Special Session #15

Biomass — the collective name for renewable materials derived from living organisms, including crops and agricultural residues, by-products from wood-processing industries like paper and construction, and gas from landfills and water treatment plants — is the oldest source of energy harnessed by humans. Today, sustainable biomass utilization will certainly play an important role to make the green transition work. The most rational way to ensure sustainable use is represented by the knowledge of its characteristics in order to direct the best uses.
The session provides an overview of the current methodologies and technical advancements in measuring biomass characteristics. Chemical and physical characterization methods of feedstocks are addressed for the purpose of comparing different valorisation pathways as well as of products and by-products originating from conversion processes. Biomass chemical and energy characterisation is considered as a tool for process design and control of production quality. Onsite measurements on real-scale systems are also included - e.g. biomass streams, gaseous emissions, by- and co-products recovery - in order to show their potential for plants performance assessment and optimization.

We welcome contributions on the following aspects:

• Characterisation of biomass feedstocks and bioproducts;
• Innovative tools for measuring of biomass quality in energy and industrial sectors;
• Development of predictive models for bionergy and biorefinery processes;
• New biofuels and processes;
• Smart grid energy management.

Prof. Ester Foppa Pedretti MSc in Agricultural Sciences (1986), PhD in Agricultural Engineering (1992), both at University of Milan. Now Full Professor of Agricultural Mechanisation at the Polytechnic University of Marche. Her main research topics are related to: a) agricultural and viticulture mechanisation, b) valorisation of by-products and improvement of production chain, c) sustainability of agricultural production and bioenergy, d) renewable energy from biomass. She has experience in national and international research projects.

Prof. Marco Baratieri is full professor in Thermal Engineering and Industrial Energy Systems at the Free University of Bolzano. M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering at the University of Trento. His main research interests deal with the valorization of biomass and residues through combined heat and power generation systems or poly-generation technologies. At unibz he is Director of the Master in Energy Engineering and of the Bachelor in Wood Engineering, Coordinator of the Research Area in Energy Resources and Energy Efficiency, and Head of the Bioenergy and Biofuels Lab.

Prof. Giuseppe Toscano MSc in Agricultural Sciences (1996) at University of Ancona (Italy). Now Associate Professor of Farm Machinery and Mechanization at the Università Politecnica delle Marche (Ancona). His main research topics are related to a) biomass and biogenic residues for energy and industrial application and development of traditional; b) innovative technics for characterization of biofuels and agroforestry products; c) agro-forest mechanization; d) sustainability and environmental impact of agroforestry and bioenergy chains. He is responsible for the Laboratorio Biomasse (Biomass lab – Ancona) and coordinator of TC 282 (Solid biofuel) at the Italian Termotechnical Committee.

Dr. Gianni Picchi Ph.D. in Environmental Agronomy (2005) at the Sant’Anna School of Advances Studies (Italy) and MSc in Forestry (1999) at the University of Florence (Italy). Researcher at the Institute for Bioeconomy of the National Council for Research (Florence). His main research topics are: a) precision forestry and timber products traceability, b) agro-forest mechanization for timber and woody biomass production, c) improvement and control systems of the quality of solid biofuels.