Two of our WISE CDT PhD students, Ioannis Markidis and Mariano Marinari, attended the 26th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (EUBCE) in Copenhagen, Denmark from 14th to 17th May 2018. The Conference brought together researchers, engineers, technologists, organisations, policy and decision makers and financing institutions. EUBCE combines one of the largest biomass science and technology conferences with a high-quality industry exhibition, attracting biomass professionals from around the globe. There were about 1,400 participants from 65 countries around the world.
Technical sessions were organised in parallel over the four day conference. The main conference topics included biomass management and potential, feedstock availability and variety, energy crops, the role of algae, biofuels, anaerobic digestion and biogas, and conversion technologies for fuels, chemicals and materials. Emphasis was also placed on bio-refineries, the climate impacts of bioenergy, integrated biomass production, policies, regulations and socio-economic aspects. Overall, there were about 800 oral presentations, a large number of posters were displayed in the main reception room, and several workshops were conducted.
Ioannis gave an oral presentation entitled “Anaerobic Digestion – How small can it be?” and Mariano shared his poster “Exploring the viability of anaerobic digestion of livestock and agri-wastes in the UK”. Besides the talks the conference provided many social events, a visit to the City Hall, and a technical tour at the NGF Holsted Biogas Plant. Overall, it was a great experience for them, which helped make new connections, provided feedback on their research, and improved their presentation skills.
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