REGATEC 2026 SPEAKER LINE UP
| Renewable methane – status, policy and mobility |
| Biomethane development in Sweden Maria Malmkvist, Swedish Gas Association |
 Maria Malmkvist has a MSc degree from the Institute of Technology at Linköping University. In February 2016 she became the CEO of the Swedish Gas Association. She has experience from consultancy work at WSP, and she was the head of unit Energy efficiency and the deputy department head at the Swedish Energy Agency. Maria is a member of the European Biogas Association’s executive board. |
| Complete decarbonization of the Danish gas grid, and beyond Bruno Sander Nielsen, Danish Biogas Association |
 Bruno Sander Nielsen has worked for the Danish Biogas Association, Biogas Danmark, since the establishment in 1997, the first 20 years as head of the secretariat and since 2017 as COO. He has long experience in promoting the production and use of biogas and using the biogas plants to promote a sustainable development in agriculture and waste sectors integrating the energy and circular economy sectors. In addition to advocacy for optimal political framework conditions he has long experience in knowledge sharing and dissemination within the biogas sector at national and international level. |
| Gas it up! How biomethane helps Sweden, Europe and the World switch to sustainable mobility. Mattias Goldmann, Swedish 2030 Secretariat |
 Mattias Goldmann is the CEO of the Swedish 2030 Secretariat. He was knighted by the French government for his climate work, named the most powerful in sustainability in Sweden, and awarded “Debate Maker of the Year 2024”. In previous capacities he has been elected Future Politician of the Year and won the Lobbyist of the Year award. Mattias is the author of numerous books on climate and transport, a well-known speaker and features on TEDx. He is based in Stockholm, after recently moving back from Bangkok where he worked for three years with Eastern Asia’s switch to sustainable mobility. |
| Market projections, technology needs and regulatory barriers from the investor’s perspective – 6 minutes pitches |
| Ragnar Stare, St1 Biokraft International AB |
 Ragnar Stare has been active for more than 25 years as M. Sc. chemical engineer, most of the times with designing, building or developing applications and projects with throughput of renewable materials, as process engineer, project manager (PMP) an operations manager. He has experience of development of both Biogas plants and (Thermochemical) gasification. |
| Eero Lallukka, Gasum |
 M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering and Management, Eero has 20 years of experience from projects in different industries. Vast majority of his career Eero has focused on strategic project procurement. In his position as Senior Manager, Procurement, he has led investment-related procurement at Gasum since joining in 2019. Gasum’s big focus on biogas has kept Eero and his colleagues busy in the project development and execution team. Scaling up investments in own biogas production, along with strengthening the biomethane offtake sourcing network is one of the company’s strategic priorities. |
| Kathrin Bienert, VNG AG |
 Kathrin Bienert is Senior Research and Development Manager for Green Gases at VNG AG in Germany, a position she has held since 2020. Her work focuses on projects related to biogas, biomethane, and hydrogen. She studied Energy Engineering Management at the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK) and subsequently obtained a Master’s degree in Renewable Energy Systems Technologies from Loughborough University, UK. Prior to joining VNG, she worked in project development at a technology company specializing in biomass gasification and as a research associate at the German Biomass Research Centre (DBFZ), building strong expertise in renewable gas technologies and energy systems. |
| Johnny Holst, Shell Energy Europe |
 Short biography. |
| Biomass gasification |
| Comparative life cycle emissions and cost performance of bioenergy carrier export pathways based on Canadian forest residues Adefarati Oloruntoba, University of Calgary |
 Dr. Adefarati Oloruntoba is a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Calgary, specializing in biomass conversion, low carbon fuel systems, and life cycle assessment. His work integrates chemical process intensification, thermochemical conversion, and systems level sustainability analysis to evaluate the technical, environmental, and economic performance of advanced bioenergy pathways. He holds an MSc in Energy and Environment from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, and a PhD in Power Engineering and Thermophysics from China University of Petroleum, Beijing. He has authored about 30 peer reviewed publications. His current research examines life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, biogenic carbon accounting, and life cycle costing of bioLNG and other biomass derived fuels across transcontinental supply chains. |
