Press release - 25 June 2019
Bioenergy Retrofits for Europe’s Industry – Case studies have started
BIOFIT (www.biofit-h2020.eu) is an EU project that aims to facilitate the introduction of bioenergy retrofitting in Europe’s industry. Last week, a number of BIOFIT case studies were officially started with kick-off meetings in Vienna.
Retrofitting is one of the fast ways to increase Europe’s renewable energy share by making the energy production of existing industries more sustainable. Retrofitting means often lower capital costs, shorter lead times, faster implementation, less production time losses and lower risks.
The BIOFIT project will – during its 3-year duration - facilitate the introduction of bioenergy retrofitting in five specific industries, namely first-generation biofuels, pulp and paper, fossil refineries, fossil firing power and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants. On our website, fact sheets showcasing succesfull retrofits are presented (https://www.biofit-h2020.eu/biofit-factsheets/).
Part of the project is the development of ten concrete case studies. In these case studies, the technical, economic, market, and environmental feasibility of an actual retrofit opportunity will be evaluated. A number of BIOFIT case studies have now officially started with a kick-off meeting in Vienna, Austria. Examples of these case studies are:
- The project partner Swedish Biofuels will, together with DBFZ, investigate the scenario in which an existing biofuel plant is retrofitted (repurposed) using Swedish Biofuels ATJ technology to produce bio kerosene (ATJ-SPK), which can be blended up to 50 % with conventional kerosene following the requirements of ASTM D7566
- The project partners Biocarburantes de Castilla y Leon and CIEMAT will investigate retrofitting the existing first-generation process to produce advanced ethanol from corn stover and waste streams from different industrial processes thereby creating an integrated facility that produces both first-generation and advanced ethanol.
- Project partners Hellenic Petroleum, CERTH and TFMC will investigate a retrofit to produce hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in the Thessaloniki refinery of Hellenic Petroleum in Greece. 22,000 tonne of biofuel per year is aimed for.
Other case studies have already been started or are starting soon. The BIOFIT project is encouraged by the start of these case studies, and it is expected that these will all yield valuable information on the merits of bioenergy retrofitting.
The BIOFIT consortium consists of fourteen partners from eight European countries: Sweden, The Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Finland, Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Greece. The consortium consists of both industrial partners and academic / research partners.
Contact
Patrick Reumerman (coordinator), BTG Biomass Technology Group BV, Phone: +31 53 486 1198, Email: Reumerman@btgworld.com