Biofuels International expo & conference has changed its name to Bioenergy International expo & conference to reflect its new focus. The event, being held in Prague on 5-6 May, will have three streams looking at biodiesel, bioethanol and bioenergy.

With all the media speculation surrounding biofuels and their impact on food security, food prices and emissions reductions, the industry is now focusing more than over on second generation biofuels.

Research into new sustainable sources of biomass and efficient conversion technologies is moving at a rapid pace, driven largely by government targets. For the same reason countries all over the globe are looking at using biomass as a source of renewable power generation.

However as with ethanol and biodiesel bioenergy projects come with their own set of challenges. High capital costs involved in establishing biomass power plants are a major deterrent to investment and fuel quality is also a recurring issue as biomass often has a high moisture content, leading to a variable quality.

These issues and more will be addressed in the new bioenergy stream at Bioenergy International expo & conference. The event, which is organised by leading global magazine Biofuels International, will also look in depth at second generation biodiesel, cellulosic ethanol, ways to source sustainable biomass, pyrolysis technology, the potential of biogas across Europe, developments in the use of bioenergy for aviation, future feedstocks such as algae and jatropha and the challenges of storing and handling both biomass and biofuels.

The conference will be opened by the Minister of the Environment of the Czech Republic, and other key speakers include PKN Orlen, OPEC, oil majors ČESKÁ RAFINÉRSKÁ, Petronas, Cepra A.S, The European Bioethanol Fuel Association, The European Biogas Association, HSBC, biofuel producers like Preol, Agropodnik and BTG-BTL and many others.

As an added benefit delegates will get the chance to visit a nearby biodiesel plant on 4th May. Preol is a leading producer in the Czech Republic, which has just completed constructing a state-of-the-art biodiesel plant in the industrial region of Lovosice.

The plant, designed by Desmet Ballestra, has the capacity to produce 100,000 tonnes of FAME biodiesel and 10,000 tonnes a year of glycerine. It also has an integrated oil mill capable of processing 400,000 tonnes of rape seed of year and produce 160,000 tonnes of rapeseed oil, as well as 230,000 tonnes of rape meal.