Advisory Board

The DiBiCoo Advisory Board consists of 8 representatives of the different target groups based on recommendations from the consortium. With their vast experience and knowledge on biogas technologies, they act as a sounding board and additional resource persons to the project and provide non-binding strategic advice and thereby help DiBiCoo to understand the business, market and industry trends better. Furthermore, they improve the outreach and communication of the project to various target groups. Advisory Board Members do not receive financial compensation nor have the authority to vote.

Mr. Julio Enrique Menéndez

Head of Argentine Chamber of Renewable Energy / Bioenergy (CADER)

  • Head of Argentina Chamber of Renewable Energy/ Bioenergy (CADER); CADER is important to help the new administration to define the correct policy and goals on renewable energy
  • Works as consultant, auditor & University professor in the business development for bioenergy sector
  • Organizer, coordinator, lecturer of workshops & conferences in different chambers and organizations of the sector
  • Participated in numerous public & private sector groups, local and internationally
  • Active worker for rural development, decentralized renewable energy production systems to achieve resolution of environmental and social problems related to agriculture, livestock, forestry and related industrial waste, with focus on added value at source

Dr. Richard Bayitse

Head of Sanitation & Environmental Management Division CSIR Institute of Industrial Research – Ghana

Skills:

  • Project Coordination: 7 years’ experience as project coordinator in Global Challenge Research Fund and EU sponsored projects involving CSIR-IIR and other partners from Europe, Asia and Africa
  • Hydrolysis and Fermentations: Expertise on hydrolysis and fermentation processes optimization. Main expertise topic is Anaerobic and Aerobic Fermentation Processes for bioethanol, amino acids and biogas production.
  • Waste Management: Waste treatment, analysis and characterization.
  • Environmental Resources Mapping: Using unmanned aerial vehicles to map and characterize settlements using GIS software

Recent Project Activities

  • Coordinating Water for Sanitation and Health Research under GCRF funded project RECIRCULATE at 2 slum comminutes in Accra, Ghana (2018 to 2021)
  • Coordinating the building of Biogas Demonstrator Plant under GCRF-EPSRC funded project ACTUATE at Umar Bun Hatab Islamic School in Accra, Ghana (2019 to 2021)

Academic Background

  • PhD Food Science, 2017, University of Ghana, Ghana
  • MSc Environmental Management, 2012, Coventry University, UK
  • MPhil Environmental Science, 2010, University of Ghana, Ghana
  • BSc (Hons) Chemistry, 2000, Cape Coast University, Ghana
  • Dip Laboratory Technology, 1996, Cape Coast University, Ghana

Recent Professional Experience

  • Jan 2010 to date. Member Ghana Science Association,
  • Feb 2008 to date. Technical Committee member for granting permit to Manufacturing Companies in Ghana
  • Jan 2009 to date. Technical Committee member for drafting standards for Ghana Standard Authority
  • July 2020 to 31 December 2021. Visiting Researcher, Environmental Centre, Lancaster University

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Frank Scholwin

Institute for Biogas, Waste Management & Energy

  • CEO Institute for Biogas, Waste Management & Energy
  • Honorary professor Biogas/Bioenergy Rostock University
  • Member of EBA (vice head of scientific advisory council), Fachverband Biogas, German Biogas and Bioenergy Society, active in Research Centre for Renewable Gases (R2Gas) and Baltic Energy Innovation Centre (BEIC)
  • Advisory board of BRC – Biogas Research Centre Sweden
  • Past: CEO at DeutschesBiomasseForschungsZentrum (DBFZ) until 2012
  • Thematic focus biogas & biomethane consultany and knowledge transfer
  • DiBiCoo contribution: critical review of activities and strategies, experiences in China & South America

Dr. Attila Kovacs

Secretary General, European Renewable Gas Registry (ERGaR)

  • CEO Institute for Biogas, Waste Management & Energy
  • Honorary professor Biogas/Bioenergy Rostock University
  • Member of EBA (vice head of scientific advisory council), Fachverband Biogas, German Biogas and Bioenergy Society, active in Research Centre for Renewable Gases (R2Gas) and Baltic Energy Innovation Centre (BEIC)
  • Advisory board of BRC – Biogas Research Centre Sweden
  • Past: CEO at DeutschesBiomasseForschungsZentrum (DBFZ) until 2012
  • Thematic focus biogas & biomethane consultany and knowledge transfer
  • DiBiCoo contribution: critical review of activities and strategies, experiences in China & South America

Dr.-Ing. Muhammad Abdul Kholiq

Chairman of Indonesian Biogas Association

  • Chairman of Indonesian Biogas Association
  • Vice Chairman of Asia Pacific Biogas Alliance
  • Center of Technology for Energy Resources and Chemical Industry (PTSEIK) and Center of Environmental Technology (PTL) at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) under the Ministry for Research and Technology (Ristek)
  • Extensive research experiences e.g. on Design & Construction of Biogas Plant from Different Feed Stock, e.g. Wastewater from Bioethanol Plant, POME, Organic Waste, etc.
  • Biogas Training and Tour by IBBK in Stuttgart and Baden Wurtemberg/Bavaria 2016
  • PhD from Saarland University, Germany in Biochemical Engineering on Sustainability Assessment of Biotechnological Processes at the Early Development Phases. 2007
  • MSc from Hamburg University of Technology, Germany in Process Engineering. Master Thesis on Development of Fuzzy Based Logic Control for Anaerobic Digestion of Organic Waste. 2001
  • Dipl.-Ing, (FH) from Nuremberg University of Applied Sciences, Germany in Chemical Engineering. Diploma Thesis on Pretreatment of Organic Waste for Anaerobic Digestion. 1998

Mr. Harmen Dekker

Director of the European Biogas Association (EBA)

  • With a combined experience of more then 15 years in both the water treatment as well as the renewable gas sector, he has a strong focus on sustainability.
  • Within a water treatment sector he set up as director various subsidiaries and expanded in new geographic regions.
  • This continued in the renewable gas sector with additional focus on the implementation of new techniques for valorising biogas, such as BioLNG and BioMethanol.
  • He has his background in chemistry and business administration

Mr. Reginold Cooke (Eddie)

Director of Southern African Gas Association (SAGA)

  • Currently serves as director on Southern African Gas Association (SAGA) and part of his duties is as technical standards convener for LNG, CNG and Biogas standards at SABS
  • Specialize in design, installation and commissioning of gas infrastructure with focus of safety and compliance.
  • Currently also serving as Technical Director of Southern African Biogas Industries Association (SABIA) NPC.
  • Started a consultant company specializing in LNG, CNG and Biogas consultation services across Southern Africa.
  • Started LPG business 20 years ago which included running vehicles on LPG and is still involved with LPG distribution.
  • Involved in CNG and all its technologies for the last 15 years; involved with the first Biogas to Vehicle fuel project that started 8 years ago in South Africa.

Dr. Frehiwot Woldehanna

Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Water and Energy

  • Dr. Frehiwot has served as State Minister at the Ministry of Water and Energy, and as an Associate Professor at Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Addis Ababa University.
  • He was founding Head of the Center of Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Technology, which attempts to fill the gap in the health sector through undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
  • He is a Member of the Ethiopian Society of Electrical Engineers and was its President for over five years
  • His current responsibility is leading the energy sector through its utilities (the Ethiopian Electric Power and the Ethiopian Electric Utility) and sector regulator (the Ethiopian Energy Authority). 
  • He focuses on executing the power sector reform program with focus areas including universal access, service quality, utilities technical and financial performance improvement, private sector engagement, and human capital.