NOTE: THIS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. 

“Biomass valorisation in Africa as a solution to climate change”

The event will be held under the Under the Aaegis of the Ministry of Energy of the Kingdom of Morocco.

Organizing committee: 

World Biogas Association

World Bioenergy Association

Hassan El Bari, Ibn Tofail University, Morocco

From the Ministry of Energy of Morocco

Mohamed Bernannou

Ms Houda El Fatimi

Mohamed Ouhmed

From Masen

Moufid Adraoui

Introduction to the programme

Africa disposes of millions of tons of biomass across the continent every day- whilst some of these wastes are used as animal feeds and soil improvers; much is burnt in the open environment, dumped into uncontrolled landfills, or left to rot in the open.

Yet the two huge assets Africa has (huge amounts of biomass and warm temperatures) could be exploited to create both energy and fertilisers beneficial to help African countries meet their climate change targets.  Managing wet, biodegradable wastes to transform these into biogas would reduce GHG emissions, improve renewable energy production and provide employment, a cleaner environment and low impact fertilisers for agriculture.  Conversely, using waste wood from controlled forestry activities can ensure a supply of low cost heat and fuel in many off grid localities and avoid the destruction of forest resources.

For a study on the potential of biomass use in Africa, https://www.iea.org/reports/africa-energy-outlook-2019

In the past, the transformation of biomass into energy has been done mainly by combustion in incinerator plants. However, today the conversion of energy from biomass can be achieved using various technologies. In fact, there is a much wider range of technologies suitable for energetic waste utilization, e.g. gasification, pyrolysis or the biochemical processes to produce biogas, especially if a sustainable waste management system is implemented and valuable fractions (such as glass, metal, paper, plastic etc.) are separated first for re-use and recycling. The basic concern is that the circular economy saves more greenhouse gases than it generates. In contrast, many emerging and developing economies in Africa face the major challenge of developing an adequate waste management system that complies with the basic principle of the circular economy and/or improving existing but inadequate and unsustainable waste management systems.

Africa so far has not been able to  develop these industries on an industrial scale- biogas is limited to very small household/community units which while extremely important in the local context, do not resolve the larger waste issues from urban centres where most of the populations are now living.  Planning, planting and managing forestry resources to provide localised heat for communities could help transform the landscapes of Africa where forests have been cut, back into planted areas.

Clearly barriers exist to developing these virtuous actions: financial, logistical, legislative and technical.

This conference aims at exploring what can be done to overcome these barriers and push more quickly towards a low carbon emissions society. Furthermore, the conference output will focus on the best and appropriate biomass conversion technologies for the African case.

Why Morocco?

The Kingdom of Morocco will begin its planning on the valorisation of biomass in 2020. Having already achieved 42% of energy production (electricity) through its massive investments in solar power, the country is now looking at how to produce fuels and heat from other renewable sources. (https://www.mem.gov.ma/en/Pages/secteur.aspx?e=2)

The IEA has identified this need among African countries whose initial responses to climate change policies were directed towards electricity production from renewables- but to go much further towards decarbonisation of the economy, other energy outputs are required in transportation and buildings.

For more details on Morocco’s energy policies, see (https://www.iea.org/countries/Morocco)

Morocco is a portal into other African nations, with a highly developed network of relationships with countries on the continent. Morocco therefore is inviting several of these to participate with the aim of sharing and developing experiences together.

Participating in this conference therefore provides the opportunity of dialogue with institutions and businesses across Africa.

Countries invited to attend include: Kenya, Rwanda, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia, Senegal, Nigeria, to share their experiences and help develop synergies with each other in the context of south-south collaboration.

Who should participate?

This conference aims at practitioners, energy sector policy makers, operators, industries and local authorities, farming community representatives, waste management operators, biogas and biomass industries supplying equipment and building plants, consultants, academics and energy users.

Provisional Programme

First Day: 

9.30 – 10.30:

Welcome and introduction

HE Aziz Rabbah

Minister of Energy for the Kingdom of Morocco

Research into bioenergy in Africa

Professor Hassan El Bari, Ibn Tofail University, Morocco

Policies and the climate change landscape

David Newman, President World Biogas Association

M. Ouhmed Mohamed, Directorate of Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Energy of the Kingdom of Morocco

Coffee Break 10.30-11.00

11.00 – 13.00: plenary session

Morocco’s renewable energy programmes to meet the Paris Climate targets

Hicham Bouzekri, Masen , Morocco

Development and potential of bioenergy globally and in Africa

Remigijus Lapinskas, President World Bioenergy Association

Experiences from the invited nations

Typha Valorisation: The solution to the reed invasion in the Senegal River

Dr Macodou Sall, Chief Executive Officer, the Energy and Climate Change Center

Lunch break 13.00-14.00

14.00 – 17.30:

Topic 1: State of the art in Biomass and Biogas technologies (Anaerobic Digestion technologies, Biomass combustion technologies, pyrolysis)

Potential for development of pellets as source of renewable fuel

Werner Sitzmann, Technical Director, Amandus Kahl

Good practices in biomass heating in greenhouse installations using residues

Jesus Lopez, Director General, Tubocas

The role of biogas

Chris Maloney, Global Head of Organics Diversion, Eisenmann

Topic 2: Biomass and Power generation (co-firing technologies, renewable fuels)

Christian Rakos, CEO, Propellets

17.30-18.30 networking cocktail and one-to-one meetings among all participants

Dinner 20.00-23.00

Second Day: 

09.30 – 13.00:

Topic 3: Biogas and waste-to-energy (biofuels)

Worldwide Biogas Collaboration – Sharing Local Biogas Experiences to Address Global SDGs – Now and at Scale

Thomas Minter, Director, Malaby Biogas

Experiences from Waste to Energy projects in SE Asia

Nervy Santiago, General Manager, Alterna Verde

The potential of biogas in the integrated waste platform

Giovanni Fornasa, Sales Manager, IES Biogas

Basar Beyazoglu, CEO, Renesco Renewables

Topic 4: Biogas/Biomass project financing and structuring

Speakers: from guest countries, World Biogas Association and World Bioenergy Association

Mobilizing climate finance for biomass in Africa: challenges and opportunities

Mahugnon Serge Djohy, Climate & Energy Finance Expert

Lunch 13.00 – 14.00

14.00 – 17.00: 

Topic 5: The research landscape- what we still need to know.

Chair Professor Hassan El Bari, Morocco

Speakers from guest countries and invited research institutes

17.00: Conclusions, World Biogas Association/World Bioenergy Association

17.30-18.30: Networking and one-to-one meetings among all participants

Closure 18.30pm

Conference Organisation

1. Accommodation

The Ministry of Energy, Mining and Environment will provide accommodation for official invited guests. All other participants are kindly invited to book their own accommodation.

2. Cost of Participation

Participation in the conference and its social programme is free for guests from invited nations and those speakers invited by the Kingdom of Morocco.

Participation in the conference proceedings only is free for delegates from non-OECD countries (excludes the dinner on Day 1).

Participation in the conference and its social programme for OECD country delegates is £230 per person.

All delegates receive coffee and lunch.

Registration: (see below)

3. All proceedings will take place in the English language.

4. If you wish to speak and present at the conference please send your one page abstract for consideration to the organizing committee to Professor Hassan El Bari.

Click here to download the abstract template.

Professor  Hassan EL BARI email: elbari.hassan@uit.ac.ma