image: Professor Patricia Thornley view more
Credit: Professor Patricia Thornley
Aston University bioenergy expert speaks at international event on sustainable agriculture
- Professor Patricia Thornley spoke on the theme of transport and biofuels: the road to net-zero
- She proposed UK-Brazil research collaborations in biofuel systems could be particularly fruitful
- Talk was followed by visit to the University by head of biofuels at the Brazilian energy ministry
16 February 2022 | Birmingham, UK
Professor Patricia Thornley, director of the Energy and Bioproducts Institute (EBRI) at Aston University and the national Supergen Bioenergy Hub, has joined other British and Brazilian academics and sustainability experts at an international event in London to debate major issues related to agricultural production.
AgriSustainability Talks is a series of annual seminars organised by the Brazilian Embassy dedicated to agriculture and sustainability. Its aim is to contribute to the debate on the sustainability of agricultural production around the world, from the perspectives of producers, consumers and regulators.
This year’s event Sustainable Agriculture: what is already working? took place at the Embassy of Brazil in London on Wednesday 9 February.
The event allowed UK and Brazilian stakeholders to meet to discuss the importance of agri-sustainability in global food production and trade, focusing on key environmental, economic and social issues. The role of biofuels iskey in the Brazilian economy and is the largest renewable energy sector in the UK.
Bioenergy expert Professor Thornley contributed to the discussion called ransport and biofuels: the road to net-zero. The panel presented Brazil’s biofuel policies, the sustainability of ethanol agricultural production and the importance of biofuels in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Professor Thornley presented work from Aston University and the Supergen Bioenergy Hub that showed the potential for significant carbon reductions around sugarcane to ethanol and other biofuel systems, and highlighted the importance of robust sustainability assessment criteria.
Managing land use and land-use change is a key component of the sustainability of such systems and she proposed that UK-Brazil research collaborations in that area could be particularly fruitful. The task of advancing and engineering state-of-the-art second-generation biofuel solutions was also a common goal for both countries with room for significant future research collaboration and transfer of learning across UK and Brazilian feedstocks. For example, while the UK has only recently introduced E10 petrol (containing up to 10% renewable ethanol), Brazil has had much higher ethanol blends for much longer, with many vehicles being able to run on 100% sugarcane-derived ethanol.
Professor Thornley said:
“Ensuring future biofuels are sustainable and actually deliver global carbon reductions is a key challenge on which the Supergen Bioenergy Hub is very firmly focused and EBRI/Aston researchers are leading the way on life cycle assessment and sustainability analyses that inform policy, support industrial strategy and deliver net carbon reductions.
“EBRI (Aston University) and the Supergen Bioenergy Hub therefore look forward to building closer research collaborations with our Brazilian counterparts as we move forward with common objectives.”
After the event in London, the head of biofuels at the Brazilian energy ministry, Pietro Mendes, travelled to Birmingham to visit EBRI’s facilities where he viewed Aston University’s bioenergy and biofuels research towards decarbonisation of the transport sector.
Notes to Editors
Founded in 1895 and a University since 1966, Aston is a long established university led by its three main beneficiaries – students, business and the professions, and our region and society. Aston University is located in Birmingham and at the heart of a vibrant city and the campus houses all the university’s academic, social and accommodation facilities for our students. Saskia Hansen is the interim Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive.
Aston University was named University of the Year 2020 by The Guardian and the University’s full time MBA programme has been ranked in the top 100 in the world in the Economist MBA 2021 ranking. The Aston MBA has been ranked 12th in the UK and 85th in the world.
For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Rebecca Hume, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44)7825 342091 or email n.jones6@aston.ac.uk
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