Joint workshop: Development of torrefaction technologies and impacts on global bioenergy use and international bioenergy trade

IEA Bioenergy Task 32 and Task 40 are jointly organised a workshop in Graz on Friday the 28th of January 2011, as a side-event of the Central European Biomass Conference (CEBC), Graz, Austria.

Torrefaction is an interesting pre-treatment technology for biomass before pelletisation and/or combustion. It is a thermo-chemical process for the upgrading of biomass that is usually run at temperatures ranging from 200 to more than 300°C under the exclusion of oxygen and at ambient pressure.

This workshop gave a comprehensive overview of fundamentals of torrefaction, the main advantages of and the challenges in producing torrefied biomass. Ongoing R&D activities were shown, demonstration plants under construction or already in operation were presented and the latest state-of-science in torrefaction were discussed. Also, the possible implications of commercially available torefaction technology for international bioenergy trade were highlighted.

All presentations are available for download:

Introduction [304 KB]
Chairman: Jaap Koppejan, IEA Bioenergy Task 32, Enschede, The Netherlands

Overview of international developments in torrefaction [5,996 KB]
Chris Kleinschmidt, KEMA, Arnhem, The Netherlands
See also the accompanying conference paper. [114 KB]

The ratio behind torrefaction: trade-off between additional investment & energy use vs. logistical & end-use advantages [4,613 KB]
Michael Wild, Wild & Partner, Vienna, Austria

Fundamentals and basic principles of torrefaction [1,481 KB]
Martin Englisch, ÖFI, Vienna, Austria

Pilot-scale biomass torrefaction - an extensive parametric study [2,142 KB]
Anders Nordin, Umea University, Umea, Sweden

ECN’s torrefaction-based BO2-technology – from pilot to demo [656 KB]
Jaap Kiel, ECN, Petten, The Netherlands

Presentation of the Torrbed process [146 KB]
Robin Post van der Burg, Topell, The Hague, The Netherlands

Presentation of the Torr Coal process [1,421 KB]
Jan Brouwers, Torr Coal, Sittard, The Netherlands


Presentation of the ACB process [1,195 KB]
Klaus Trattner, Andritz AG, Graz, Austria

Regional/global biomass potentials that are currently unutilized and that may be accessed through torrefaction [3,257 KB]
Hubert Röder, Pöyry, Freising, Germany

Possibilities and bottlenecks for long-distance transport and storage of torrefied material [3,271 KB]
Ger Ostermeijer, Peterson Control Union Group, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Case study: exports of torrefied and non-torrefied biomass from a Latin American countryto Rotterdam Comparison of costs and GHG emissions [952 KB]
Andre Faaij, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

The technical aspects of the firing and co-firing of torrefied biomass in large pulverised fuel-fired boilers. [75 KB]
William Livingston, Doosan Babcock Energy Limited, Renfrew, UK