Future Perspectives of Bio-Energy Research Activities

Decision minutes from the Biomass mission of CRES in NERC,Amman, 5-10/7/2009, opportunities for further collaboration with NERC lies in the following topics:

• Building new partnership between NERC and CRES and initiating new cooperation in new research topics like bio-energy, bio-fuels, biogas, biomass, and types of energy/industrial crops seem promising for Jordan climate conditions.
• Launching new cooperation programs that would contribute to building the capacity of NERC in these new research areas and would have added value for the Twinning Project. 
• Exchange of knowledge and experience in energy crops, ie. Kenaf, giant reed, several oil crops like jojoba, jatropha, cardoon, castor seed, etc.
• CRES has considerable expertise on a large variety of crops adapted in several climatic conditions therefore –as a first step- it was proposed and accepted to exchange seeds and rhizomes.
• CRES will send seeds to NERC from cardoon (by end of August) for bio-diesel production as well as kenaf (middle of July) and rhizomes from around (in February 2010) both crops for power production.
• NERC will provide CRES with seeds of jojoba and jatropha, both crops for bio-diesel production.
• Exchange of knowledge and experience in thermo chemical conversion technologies, with special focus on pellets, biogas and bio-diesel production form a number of feedstock supplies.
• Possible collaboration in Research and Technical Development (RTD) projects related to the above topic areas in the frame of relevant EU and bilateral programmes.
• Possible collaboration in a pre-feasibility study on kenaf potential to be grown in Jordan for both energy and fiber applications. The study will be coordinated by NERC and CRES will offer consultancy services. CRES consultancy will cover all aspects dealing with crop establishment, cultivation needs and economic feasibility.
• Invitation of NERC experts in the Thematic Workshops to be held in Poland (Poznan), 16-18 November 2009, organized in the frame of the EU projects: ‘4FCROPS’, and  ‘Crops 2 Industry’, coordinated by CRES.
• The theme of the workshop related to the 4FCROPS project is “Can we produce non-food crops that can be environmentally friendly and economic viable”
• The theme of the workshop related to the Crops2Industry project is “Can fiber crops offer a viable alternative land use option?”

• Useful websites:
  
• www.cres.gr/biokenaf - It is the website for the European project entitled “BIOKENAF: Biomass Production and Growth Simulation Model for Kenaf”. In this website a lot of information about the annual multi-purpose crop kenaf is existed from the crop cultivation to end use and carried out at the same time economic and environmental analysis.


• www.cres.gr/bioenergy_chains - It is the website for the European project entitled “Perennial Chains: Biomass chains from perennial crops in South Europe. In the website a lot of information about four perennial energy crops namely giant reed, miscanthus, switchgrass and cardoon can be founded from the cultivation until the thermo chemical uses of all these crops.


• www.4fcrops.eu - It is the website for the European project entitled “4FCROPS: Future Crops for Food, Feed, Fiber and Fuel”. This project was based mainly on the idea that all the future crops can be categorized in four categories regarding their final use; food consumption, animal feeding, fiber production and energy production. The project started one year ago and in the website can be found all the information that has been collected so far.


• www.sweetfuel.eu - It is the website for the European project entitled “SWEETFUEL”. This European project started in the beginning of 2009 and is working with the annual spring crop sweet sorghum. Sweet sorghum is being exploited as a feedstock either for bio-ethanol production (first generation bio-fuels) or as a feedstock for the production of second generation bio-fuels.

 

2- The "1 MWe biogas project in Al Khaledia" activities were launched:




• The project aimed at enhances development in remote areas, creating 40-50 job opportunities, generating 7.2 GWhr electricity and reducing gas emissions by 6000 tons of CO2 per year.


• All information about the project stakeholders, beneficiaries and documents were prepared.


• The proposal document was prepared and submitted to Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation.


• The project got positive promotion by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and Ministry of Environment.


• The proposal is currently at the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation for funding



3- 2nd Generation - Synthetic Diesel Fuel Plant

 

The proposed plant is capable to produce 400-500 liters of diesel fuel per hour, a total of 3 - 4 million liters of diesel fuel per year.