Prof Luuk van der Wielen of UL’s Bernal Institute is exploring the use of Ireland’s vast agro-forestry residues in bioaviation fuel.
A growing area within the University of Limerick’s Bernal Institute is biofuels, which, in an Irish context, has even greater potential value, given our long tradition in agriculture.
All of that agriculture produces not only food, but vast quantities of waste and by-products that could, with the right harnessing, create natural and renewable energies.
“The benefits of biofuels in relation to the Irish context is that it can give value to much of the rural residues that you have – so, agricultural residues and forestry residues,” explained Prof Luuk van der Wielen, the institute’s director.
Words by Colm Gorey