BERG - Bioenergy Research Group

BERG - the Bio-Energy Research Group at Aston University is one of the largest university based research groups in thermal biomass conversion in the world. It was formed in 1986 as a focus for a range of inter-related activities in biomass conversion and environmental studies related to global warming and has grown into a substantial multi-disciplinary research effort.

BERG aims to apply chemical engineering science and technology to help provide the world with sufficient energy, fuels and chemicals from renewable and sustainable biomass resources to meet tomorrow's needs.

Areas of expertise: it investigates all aspects of thermal processing of biomass and waste by fast pyrolysis and gasification. It carries out complementary work on pretreatment, product upgrading, chemical production, system design and technical and economic evaluation.

Target audience: UK public and scientific community, EU & international scientific community, worldwide energy industry.

Thermal processing:

1. Pyrolysis for production of liquid (bio-oil), gas and charcoal,
2. Gasification for production of gas for use as fuel, for production of hydrogen, or for synthesis of transport fuels and chemicals,
3. Combustion for production of heat that can be used for heat and/or power production.

Biological processing:

1. Fermentation to alcohol, or bio-ethanol, that can be used for transport fuels or power,
2. Digestion (anaerobic digestion) to bio-gas - a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide - that can be used for heat and/or power.

Mechanical processing

1. Production of vegetable oils that can be upgraded to bio-diesel, and extractives

BERG focuses it efforts on thermal processing and particularly fast pyrolysis for production of liquids that can be used as fuels or as a source of chemicals.