VENICE 2024 – 10th International Symposium on Energy from Biomass and Waste was held from 25th to 27th November 2024 at the Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal in Venice, Italy.
The Symposium was organised by IWWG–International Waste Working Group with the scientific involvement of the Universities of Hamburg (DE), Kyoto (JP), Padova (IT), Queensland (AU), Rostock (DE), Tongji (CN), Zhejiang (CN) and Sultan Qaboos University (OM).
This 10th edition brought together 214 delegates coming from all around the world, representing 36 different countries. The largest delegation came from South Korea (39 attendees), followed by Italy, China, Japan, Germany.The programme included more than 130 scientific presentations organised in 3 parallel tracks of oral sessions, workshops and posters, lively social events and outstanding networking opportunities.
As per tradition, the symposium included 4 Focus Sessions, moderated by different Symposium Chairs with focal points on current issues of energy from biomass and waste. A special guest in the first focus session on Artificial Intelligence and waste to energy was Prof. Arti Intel, who answered the questions of some of the best-known experts in the field. It turns out that the artificial intelligence (AI) could provide very reasonable answers on multiple aspects. However, diving deeper into the topics it became obvious that AI certainly has limitations and, maybe even more remarkable, tends to change its opinion in the course of discussions and dialogues. The other, all very well attended, Focus Sessions dealt with the issues of biogenic waste incineration, the interaction between energy and circular economy as well as the potential role of carbon capture as a tool to decarbonize the waste system.
All in all, the sessions focusing on biological treatment slightly dominated the symposium program which also shows that in this field there is still a substantial need for further research and development as well as optimization. On the other hand, the role of thermal treatment in waste and resource management systems is getting more and more complex. Originally developed as a means for sanitation and public health improvement, the focus changed to waste volume and mass reduction combined with inertization, via energy and heat production towards the provision of carbon for different purposes. All these aspects have been presented and discussed in a total of 8 sessions and workshops on this topic.
The framework of the symposium which was organized for the tenth time was the beautiful setting of Venice during the pre-Christmas season, combined with several social events organized by the symposium team. The delegates enjoyed a prestigious selection of Italian wines during the wine tasting and welcome cocktail in the fantastic setting of Hotel Monaco, a traditional Bacaro tour with local guides and friends and a Gala Dinner in typical Venetian style which was certainly unforgettable.
To sum up, VENICE 2024 was an amazing event and both delegates and organizers are already looking very much forward to 2026, when the symposium will celebrate its 20 years of activities.
Dr. Marco Ritzkowski
IWWG Managing Director
Besides traditional subjects like waste thermal treatments and biological processes, this edition was characterized by emerging topics such as artificial intelligence (AI) and carbon capture.
AI and its role in providing answers to waste-to-energy issues was critically discussed in a dedicated and interactive Focus Session particularly appreciated by the audience. An increasing number of papers discussing the use of AI to forecast performance and optimize processes was also reported compared to previous editions of the Symposium.
A lively debate took place on the best fate for captured CO2 emissions through carbon capture technologies: utilization or storage? The pros and cons of each route were discussed in the closing Focus Session, and a specific ordinary session on carbon capture was also organized. This topic is partly related to the subject of the Focus Session on biogenic waste incineration, whose level of environmental sustainability was discussed with the contribution of panelists and participants from different areas of the world.
This 10th edition also hosted sessions and workshops on hot topics like emerging contaminants (PFAS and bioplastics in organic waste fractions), biorefineries, hydrogen and biofuel production, energy production from algal biomass, and recycling of waste from the renewable energy sector. These topics, including AI, carbon capture and the relationship between waste-to-energy and circular economy, might play a key role in the next editions of the Symposium.
Finally, the three social events (one per day) in the marvelous city of Venice amplified the connections between participants in a festive atmosphere.
Dr. Marco Schiavon
Venice 2024 Scientific Secretary
Relive the best moments of Venice 2024 in the beautiful shots of the official photographer Sara Deidda and share the gallery on your social networks! PHOTO GALLERY 2024