| Electrification of gasification-based Biomass-to-SNG processes Sebastian Fendt, Technical University of Munich |
 Dr.-Ing. Sebastian Fendt leads the research group “Circular Carbon Technologies” at the Chair of Energy Systems of the Technical University of Munich. He conducts research at the intersection of hydrogen technologies, Power-to-X pathways, and sustainable process engineering including electrification of renewable fuel and chemical producion. He coordinates the university-wide network TUM.Hydrogen and Power-to-X and contributes to national and international initiatives advancing renewable energy technologies. As a lecturer, reviewer, and frequent speaker, he engages across academia, industry, and policy to foster innovation in sustainable energy systems. |
| The EemsGas / TNO industrial scale bioSNG demo project Jan-Willem Könemann, TNO |
 Jan-Willem is a business developer in the TNO Unit “Energy & Materials Transition” and more specifically leading the TNO program “Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals”. Within this cluster TNO scientists are developing novel process integration and process intensification concepts, for the production of both e-fuels & -chemicals as well as bio-fuels & -chemicals. Jan-Willem is energized by working in an creative and innovative environment. As chemical engineer he has always worked on the interface of technical solutions and business development. “It is my mission to empower the scientists and technicians at TNO by boosting the development of innovative technologies, take these out of the lab and introduce these in industry, where it can truly have impact.” |
| Integrated Biomass Processing for Complete Carbon Utilisation and Bio-Fuels Production for Sustainable Economy Vivek Verma, Spray Engineering Devices Ltd. |
 Mr. Vivek Verma founded Spray Engineering Devices Limited (SED) in 1992 and is currently the Managing Director of the company. He is Agriculture Engineer from G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pant-Nagar Uttarakhand, India. His expertise lies in Thermal Engineering and Heat Recycling which has resulted in the development of Disruptive Technologies for Sugar, Biofuel, Jaggery and Wastewater Sectors. Under his Dynamic leadership and technical guidance, the company has established its presence in more than 40 countries by leveraging its energy efficient products, innovative technologies, and solutions.” |
| Synergies between different conversion routes |
| Heat integration between a biogas plant and a biochar production unit – case study Jörgen Ejlertsson, St1 Biokraft AB |
 Jörgen Ejlertsson is Head of R&D at St1 Biokraft. He has a PhD in anaerobic microbiological process from the Department of Water and Environmental Studies (now Environmental Change) at Linköping University and a Docent grade from the same department. He has, together with the R&D group at St1Biokraft, a deep collaboration with the academia and especially Linköping University via the Department of Environmental Change and the Biogas Solutions Research Center, where he has been in the board since 2013. In his work, Jörgen strives towards resource efficient solutions, where waste and residues streams are digested to biogas and digestates are refined to tailored bio-fertiliser products. His work combines practical know-how with findings from novel research projects driven in collaboration between the academia and the R&D group in Linköping. |
| Biochar through pyrolysis and hydrothermal processes as sorbents for gas purification José María Sánchez Hervás, CIEMAT |
 Dr. in Chemical Engineering by Complutense University, Madrid, Spain. Senior Researcher at CIEMAT (Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas) where he has worked since 1995. Currently he is the Coordinator of the Scientific Research Area on Bioenergy, Bio-products and Waste and Head of the Sustainable Thermochemical Valorization Unit. His research topics include thermochemical conversion (gasification, pyrolysis, and liquefaction), gas cleaning and upgrading by means of catalytic and sorbent-based processes, hydrogen production and CO2 valorization. He has participated in more than 60 R&D projects, at national and international level. |
| From combustion to Carbon recycling – SNG as new product in the CHP sector Christer Gustavsson, BioShare AB |
 Christer has 30 years’ experience from the forest- and energy business, spanning from engineering to business development and investing. He holds a PhD in energy systems analysis and is passionate about developing research results to innovations and business. Before founding BioShare AB in 2017 he had a long career at the engineering and consulting company Pöyry, and held the position as manager for their Biorefining business in Scandinavia for 10 years. |
