NUI Galway Technology Matched with European Vehicle Experience Could Fuel Clean-Tech Fleet Transport

Feb 06 2014 Posted: 12:08 GMT

Opportunity is there for Ireland to create real jobs in indigenous bioenergy enterprise in two to five years says Technology Leader at the Technology Centre for Biorefining and Bioenergy

Speaking at the 13th Annual IrBEA National Bioenergy Conference in Dublin, Mr Bart Bonsall, Technology Leader at Ireland’s Technology Centre for Biorefining and Bioenergy said that, “Using the advanced high-rate, low-temperature anaerobic digestion technology for dilute wastewaters developed by Professor Vincent O’Flaherty and the enzyme-based technology patented by Dr Maria Tuohy and their NUI Galway research groups gives Ireland an advantage in producing biogas more quickly.”

Mr Bonsall continued, “On the vehicle side, biogas/Compressed Natural Gas vehicles are widely used in German, Austrian, Italian and Swedish truck and bus fleets. The opportunity is there for Ireland to create real jobs in indigenous bioenergy enterprise in two to five years, if we build the right commercial and regulatory framework for biomethane for fleet transport.”

Mr Bonsall will give a presentation to the IrBEA National Bioenergy Conference today (6th February) on ‘Biomethane for transport: a technical and regulatory framework’. This year the conference will take a focused view on Ireland’s bioenergy strategy to meet 2020 targets. Other guest speakers at the conference will include Pat Rabbitte T.D. Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and Horst Jauschnegg, President of the Austrian Biomass Association along with several others.

The 2014 IrBEA National Bioenergy Conference is titled ‘Ireland’s Bioenergy Strategy to Meet Targets for 2020’. It takes place today 6th February at the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, Newlands Cross, Dublin.

For further information on the Technology Centre for Biorefining and Bioenergy and their presentation at today’s conference contact Pádraic Ó hUiginn, Communications Programme Manager, Technology Centre for Biorefining & Bioenergy on +353 (0)87 905 3806 and pohuiginn@tcbb.ie

IrBEA’s conference programme is available from the following link: http://www.irbea.ie/images/irbea%20conference%20programme%202014v2.pdf

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