Fuel For Thought

BIOFUELS:Next-generation biofuels will be sourced from organic non-food products – one group of Irish companies has formed a project to examine how to viably produce these fuels

A GROUP of Irish companies working in renewable energy has formed a research project to find ways to commercially produce biofuel from grass and other non-food sources. This industry-led programme, designed to bring companies working on similar biofuel research projects into partnership with universities, is one of the first of its kind in the State.

John Travers is chief executive of bio-energy company Alternative Energy Resources (AER) and chairman of the industry group that includes well-known Irish companies such as Glanbia, Greenstar, Altech, and Bord na Móna.

“Ireland doesn’t have coal or large reserves of gas or oil, but we do have large reserves of biomasses such as grasses, so we should build on that. Ireland has one of the best growth yields for grass,” says Travers.

The project is examining next-generation biofuels based on non-food products such as grass, algae and paper waste. These products can be used to produce cellulosic ethanol, although the process requires greater processing to manufacture ethanol than food-stuffs such as sugar cane or grains.

Research suggests the potential energy output from grass and algae could be five times higher than that of traditional biofuel sources, with a far lower production cost. While the technology has been successfully trialled, the next step is to create plants of a commercially viable size.

According to Travers, one of the attractions of algae as a biofuel source is that it can double in mass every few days under the right conditions. “It also absorbs carbon dioxide as it grows. It doesn’t compete with food and doesn’t necessarily need fresh water, so it is also very attractive as a biofuel source.” Worldwide, says Travers, an estimated $1 billion in venture capital and other investment has been given to algal biofuel projects in the last year.

The Irish companies working together have formed a bio-refinery and bio-energy competence centre, one of five such projects set up by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland to closely link third-level research to industry needs.

Travers says it has taken 18 months to bring together the group and decide the research agenda. This process, which required erstwhile competitors to seek grounds for collaboration, involved some “robust discussions”.

“We concentrated on what we have in common and that is we all want to increase the extent of high-level research into bio-refining and bio-energy in this country. All of the companies want to increase the high-end knowledge base. That is the common goal.”

The group identified two research strands for universities to examine: bio-energy feed stocks and conversion technologies. The first will study ways to optimise yields from grasses and algae while the second – and according to Travers, the more important element – will look at ways to improve the conversion of biomass through chemical and biological conversion processes. Aside from fuel, the biomass can produce bio-plastics, proteins, alcohols, oils and chemicals, and he says a bio-refinery is analogous to an oil refinery.

The group is working with four universities; NUIG, UL, UCC and UCD. A technology leader with a background in managing research and development projects is due to be appointed shortly to manage the project.

Approximately €1 million per year in research funding over the five-year period will be made available, with up to 20 researchers working on the research programme defined by the companies.

While Travers accepts that, in monetary terms, the amount invested is relatively small, it is the access that it provides to third-level researchers in a series of universities that sets it apart. “The €5 million may be small in the context of some of the larger companies but I think it brings far more value by the collaboration and the depth of research that is already there,” he says.

“That access to multiple universities and researchers is something even the larger companies cannot achieve on their own, and they are tapping into a real wealth of knowledge.”

Research work is expected to start at the beginning of the next academic year. The intellectual property from any technology produced by the research will be owned by the competence centre and can be licensed to the participating firms.

He said the research work was not tied to the five-year timescale and that, if interesting concepts emerge after a year or two, these will be developed separately.

Asked whether this structure is the best method of linking firms and researchers, Travers responds: “I don’t think there is a more comprehensive way of drawing all the different research strands together than this competence centre approach.”

The other companies involved in the project include One51, Kedco, Biorefinary Ireland, Imperative Energy, Clearpower, Biomass Ireland and FLI Environmental.