| Closing the Loop: Austria’s First Small-Scale Bio-CO2 Capture and Liquefaction System Beatriz Corceiro, Bright Renewables |
 I am an industrial engineer with a Master’s degree in Renewable Energy Engineering, which I completed partly at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. After completing my master’s degree, I returned to my home country, Portugal, where I worked for two years as a project developer for renewable energy projects, primarily in the solar and hydropower sectors. In 2024, I took on a new challenge as an Area Sales Manager for carbon capture systems at Bright Renewables, where one of my focus regions is Scandinavia. In my role as an Area Sales Manager, I work closely with each client to ensure they receive the technical solution that best fits their specific project requirements and strategic goals.. |
| Methanation and upgrading |
| Maximizing Energy Efficiency in Biogas Upgrading: Lessons from Germany’s Largest Fleet of PSA Plants in combination with CO2 liquefaction Marco Weiss, ETW Energietechnik GmbH |
 Marco Weiss is the Managing Partner at ETW Energietechnik GmbH, Germany’s leading manufacturer of biogas upgrading systems. He leads the company’s global strategy, sales, and product innovation. A specialist in process engineering, Marco focuses on PSA technology and CO2 liquefaction, providing cutting-edge solutions for the international biomethane market, focusing on the intersection of innovation and maximum energy efficiency. |
| Ammongas amine upgrading – heat as an opportunity Aikaterini Biotaki, Ammongas A/S |
 Aikaterini Biotaki is a Product and Strategic Sales Manager with more than eight years of experience across commercial, operational, and strategic roles within engineering led and industrial sectors. She has held strategic and technical commercial roles at Ammongas, Cadeler, NOV, and Minova, leading transformation initiatives, CRM and digital enablement programs, complex tender development, and cross functional execution for high value international projects. Her work spans commercial strategy, go to market development, pricing, and business operating model design, combining strong technical insight with commercial acumen. |
| Upscaling of the GICON® Trickle Bed Methanation Process in the Framework of Cometha and WeMetBio II projects Marko Burkhardt, GICON® GmbH |
 Dr. Marko Burkhardt is technical manager of the research department of GICON® GmbH in Cottbus/Germany. His scientific work is located in process development and application of anaerobic digestion. Dr. Burkhardt has more than 20 years experince in education and research in anaerobic processes technology. He managed several projects of material and energy recovery from biomass and waste at the Institute of Environmental Technology at the Department of Circular Economy at the Technical University of Brandenburg. To obtain his PhD in 2012 he developed an innovative process design for biomethanation, which has been patented. Since 2018 he owns the postdoctoral lecture qualification in biochemistry and bioengineering technology. |
| Efficiently boosting renewable methane production by integrating biomethanation and biomethane liquefaction Dieter Blank, Nordsol B.V. |
 Dieter Blank is a Process Engineer at Nordsol, focusing on the development of bio-LNG installations and the integration of biomethanation into the bio-LNG process. He holds a Master’s degree in Energy, Flow & Process Technology from Delft University of Technology. |
| Power-to-gas |
| Powering the transition: Sustainable hydrogen production through efficient electrolyser technology Theresa Falkendal, Hymeth |
 Dr. Theresa Falkendal is the CTO at Hymeth, with over five years of experience in the hydrogen industry. With a background in academia, she combines strong research expertise with industrial innovation in the field of sustainable energy technologies. At Hymeth, she leads the development of advanced small-scale alkaline electrolysis systems, including patented technology. Her work focuses on improving system efficiency, reliability, and scalability, while addressing challenges related to harsh alkaline environments, material degradation, and real-world industrial operation. |
| Beyond the Lab: Delivering the World’s First Industrial Grid?to?Grid Biomethanation Plants Dheeraj Kanaparthi, MicroPyros BioEnerTec GmbH |
 Dr. Dheeraj Kanaparthi holds a doctorate in biogeochemistry from the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg and a postdoctoral position at the Helmholtz Institute and the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Munich. Much of his academic research focuses on understanding the activity of methanogenic archaea in natural environments. He is currently working in the field of power-to-gas, leading microbiology research team at MicroPyros BioEnerTec GmbH. |
