Alex Berg, executive director of the Technological Development Unit (UDT) of the Universidad de Concepcion represented Chile in the “Workshop on Waste-to-energy production: Lignocellulosic biofuels from agro-waste” held in Trieste, Italy, between April 11 and 13.
As a conclusion of the experience, the executive said that each region of the world has its own challenges and opportunities in the bioenergy subject. Much of the global potential is given by agricultural waste, unlike Chile, where forest raw materials prevail”.
As for the realities exposed by the speakers, the specialist explained that there is an agreement in which the main difficulties are to develop processes and economically viable energy products and go with them into the market, not only in poor or developing countries but also in industrialized countries”.
The national representative spoke about four processes that are being scaled at the industrial level in UDT: Fast Pyrolysis of wood, forest waste roasting, separation of wheat straw components and obtaining of radiata pine bark polyphenols.
The event was organized by ICS UNIDO (International Centre for Science and High Technology), and included representatives from Italy, India, China, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cuba, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Liberia, Colombia and Chile, in addition to representatives from UNIDO, FAO and ACS.
