EIMA Energy: technologies and policies for agricultural biomass
The review focused on the use of vegetable raw materials for the generation of energy, organized as a part of EIMA International in Bologna, takes on special importance in light of the national plan for the bioenergy sector launched in August by the Italian government. Exhibitions, demonstration trials and conferences for promoting the production chains in the sector and developing cooperation with other countries
EIMA Energy is the salon dedicated to mechanization technologies and plant for exploiting agricultural biomass for the generation of energy organized by FederUnacoma and Itabia, the Italian Biomass Association, and scheduled for next November 12 to 16 in the framework of EIMA International. The salon is coming along as an important event for national energy policy. In August, the Ministry for Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy, thanks to the vital Itabia contribution, unwrapped a Plan for the Sector of Bioenergy which acknowledges the strategic importance of agricultural and forestry biomass and the pivotal role these resources can play in defining sustainable development procedures. Against this backdrop, the bioenergy salon is coming as an excellent occasion for spotlighting this new government strategy and showcasing what the mechanization industry can offer for the efficient management of these green energy resources and for providing information on experiences and comparisons of technical models to adopt in the various areas of the country. Other than the exposition side set up by the manufacturing industries turning out bioenergy and machinery and plant, the EIMA Energy area will include space for demonstration trials and a packed schedule of seminars and conferences ranging from information for the general public to technical and policy sessions dedicated to experts and professional business people in the field.
One area in the trade fair center will be allocated to the researchers of CNR IVALSA, the National Research Council and the Tree and Timber Institute, who will stage live demonstration trials of the technical features of the most innovative machinery designed for the production of biomass of agricultural and forestry origin for energy.
Four small areas will be put in place according to machinery types: moving wood, working firewood, forestry chipping, shredding and pelleting residues and collecting and conditioning agriculture residues. The area has been planned to ensure the safety of visitors passing through to witness animation features at different times of day.
The themes of the seminars planned, to be handled by experts and teachers, are Mechanization and Biomass, Energy Culture, Technologies for Transforming Biomass to Energy, Regulations and Incentives for the Development of Biomass and Good Practices and Case Studies for Various Productions Chains. There will also be an important international workshop entitled, Biomass and the Land: Made in Italy Experience for New International Markets, organized in collaboration with the magazine Nuova Energia, involving delegations from various countries attending EIMA International. The purpose of this workshop will be to describe the technical know-how developed in Italy over recent years and explore cooperation opportunities with countries abroad, especially those with substantial agricultural economies which are more open to the utilization of energy resources recovered from the land such as forestry biomass, livestock raising byproduct wastes and agricultural cultivations.