Education and Research in Biosystems or Agricultural and Biological Engineering in Europe; a Thematic Network (ERABEE-TN) 2nd ERABEE Workshop, 13-14 October 2008, Dublin, Ireland Biosystems Engineering Programs of Studies Placing Emphasis in the Areas of Bio-fuels, Bio-materials and Quality of Products in Czech Republic Pavel Kic, Vladimír Jurča, Petr Vaculík Faculty of Engineering Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague Czech Republic

1. There are different specialised courses including among others also the questions of liquid bio-fuels and solid bio-fuels, bio-materials and quality of products prepared at the Faculty of Engineering. The following courses are examples of courses, related to the mentioned problems of bio-fuels and biomaterials. All Technical Study programs at Faculty of Engineering Obligatory Course: - Fuels and lubricants - Energetic machinery and equipment Study program: Agricultural Machinery Study Course: - Tractors and vehicles Study program: Road transportation and city traffic - Internal combustion engines - Technology of road transportation - Special combustion engines and vehicles Study program: Waste disposal technology Study Course: - Biological processing of organic waste - Gas supply - Technological equipment in waste processing - Thermal processing of waste - Wraps and packaging - Processing of non-metal waste

Faculty of Agrobiology, food and natural resources prepared the whole study programs Quality of production (Bc level) and Quality and processing of agricultural products (MSc level). The following courses are examples of courses, related to the mentioned problems of quality of products. Study program: Quality of production (Bc) Quality and processing of agricultural products (MSc) Study Course: Physical properties of agro-materials Genetics Quality and processing of agricultural products Food marketing Human nutrition and health Dairying

2. Students enrolled in the mentioned study programs: Faculty of Engineering (total): Bc.: 1456 students MSc.: 365 students Study program: Agricultural Machinery: Bc. 82 students MSc. 30 students Road transportation and city traffic: Bc. 534 students MSc. 114 students Waste disposal technology: Bc. 89 students MSc. 41 students Faculty of Agrobiology, food and natural resources (total): Bc. 1033 students MSc. 455 students Quality of production: Bc. 56 students Quality and processing of agricultural products: MSc. 21 students

in the form of courses described in previous chapter. 3. The education in the field of bio-fuels, biomaterials and quality of products is included: in the form of courses described in previous chapter. Integral part of education is activity of students in the course of writing: semestral projects, diploma thesis and doctoral dissertation thesis. The problems of bio-fuels are quite popular subject matter of diploma or doctoral thesis.

4. The research provided in that area is focused on several problems solved in departments of the Faculty of Engineering, at CULS Prague. There are following departments active in the areas: Department of Physics: - Study of physical properties of biological materials Department of Material science and manufacturing technology - Technological and physical properties of metals and non-metal materials Department of Mechanical engineering: - Energetic and ecological aspects of utilization of biomass and waste products Department of Vehicles and ground transport: - Environmental aspects of ground transport Department of Agricultural machinery: - Research of physical properties of agricultural materials Department of technological equipment of buildings: - Influence of agricultural waste on environment - Energetic utilisation of solid and liquid biomass Department of machinery utilization: - Transformation of waste biomass in agriculture Department of quality and dependability of machines: - Evaluation of performance quality of biodegradable lubricants.

Students are involved in these research activities Students are involved in these research activities. They participate in the collection of information, preparation of research equipment, measurement and evaluation of results, according to the needs and possibilities of projects. The Faculty of Engineering CULS Prague keeps at its disposal several laboratories, which enable proving some experiments and measurement. There are e.g.: Laboratory of Physical properties of agricultural materials Laboratory of Technological properties of metals and non-metal materials Laboratory of Internal combustion engines tests of liquid bio-fuels; (it has among others 4 dynamometer brakes: 250 kW - diesel engine, 150 kW - diesel engine, 150 kW - petrol engine, 150 kW - petrol engine) Laboratory of Heat and emission measurement (combustion of solid bio-fuels in experimental boilers) Laboratory of Pellets and briquettes production for experimental purposes Laboratory of Lubrication and lubricants evaluation

Several research projects realised with use of laboratory equipment and students’ participation: Technological systems for utilisation of bio-fuels from energy crops Stoichiometric properties of solid biomass and liquid bio-fuels and its heat-emission characteristics Potential of agricultural waste for solid and liquid alternative fuel production Measurement method on cylinders for tests of emissions, fuel consumption and technical conditions of trucks, tractors and special vehicles Monitoring of biodegradable lubricants performance in gear boxes Laboratory tribometric tests of biodegradable lubricants of gear boxes Utilisation of contry waste in the form of standard bio-fuels Anaerobic processing of biodegradable waste Optimisation of combustion of mixed plant fuels Competition of bioenergetics products Logistics of bioenergetics raw materials Utilisation of energetic biomass in Czech conditions Research of new technological processes for efficient utilisation of agricultural and food waste

The first research was focused on the problems of: 5. Research activities on the field of bio-fuels started during the eighties in Czech Republic. The first research was focused on the problems of: conventional liquid bio-fuels of 1st generation (Bioethanol, Vegetable oil and Biodiesel). Bioetanol has been produced mainly from sugar beet and cereals, Biodiesel has been produced from oil crops, which is in Czech conditions mainly rape seed, by cold pressing and transesterification. There were also developed and tested under practical conditions Biogas production stations either with: liquid manure processing (slurry from pig production) or solid manure processing (large capacity cowsheds). The biogas produced by digestion has been used mainly for heating and electricity production CHP (combined heat and power production; cogeneration).

The main reason for development of bio-fuels 2nd generation is energy production from alternative sources, without reduction of foodstuffs supply and reserves needed for human nourishment. The research of liquid bio-fuels 2nd generation started about year 2000 and continues till now. These alternative bio-fuels include mainly synthetic bio-fuels BTL (Biomass–to–liquids) produced by gasification and synthesis from lignocelluloses raw materials and (Bio-ethanol) produced from lignocelluloses and transformed by hydrolysis and fermentation There is a small number of companies active in development and research and also producing bio-fuels and bio-materials in large scale production. The companies active in these fields of research and production could be interested to employ people educated and graduated in these specialisations in the future.

Tab. 1 Production, export, import and consumption of RME (Rape seed methyl ester) in CR Characteristics Unit 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Production 1000. t 19,3 27,6 15,7 30,63 67,2 71,1 104,4 113,5 87,13 128,6 Export from CR 3,2 1,5 0,08 0,03 0,072 22,4 31,3 43,5 46,70 133,5 Import to CR 8,7 11,4 25,8 20,2 2,9 0,04 0,06 6,20 8,00 Total consumption in CR 24,8 37,5 41,4 50,77 70,4 51,6 73,06 70,06 46,63 3,17

Tab. 2 The main producer of Bioethanol in CR Industrial producer of alcohol Main producer of bioethanol in CR Production 2006/2007 (hl) Production 2007/2008 (hl) Raw Material   Agroetanol TTD a. s. – Dobrovice 170 000 520 000 Sugar beet Other producers ? Cereals

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