FAIR

Directorate-General For Research And Innovation European Commission

Description

Co-operative research for SMEs
Research policy and organisation
Agricultural and fisheries research
Environmental research
Target audience: All

Sujets

• Research and development
• Small and medium enterprises
• Food technology
• Rural development
• Aquaculture
• Sciences et techniques

Informations

• Publié par: DIRECTORATE-GENERAL-FOR-RESEARCH-AND-INNOVATION-EUROPEAN-COMMISSION
• Nombre de lectures: 17
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 33 Mo

Extrait

European Commission
Community Research
Project synopses
FAIR: Co-operative research for SMEs
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EUR 18883 his publication contains the synopses of a range of co­operative research
projects relevant to agricultural, agro­industrial and fisheries research T
research that are selected and funded under the FAIR programme. This programme
of research and technological development in the field of Agriculture and
Fisheries, including Agro­Industry, Food Technologies, Forestry, Aquaculture
and Rural Development, was adopted on 26 April 1994 as part of the
Community's Fourth Framework Programme. It concerns agriculture, horticulture,
forestry, fishery, aquaculture, and related food and non­food industries. The
FAIR programme represents a natural evolution of the previous programmes
CAMAR, BIOMASS, ECLAIR, FLAIR, FOREST and FAR adopted under the Second
Framework Programme and of AIR, adopted under the Third Framework
Programme.
The ultimate objective of the FAIR programme was to contribute to securing a better match between
production of land and water­based biological resources and their use by consumers and industry
through pre­competitive research, technological development and demonstration.
The programme was organised into five distinct scientific and technical areas:
■ Area 1 . Integrated production and processing chains.
■ Area 2. Scaling­up and processing methodologies.
■ Area 3. Generic science and advanced technologies for nutritious foods.
■ Area 4. Agriculture, forestry and rural development.
■ Area 5. Fisheries and aquaculture.
SMEs often lack the necessary R&D resources or have difficulties in getting access to research
results. Under the Community's Fourth Framework Programme, special measures have been
taken to help SMEs develop new technologies.
Exploratory Awards are granted to SMEs to cover part of the costs of preparing a complete Step 2
proposal for submission to one of the European Community's Research and Technological
Development (RTD) programmes.
Co­operative Research Projects enable transnational groups of SMEs with a common problem,
but with limited or no ¡η­house RTD capability, to sub­contract the research they need to a
specialist (called an "RTD performer"). The Commission supports up to half the cost, and while
the RTD performer is paid in full for its work, the results belong to the SMEs alone. FAIR: CO-OPERATIVE RESEARCH FOR SMEs INTEGRATED PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING CHAINS
Cutting through the issues of making wood-generated power viable (© Photodisc)
Electricity from wood
FAIR-CT98-9533
There are two main sources of plant-derived Biomass fuels are produced from plant material
Everyone agrees that we should meet more
biomass fuel: residues (by-products) from and are some of the world's most important
of our energy needs from renewable sources
agriculture and forestry, for example, and crops sources of energy. The simplest example of a
- biomass, wind, solar, water and
grown specifically for use to provide energy biomass fuel is wood, used by millions of
(referred to as energy crops). If you consider geothermal. But to do this we need to
people to provide heat. Although less well
the amount of plant material on earth, it is clear
known than other forms of renewable energy develop the technologies that will deliver
that biomass is an abundant energy resource.
such as wind and solar, biomass energy is the
these in the form of solid and liquid fuels,
Yet it is estimated that we use only 7% of the
most common, and oldest, source of renewable
heat and electricity. European scientists and
Earth's annual production of biomass.
energy. As well as wood, biomass includes
engineers are already at the forefront in
many other types of fuel - especially those Untapped potential
developing these technologies. The leader derived from forestry and agriculture.
Although power from biomass ¡s one of the most
As long as the biomass used is replaced (by of this project already operates a pioneering
promising technologies for renewable energy
natural regrowth or planting), then the process
combined heat and power (CHP) plant fuelled systems, it has not yet taken off in Europe.
is renewable. When biomass material is burned,
