Bioenergies

Recommended Prerequisites

Not applicable.

Teaching Methods

Lectures will be given during the different moduli of the course. Pedagogical visits to industrial sites and research institutes are also envisaged. Internal workshops and debates will also be promoted and eventually selected films of pedagogical nature will be watched whenever available. These pedagogical vehicles will be specially considered for multidisciplinary themes of discussion.  

Learning Outcomes

The goal of this course is to give the students the knowledge of the different ways to produce energy by using biomass as starting material. For this it is necessary to learn and understand the available technologies to achieve its transformation into energy. Giving the complexity of the different issues that are sparkled by the aforementioned objectives it also necessary to approach the concept of sustainability in order to supply tools to the student to face economical, ethical and social problems raised by the problems under treatment.   

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Introduction: Sustainable energy and energy portfolio. Scientific and technological foundations of energy and its production and consumption aspects. Environmental effects. The energy – prosperity- environmental dilemma. Mathematical representation of sustainability. Energy sources evaluation. Biomass as an energy source.

2. Chemical conversion of biomass: Biodiesel production from the transesterification and catalytic hydrogenation. Bioethanol from sugars and cellulosic materials. Production of bio-alcohols by ABE fermentation.

3.Thermochemical processes of biomass transformation: torrefaction, pyrolysis and gasification. Biogas and biooil production. Integrated vision of  the production processes.

4. Economical, ethnic and social problems associated to the production of biofuels.   

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Synthesis work: 40.0%
Exam: 60.0%

Bibliography

- Tester, J. W., Drake, E. M., Driscoll, M. J., Golay, M.W,, Peters, W. A., Sustainable Energy – Choosing Among Options, The MIT Press, 2º Edition, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2012
 - Hinrichs & Kleinbach, Energy: its use and the environment, 4ª ed., Thomson, Brooks/Cole, 2005
– Biofuels, Adv. Biochem. Engin/Biotechnol, vol 108, Springer-Verlag, 2007
– Reith, JH, Wijffels, RH e Barten H, Bio-methane & Bio-hydrogen: status and perspectives of biological methane and hydrogen production, Dutch Biological Hydrogen Foundation, 2003
– van Loo, S., Koppejan, J.,Handbook of biomass combustion and co-firing, Twente University Press, The Netherlands, 2008
– H.A.M. Knoef, Handbook of Biomass Gasification, BTG Biomass Technology Group, The Netherlands, 2005