Highlights from the 2026 IEA Bioenergy Task 34 Workshop in Austria
The National Stakeholder Workshop on Direct Thermochemical Liquefaction, held in Wieselburg on 1 July 2026, brought together experts from Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, and the international IEA Bioenergy Task 34 network. Key topics included the conversion of regional waste streams into valuable products, innovative applications of biochar, new reactor concepts, and the scale-up of DTL technologies for industrial use. Several projects demonstrated how agricultural residues, sewage sludge, packaging waste, and other feedstocks can support circular carbon solutions. The workshop also highlighted opportunities for international cooperation and joint projects. A visit to BEST’s GreenCarbon Lab provided practical insights into pyrolysis and gasification technologies from laboratory to pilot scale.
A detailed overview of the presentations can be found in the table below.
| Speaker | Company/Organization | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Manuel Schwabl | BEST, Austria | Welcome Adress |
| Axel Funke | KIT, Germany | Tasklead Task 34 |
| Murlidhar Gupta | Canmet, Canada | Canada Task representative |
| Jean-Henry Ferrasse | AMU, France | France Task representative |
| Christian Lindfors | VTT, Finland | Finland task representative |
| Michael Thorson | PNNL, United States | |
| François-Xavier Collard | Scion, New Zealand | NZ Task representative |
| Bert van de Beld | BTG, The Netherlands | NL Task representative |
| Daniele Castello | AAU, Denmark | Carbon Lab research group |
| Johann Halbartschlager | Tech Consulting Service, Austria | Tech Consulting Service |
| Florian Preishuber-Pfluegl | Schunk Group, Austria | Schunk Carbon Technology |
| Wilfried Schnöll | Bio Fuel Systems GmbH, Austria | Bio Fuel Systems |
| Jude Onwudili | Aston University, Great Britain | Catalytic Co-hydroprocessingof Pyrolysis Bio-oils for Enhanced Yields of Upgraded Biofuels |
| Harald Bleier | Ecoplus, Austria | Ecoplus |
| Ferdinand Hartmann | BOKU, Austria | Bio-oil from Vineyard Residues |
| Lukáš Trakal | CZU, Czech Republic | Biochar in Czech Republik |
| Corinna Maria Grottola | STEMS, Italy | STEMS |
| Lukas Kurz | MCI, Austria | Adaption of waste wood in wood gasification Consideration of the pyrolysis stage |