| Pilot-scale one-step methanation: catalyst screening and process optimization Philipp Wilker, German Biomass Research Center (DBFZ) |
 Philipp Wilker holds a Diploma in Process Engineering from TU Bergakademie Freiberg. Since May 2023, he has been working as a research associate at the DBFZ Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum (German Biomass Research Center), where he is involved in the execution and coordination of research projects focusing on thermochemical biomass gasification, syngas upgrading, and downstream synthesis processes, particularly methanation. Within the large-scale project Pilot-SBG, his current work at DBFZ centers on the catalytic methanation of biogas. |
| Power-to-BioSNG – From Pilot Plant Operation in Austria to Commercial Scale-Up Martin Peham, Cairos |
 Martin Peham studied Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Leoben. After graduating, he gained experience in academic research in the field of heterogeneous catalysis, followed by a five-year period in the raw material processing industry, where he was responsible for the engineering and commissioning of large-scale industrial plants.Later, he returned to academia through the Spin-off Fellowship Program of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), focusing on transferring innovative technologies from research into practical applications. Today, he works on scaling catalytic methanation technologies from laboratory and pilot scale to industrial-scale plants with Cairos. |
| Liquefaction |
| BioLNG development in Italy Lorenzo Maggioni, Freelancing biomethane expert |
 Lorenzo Maggioni, PhD, is an agronomist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in renewable energy, with deep expertise in biogas, biomethane, and bioLNG. He spent 15 years at the Italian Biogas Consortium (CIB), leading R&D, managing biomethane initiatives, and coordinating EU-funded projects. He currently advises investment funds, energy companies, and institutions on plant development, certification, and compliance. Lorenzo collaborates with Italy’s National Research Council and lectures at the Rome Business School. Appointed in 2024 to the University of Genoa’s Economics Department, he is a published expert and frequent international speaker on renewable gas and sustainability. |
| A Decade of Biogas and CO2 Liquefaction Technologies: Experience, Innovation and the SMART DCE Approach Gennaro Formisano, SIAD Macchine Impianti SpA |
 Gennaro Formisano is LNG Business Development Manager for SIAD Macchine Impianti S.p.A. with the aim to make stronger the market position of SIAD Macchine Impianti in the LNG business, where they are already leader for technology and plant installed worldwide. This role comes after over 10 years of experience like Senior Project Manager for Small Scale LNG plants, Bio-methane Liquefaction plants and Air Separation Units. During the years he has also developed a wide knowledge about the LNG liquefaction technology and market dynamics. |
| Biomethane in Action: Lessons Learned from Turbo Brayton Liquefaction Yannick Rouaud, Air Liquide advanced Technologies |
 Yannick Rouaud leads business development for Turbo Brayton technology in onshore cryogenic applications, including the bio-LNG sector. With over 35 years of experience at Air Liquide, he has held various business development roles across industrial sectors such as steel, chemicals, and oil & gas. In 2010, he transitioned to the bio-LNG industry, supporting the rapid expansion of projects in Northern Europe. Since then, he has contributed to the delivery of proven machines and installations, leveraging Air Liquide Advanced Technologies’ long-standing global expertise in cryogenics and small-scale LNG. |
| Closing session |
| Torrgas syngas platform for carbon-negative bioSNG production Robin Post van der Burg, Torrgas Technology B.V. |
 After working 10 years in the Chemical Industry in the Netherlands, USA and the UK, Robin co-founded Topell Energy in 2006 proving torrefaction technology on commercial production scale. In 2012, Robin co-founded Torrgas: development of a modular and scalable biomass gasification platform for the production of synthetic chemicals and fuels. In 2016 Robin co-founded Torrgreen: world’s first mobile torrefaction technology for crop residues. Robin is currently Director at Torrgas and Torrgreen. He holds an MSc. in Chemical Engineering from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, and an MBA from Rotterdam School of Management, the Netherlands. |
| Introducing Flame and continuing the legacy of REGATEC Ryan O’Donnell, Informa |
 Ryan O’Donnell is the General Manager – Specialty Products & Commodities at Informa. |