Professor Tony Bridgwater of Aston Universities BERG received the
Johannes Linneborn Prize for his outstanding contribution to developing
energy from biomass at the world's largest bioenergy conference today
in Berlin.
Ralph Overend, of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory USA, gave
the Laudatio on Professor Bridgwater's achievements in the field of
thermal-chemical conversion of biomass.
Professor Bridgwater is head of the Bioenergy Research Group at
Aston University, where he began research into bioenergy over 25 years
ago.
He is the leading international expert on fast pyrolysis - a process
that heats up biomass to relatively high temperatures for a few seconds
in the absence of oxygen, and converts it into a liquid. Fast
pyrolysis is a promising technology because the liquid bio-oil is much
easier to store and transport than solid biomass, such as bales of
straw or grass, and can be used as a fuel itself or converted to
electricity, transport fuels or chemicals.
Professor Bridgwater is also a pioneer in fostering national and
international collaboration in bioenergy research. Last month he
succeeded in winning a proposal to continue the UK's biggest bioenergy
research consortium - SUPERGEN Bioenergy - for a further four years
with £6.4 million from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
Council. He is also involved in six other European projects in the
bioenergy area; coordinates ThermalNet - the EU's research network on
thermal-chemical conversion of biomass; leads the International Energy
Agency's Pyrolysis Task; and has organised over ten international
conferences on thermal-chemical biomass conversion.
"I'm honoured to receive this prestigious award as part of a long
line of distinguished researchers in biomass and bioenergy," said
Professor Bridgwater.
"Working in the bioenergy field is extremely fulfilling and demands
a multidisciplinary approach. With interest in bioenergy continuing to
soar, continued collaboration as scientists, technologists,
industrialists, economists and environmentalists will help to fulfil
bioenergy's great potential to be Europe's biggest renewable energy
resource," he said.
The Johannes Linneborn Prize was established in 1994 for outstanding
contributions to the development of energy from biomass. Johannes
Linneborn, who lived 1899-1991, was a pioneer in modern biomass
utilisation. In his professional life of almost 70 years, his interest
covered a wide range of activities from agriculture, energy and
transport to health and nutrition. His philosophy was the necessity to
integrate all human activities in the natural cycle of life. The
Linneborn Prize is awarded every two years at the European Biomass and
Bioenergy Conference and Exhibition series (www.biomass-conference.com), the biggest event of its kind, with over 1500 delegates expected at this week's conference in Berlin.