Advanced technologies, such as gasification,
with wood chips. Now, together with
the energy is released in the form of heat, along
offer higher efficiencies than more conventional
partners from the UK forestry industry, and
with carbon dioxide and water. The heat can be
combustion systems, but are not yet well-
a testing institute in Sweden, the company used directly, to heat homes and for cooking for
established enough in the marketplace to make
example, but on a larger scale, it can also be
is testing and developing the gasification a significant impact. If this technology is to fulfil
used to produce both local heating and electricity.
its potential, more needs to be done to technology to prepare it for commercial
The most common way to convert biomass fuels
encourage its application. As well as the benefits
exploitation.
to energy isto bum (combust) them, but they can
of biomass energy to the environment, from
also be gasified to produce combustible gases,
reducing the amount of fossil fuels that we
or converted to liquid fuels.
consume, the cultivation of energy crops hasan
QUALITY OF LIFE AND MANAGEMENT OF LIVING RESOURCES INTEGRATED PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING CHAINS FAIR: CO-OPERATIVE RESEARCH FOR SMEs
important role to play in the diversification of cooled and used to fuel an internal combustion INFORMATION
engine, which is coupled to a generator. The European agriculture.
hot engine exhausts are diverted through heat There are very few energy-from-biomass plants FULL TITLE:
exchangers and the resulting hot water is Research and development of markets and in operation using gasification technology. One
pumped to radiators in the museum. The plant supply strategies for short rotation forestry,
enterprising company in Northern Ireland was
generates about 400 kW of heat and 200 kW forest residue fuels and conversion technology
built and operates the first such plant in the United
of electricity and can operate, unmanned, for for CHP
Kingdom-a 200 kW , combined heat and power
24 hours a day for a period of six days. CONTACT:
(CHP) plant fuelled with wood chips from local
Now, research will be conducted at a test institute Debra Jenkins
sawmills. This demonstration plant provides
in Sweden using a fixed-bed downdraft gasification B9 Energy Biomass Ltd
space heating to the nearby Blackwater Valley
unit, 0.5 MW|h in size. Not only will certain 9 Shipquay Street
Museum and feeds enough electricity to the local
technical improvements be developed, to reduce Londonderry BT48 6DJ
distribution grid to supply more than 400 homes.
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom emissions and allow fuels with higher moisture
The plant is the first downdraft CHP gasification
Tel.: [phone] content to be used, but research into operating
unit in the world to have an automatic fuel-feeding
Fax: [phone] costs and fuel-supply strategies should point the
system, which means that it can operate
way to wider implementation of bio-energy PARTNERS:
continuously. The plant can be monitored
schemes. The participation of several forestry Western Forestry Cooperative Society Ltd (IE)
remotely, using a computer control system. companies from the UK and Ireland is expected Forestry Contracting Association Ltd (UK)
Waste heat from the cooling system is used to Ulster Agricultural Society Ltd (UK) to lead to opportunities for the development of
Swedish Machinery Testing Institute, dry the wood chips before they are fed to the markets for fuels produced by short rotation
Uppsala (SE) gasifier. The gas produced is cleaned and forestry (SRF) and by harvesting of forest residues.
PROGRAMME:
FAIR, Cooperative Research Measures
Ç LOCATION
IRELAND
SWEDEN
UNITED KINGDOM
\
JULY 2000 N/x FAIR: CO-OPERATIVE RESEARCH FOR SME: INTEGRATED PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING CHAINS
Unbottiing the secrets of cork processing (Courtesy: A. Silva Lda)
Pulling all the stops out
The traditional ¡mage associated with the acids, hemicelluloses, ions and ceroids,
To arrive at the corks we find in our bottles,
bottling image is that of corks. Producing good solubilise. This prevents their later movement.
the raw cork bark must be first processed.
quality corks that will maintain a perfect seal is The entire process takes place in batches,
Traditionally this involves two wet
big business. And it is under threat from steadily increasing the amount of extractable
operations, namely boiling and washing. synthetic corks. To fight this, perfection and compounds that appear in the water.
efficiency need to be honed. The project proposes two alternatives to This project wants to refine the process. First
There are two key wet steps essential to cork improve the water efficiency: one uses
they will evaluate autoclaving as an
transformation that ultimately determines autoclaves (i.e. pressure), whi