Academic of the UCSC Faculty of Sciences carries out a research internship in Germany

Dr. Laura Azócar met with colleagues from the bioenergy area, to carry out different initiatives, in addition to learning about equipment and attending congresses.

During the last months of 2022 and the first half of January 2023, Dr. Laura Azócar, an academic from the Faculty of Sciences of the Catholic University of the Santísima Concepción (UCSC) traveled to the city of Leipzig in Germany, to carry out a research stay.

Specifically, he linked up with researchers from the bioenergy area of ​​the German Biomass Research Center (Deutsches Biomasse Forschungs Zentrum, DBFZ). This is part of his Fondecyt Regular research project. “I had contacts for some time, since we worked with them on an article. The DBFZ is a research center in the area of ​​bioenergy and the researchers with whom I have collaborated are linked to pellet production and combustion. These topics are linked to the Fondecyt line of research, so with the results of the research carried out we are now generating a new article, ”she said.

In this way, the study dealt with the production of pellets through hazelnut shells, where Dr. Hugo Garcés, from the UCSC Faculty of Engineering, has also participated. “The objective of the stay was to devise a formulation for the production of this type of pellets. We investigated different parameters such as particle size, equipment conditions, removal of a biomass component called extractable”, he explained. The samples were sent to a researcher from Spain, who also worked collaboratively in this instance.

It also seeks to work in the hazelnut shell biorefinery, this means generating a valuable product from these extractables, which are a kind of oil. Both the Chilean and the European reality are linked, since the fuel requirements for heating are important and relevant. “Germany is promoting the pellet industry, they are looking for alternatives, since they depended on Russian gas, which has been affected by the war,” the academic contextualized.

The extraction of hazelnut shells for the production of pellets is a subject that has been previously worked on, but not to a great extent, so it is a necessity.

The idea for the future is to continue promoting this collaborative work. Within the framework of the Fondecyt project, it is intended to invite DBFZ researchers in the current year 2023 and the next 2024, to the UCSC. “They also have research lines in biogas, hydrothermal carbonization and thermochemical processes. In addition to working with them in the laboratory, I had the chance to get to know all the facilities and the topics”, commented Dr. Azócar.

In the future, it is also intended to promote exchange and collaboration, which could materialize through links with a PhD student in Sciences with a major in Biodiversity and Bioresources (DCBB).

Finally, and taking advantage of the geographical proximity, Dr. Laura Azócar also participated in two congresses. One in India, whose theme was about liquefied gas, where she was able to strengthen ties with businessmen in the area of ​​national energy; and in Venice, in a meeting where she inquired about the production of bioenergy from waste.