The University of Twente (UT) in Enschede, The Netherlands, offers both technical and social science study programs for, currently, 6000 students. It is an entrepreneurial university adapting its research results to the benefit of society in general, typically by constant spin-off of young innovative companies set up by graduates and staff members. Many departments participate in European research programs and the UT is also a co-founder of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities, the ECIU.

The Faculty of Science and Technology is one of the five faculties of the UT, which has a staff of 350 persons taking care of the education of 600 students and carrying out research in the areas of process technology, material science and molecular science. The research of the Thermo-Chemical Conversion of Biomass group, being a participant in the proposed project, is focused on traditional and new biomass conversion processes as well as the processing/upgrading of primary products from these conversion processes (biomass-gas or biomass-oil) to commercial end products. One can think of electricity, transport fuels, hydrogen (for fuel cells), methanol, and other chemicals. The projects are organized around four central themes: 1) flash pyrolysis, 2) hydrothermal upgrading, 3) supercritical water gasification (SCWG), and 4) clean hydrogen production from bio-oil utilizing processes. These processes include (a) catalytic pyrolysis-oil gasification and reforming, and (b) bio-oil aided reduction of iron oxide formed by steam oxidation in the steam-iron process.

During the last twenty years, a significant research effort was dedicated continuously to the subject matter of biomass thermal conversion, which resulted in a number of Ph.D. theses and many scientific publications. The UT has extensive experience and a strong involvement in European bio-energy R&D, which may be evident from the latest contracts, viz. JOUB-0032, AIR-0899, JOR-0081, ENK-CT-2002-00634 (the “Bio-electricity” project coordinated by the UT) and ENK6-CT-2001-00555 (Super Hydrogen). While in the earlier years the attention was focused on traditional biomass gasification, these latest contracts are concerned with flash pyrolysis and supercritical gasification. All this includes that the laboratory equipment and experiences, as well as the expertise of staff members, are well suited for a continuation of bio-energy research in future projects. It is particulalyr worthwhile to mention the high pressure laboratory with its unique facilities.

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• Michiel Groeneveld
• Kees Hogendoorn