The International Bioenergy Conference Board with 2015 Award recipient Geoff de Ruiter.

Geoff de Ruiter is a big advocate for biocoal. So much so he’s devoted his entire PhD thesis at UNBC to it.

He’s been working with a local B.C.-based company BC Biocarbon to help industry adopt the renewable coal-like fuel made from wood waste hog fuel. He uses lifecycle assessments to determine greenhouse gases for various biocoal applications.

“Biocoal makes sense to ship around the world because it holds around one-third more energy in the same space,” said de Ruiter, a Pacific Institute of Climate Solutions PhD Fellow from UNBC. “I think there is a very good chance we will see a large shift in the next five to 10 years in how we export biofuels as a solid fuel source.

To help with the costs of his research, de Ruiter received the Bioenergy Award in 2015.
The $1,000 award was established by the International Bioenergy Conference Board in 2012 and is given out every year to an undergraduate or graduate student based on academics and bioenergy research. The International Bioenergy Conference is held every two years in Prince George.

“The Bioenergy Award has directly paid for my university campus fees,” said de Ruiter. “It has really helped in removing that cost from my financial planning.”

BC Biocarbon’s proprietary pyrolysis process (chemical decomposition of organic material) produces biocoal that is chemically and energetically similar to petroleum coke (petcoke) and coal.

The product shows great potential in reducing bioenergy transportation emissions and shipping costs to Europe, compared to commonly exported wood pellets, as well as reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions from coal-fired power plants, cement production and lead smelting by substituting their currently used solid high carbon fuels they already use.

De Ruiter’s next step is to expand his research to non-combustion applications of charred wood products and complete his PhD next spring.