JGSEE-CEE, KMUTT in collaboration with JICA, JST, Kyoto University, Akita University, CRIEPI, PTT-RTI and Kobe Steel Co. Ltd, successfully organized the Japan-Thailand SATREPS Workshop 2016 on “Development of Clean and Efficient Utilization of Low Rank Coals and Biomass by Solvent Treatment” on 1 March 2016 at KMUTT Bangkhuntien campus. This workshop was organized under the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development or SATREPS – a program supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). The aim of the workshop was to disseminate information about the project as well as the SATREPS program to both Thai and ASEAN researchers.
In the morning of the event, participants were invited to visit laboratories and a pilot plant of JGSEE at the Bangkhuntien campus. In the afternoon, Mr Hiroyuki Abe from JST, Ms Shoko Hayakawa, representative from JICA and Assoc Prof Dr Bundit Fungtammasan, Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation of KMUTT and head of the project, delivered some welcome remarks. Following the opening ceremony, Prof Kouichi Miura, principal investigator of the project, introduced the Japan – Thailand SATREPS work. Reports were then presented by Assoc Prof Dr Nakorn Warasuwannarak (JGSEE) on “What Can the Degradative Solvent Extraction Do?”, Dr Janewit Wannapeera (JGSEE researcher at Kyoto University) on “Preparation of Carbon Fiber from Clean Extract” and Dr Noriyuki Okuyama (Kobe Steel Co. Ltd) on “Towards Implementation of the Degradative Solvent Extraction Technology”.
Lectures were also delivered by ASEAN countries representatives. These included presentations by Prof Harwin Saptoadi (University of Gadjah Mada, Indonesia) on “Bioenergy status in Indonesia”, Dr Van Dinh Son Tho (Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Vietnam) on “Status of bioenergy in Vietnam”, Prof Hamdani Saidi (University of Technology, Malaysia) on “Status of bioenergy in Malaysia” and Dr Atty Pete H Maniego (National Renewable Energy Board, the Philippines) on “Status of RE development in the Philippines”.
The workshop was a great success gathering over 50 representatives from the academic, private and governmental sector in Thailand, other ASEAN countries and Japan.
