Finally after several setbacks it was all systems go for the Biofuels International Conference and Expo in Brussels, Belgium.
Now that the successful event has been concluded, next year's has been pencilled on for next May at the same venue.
It was hard to believe that the last time everyone convened for the conference at the glorious former 1930s theatre turned hotel, the Plaza, in the heart of the Belgian capital, was in 2019.
Then, US President Donald Trump was still causing chaos in the White House while Covid was beginning to sink its deadly spikes in some backwater of a Chinese market at a province the world would soon become familiar with.
So when we said our goodbyes three years’ ago, little did everybody think it would be 2022 before everyone would meet up again.
Now that the successful event has been concluded, next year's has been pencilled on for next May at the same venue.
It was hard to believe that the last time everyone convened for the conference at the glorious former 1930s theatre turned hotel, the Plaza, in the heart of the Belgian capital, was in 2019.
Then, US President Donald Trump was still causing chaos in the White House while Covid was beginning to sink its deadly spikes in some backwater of a Chinese market at a province the world would soon become familiar with.
So when we said our goodbyes three years’ ago, little did everybody think it would be 2022 before everyone would meet up again.
Excitement
Even as the team from Woodcote Media made their way across the Chunnel and into mainland Europe, there was almost a sense of disbelief the event was about to take place.
This time, not even labour strikes and travel chaos across European airports was going to derail the event on 5-6 July.
The excitement on the morning of the first day was palpable as queues of delegates patiently waited in the conference foyer to collect their lanyards and join in.
The venue itself looked impressive, hard work had been put in by sponsors and exhibitors like Clariant, Leaf and Axens to set up their stands, which proved popular among visitors in between the talks and debates.
“It’s good to be here,” said John Archer, chief executive officer of HutanBio, who had travelled from Malaysia where the company, which is developing biofuels from algae, is based. “We’re here to meet people and build contacts, so it is great to see so many delegates and visitors here.”
That sentiment was echoed by Hafizul Hayazi from Petronas and his colleague Syahidah Muhammad Nor.
Dressed in the company’s trademark white shirts with Petronas emblazoned across the back, the pair were delighted to see so many people at the event.
Hayazi added: “It’s been such a long time since people were able to gather like this and we are looking forward to listening to what the speakers have to say.
“There has been so many developments in the last few years, so it will be good for us to listen to what these are.”
Kicking off
The war in Ukraine has thrown the energy sector into sharp focus as rising prices and the ban on Russian oil and gas exports has accelerated the need to diversify.
These points were an ongoing theme throughout the two-day conference and were first highlighted by Angel Alberdi, secretary general of EWABA, who kicked off the event inside a packed auditorium.
Olivier Mace, owner of Broadmanor Consulting, continued the theme with his views on the role of biofuels as part of the energy transition.
He said the world’s focus was now on sustainability as was the food versus fuel argument that was raging between many NGOs and biofuel producers.
He said: “Look at where we are now when people said biofuel had no impact on fuel prices. How do we make agriculture more sustainable, is also another one of the big questions.”
Mace also questioned whether the HVO market will start to overheat in the next few years, while he also stressed the need for a bespoke solution that was crucial for the marine industry to decarbonise.
Craig Winneker, communications director for ePURE, reiterated the importance of biofuels as part of the green deal.
He said: “Despite the ongoing challenge of decarbonising transport and the obvious contribution that biofuels can make, the EU has had a love-hate relationship with biofuels in recent years. Lately, it has fallen short in making most of this solution.
“Higher targets as proposed by the European Commission will make it even tougher, sustainable renewable ethanol can play its part, but with the right policies, sustainable renewable ethanol can play more of a role.”
Winneker highlighted that the old food versus fueland sustainability myths have ‘all been busted’ adding: “The Commissions’s Renewable Energy Progress reports regularly confirm that cultivation of feedstock used in biofuel production in the EU has no particular adverse environmental impacts.
“It’s clear that renewable ethanol is among the sustainable biofuels with the lowest carbon abatement costs that should be part of the EU Green Deal and Fit for 55 landscape.”
Next up, Johannes Lehken, from Neste, stressed the important role renewable diesel had to play in a low carbon future.
The impact of the EU’s Fit for 55 package and the Ukraine crisis and its effect on energy prices was also high on the agenda at the event.
Networking lunches, breaks and drinks session, sponsored by Technoilogy, Bureau Veritas and Emissions Analytics, proved very popular with speakers and delegates mingling together and discussing the main biofuel issues of the day.
Successful day
Andries Boon, business development manager, low carbon fuels, at Shell, kicked off day two with his take on how the oil and gas major was transforming energy with biofuels.
He said: “We work with our supply chain to prevent deforestation, protect biodiversity, improve traceability and guard against land being used to grow energy crops which should be supporting the growing demand for food.
“We fully support the adoption of international sustainability standards for agricultural practices and work certifiers to ensure our feedstocks are sustainable.
“All of our purchased feestock that are considered to be high risk from a human rights, biodiversity, or release of carbon stock perspective are certified as sustainable by credible sustainability initiatives.”
A list of fellow speakers followed him and took to the podium to discuss a range of other biofuel topics.
Luc Pelkmans, technical coordinator at IEA Bioenergy, spoke about the role of advanced renewable fuels in the decarbonisation of transport in 2030 and beyond.
“Biofuels contributes most to road transport decarbonisation now and up to 2030-2040, depending on the country and fleet. Towards 2040 biofuels’ demand will shift more to other transport sectors like aviation and marine,” he concluded.
Continuing with the transportation theme, Ausilio Bauen, director of e4Tech, outlined what he thought were the prospects for biofuels in the maritime sectors while Joey van Elswijk, the commercial manager at the Port of Amsterdam, focussed on why the port was becoming an increasingly important hub for the movement of biofuels.
Other speakers included Greg Archer, the European policy officer at LanzaTech Europe and Felipe Ferrari, from Goodfuels, who stressed how sustainable biofuels for shipping was growing.
Finally after two days of discussions and debates on this key area of sustainable biofuels, the conference was wrapped up by the chair on the second day Ausilio Bauen.
Everyone at Biofuels International looks forward to welcoming everyone again 2023 – with the dates to be confirmed shortly.
For more information: Visit: biofuels-news.com
.jpg)
Comments are closed.