I work in assessing the environmental, economic, and social impacts of renewable energy technologies, particularly bioenergy systems. I have experience of working in the commercial sector in power generation as well as in academia. I use tools such as process modelling, life cycle assessment, and techno-economic evaluation to evaluate the sustainability of new technologies and systems. I lead the national EPSRC and BBSRC funded SUPERGEN Bioenergy hub (www.supergen-bioenergy.net), which brings together academia, industry, and policy stakeholders to focus on sustainable bioenergy solutions.
My experience of research and commercial implementation, in addition to serving on policy advisory groups, leads me to firmly believe that researchers have a crucial role to play in supporting the timely deployment of waste, water and energy technologies. I also believe that these systems can be developed and adapted to meet a range of policy needs. Researchers must collaborate with policymakers and industrialists to understand the objectives and design processes that are adaptable and resilient. I love communicating what I do and its impact at all levels: I am the editor-in-chief of the Elsevier journal of Biomass and Bioenergy, instigated the Bioenergy comic, and have attempted to explain bioenergy sustainability issues to everyone from the UK climate assembly to schoolchildren and radio listeners.
Professor Tony Bridgwater first started working on biofuels in a study commissioned by the UK Government after the oil crises of the 1970s. Since then he has maintained a close interest in biomass to biofuel developments with extensive support from the European Commission, mostly through their Framework Programmes which involved cooperation with scientists and engineers from all over Europe. He has led 10 EC projects and participated in a further 22.
These activities were supplemented by the creation of a new Task on fast pyrolysis, known as PyNe, within IEA Bioenergy which he led for 12 years. He was selected as leader of the first EPSRC funded Supergen Bioenergy Hub in 2002 which he led for 8 years, and which was the precursor of the current Supergen Bioenergy Hub based at Aston. These international activities have resulted in a global network of collaborators in every continent around the world. The fast pyrolysis research activities have always featured strongly in the research projects that have been carried out at Aston and which continue to be the main focus of our thermochemical biomass conversion research.
Tim Miller
EBRI Director of Engagement
Tim provides a gateway for businesses and government to get easy access to both the cutting edge and applied knowledge at the institute. He can build the knowledge partnerships to develop new products and the processes needed to achieve a more sustainable society. If you are interested in the technologies and training that will increase your competitiveness in low carbon marketplaces and supply chains, please contact us through the link below for more information.
Dr Katie Chong
EBRI Director of Research Outputs
Katie Chong is a lecturer in chemical engineering and EBRI Director of Research Outputs at Aston University. Katie has 17 years’ experience in the commercial and academic sectors working on bioenergy and process optimisation. Katie has a particular interest in the thermochemical conversion of biomass and wastes, biorefinery process synthesis and techno-economic evaluation. In particular, Katie likes to make techno-economic and environmental assessment data more accessible for the non-expert. In her role as EBRI Director of Research Outputs, Katie is responsible for the EBRI REF submission and supports EBRI researchers publish high quality, high impact research outputs.
Katie is also a Topic Group Representative for Conversion and Early Career Researcher (ECR) champion within the Supergen Bioenergy Hub, Regional Chair for the biomass and wastes special interest group of the Fuel and Energy Research Forum and is a committee member of the IChemE Clean Energy Special Interest Group.