chile. 
Evaluation of the efficiency of biomass conversion processes for energy purposes.

Juan Carlos Carrasco, Technological Development Unit, Universidad de Concepción. Chile. 
Environmental impact associated with the use of biomass as an energy source.

Jorge Luiz Colodette. Universidad Fedederal de Viçosa, Depto. De Ing. Forestal. Brasil.
 Biorefineries: Study of the removal of eucalyptus wood xylanes and its effects on the quality of cellulosic pulp.

Eduardo A. Feijo. Generals Motors. Brasil.
 Use of biodiesel and alcohol as fuels in motor vehicles.

Douglas Gardner. School of Forest Resources and Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center, University of Maine. EE.UU. 
Integrated forest bioproducts research at the University of Maine

Rory Jara, University of Maine. EE.UU. 
Pre-extraction of wood strands for the production of oriented strand board (OSB).

Stephan Kabasci, Fraunhofer-Institut für Umwelt-, Sicherheits- und Energietechnik UMSICHT, Alemania. 
Energy use of biomass.

Ludwig Leible, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS). Alemania. 
Fuels, electricity or heat from wood waste from a European and German perspective.

Jens Ludwig, Institute for Industrial Production (IIP), French-German Institute for Environmental Research, University of Karlsruhe, Hertzstr. Alemania.
 Technical-economic evaluation of concepts for biomass use.

Andreas Michanickl. University of Applied Sciences, Rosenheim. Alemania.
 Scarcity of industrial wood in Germany: An opportunity for the forestry industry in Chile?

Carmen Michels, Fraunhofer-Institut für Umwelt-, Sicherheits- und Energietechnik UMSICHT. Alemania. 
New strategies for renewable resource-based biopolymers.

Arthur J. Ragauskas, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute of Paper Science and Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology, GA. EE.UU.
 The path forward for biofuels and biomaterials.

Orlando Rojas. Forest Biomaterials Laboratory, College of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University. EE.UU.
 New tools to screen enzyme activity.

Orlando Rojas. Forest Biomaterials Laboratory, College of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University. EE.UU.
 Options for biorefineries using wood feedstocks.

Claudia Ulloa. EULA-Chile Centre, Universidad de Concepción. Chile. 
Sawdust coal mixture co-combustion.

Organizers

Technological Development Unit of the University of Concepción, UDT. 

The Technological Development Unit of the University of Concepción was created in 1996, as an entity to promote the link between the university and business. Its main competitive advantage lies in its ability to scale processes from the laboratory to a pilot level and from that to an industrial level.

In this context, UDT plays an important role in the generation of technologies transferable to the Chilean industrial sector. This is why it focuses on two thematic areas: advanced materials, especially new materials from wood; and the environment. In addition, it has an area of technology transfer, which addresses the issues of developments in a transversal manner and the commercialization of developed technology.

Technical Association of Pulp and Paper, ATCP Chile.

Founded in 1972, the Pulp and Paper Technical Association is a corporation whose objectives are to train and promote the professional and technical improvement of its associates in the field of the manufacture and use of pulp, paper and its derivatives. It also organises the collection and dissemination of information on the pulp and paper industry. As well as presenting, discussing and publishing technical reports, research papers and other contributions of the same nature.

Executives, professionals, technicians and industry suppliers participate in ATCP-Chile.

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