Prior to 2004 his major research interests (during his tenure in the School of Chemistry of the University of Birmingham, 1960-1998) were primarily focussed on the chemistry of soil organic matter, the interactions between anthropogenic organic chemicals and clays and humic substances, the interactions of water and of natural and synthetic polymers with clays and (hydr)oxides and the relevance of these to soil structure and to the properties of drilling muds. Since 2004 he has concentrated mainly on second generation biorefining, and on the chemistry and interactions of humic substances.
He is a Past President of the International Humic Substances Society, has held the Chairmanship of Commission II (Soil Chemistry) of the International Society of Soil Science (now IUSS), was elected to Membership of the Royal Irish Academy, and to Honorary memberships of the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), and of the International Humic Substances Society (IHSS). He is co-editor of 10 books dealing with Soil Colloids (including Humic Substances), and author of numerous articles in Scientific Journals, Chapters in Books, and Conference Proceedings.
A full list of publications, books, chapters, conference proceedings, and patents, can be downloaded from the website.
The publications below are those of most relevance to Carbolea.
S.A. Barker, P. Finch, M.H.B. Hayes, R.G. Simmonds, and M. Stacey. 1965. Isolation and preliminary characterisation of soil polysaccharides. Nature (London)
S.A. Barker, M.H.B. Hayes, R.G. Simmonds, and M. Stacey, 1967. Studies on soil polysaccharides I. Carbohyd. Res. 5, 13-24.
P. Finch, M.H.B. Hayes, and M. Stacey, 1971. Biochemistry of soil polysaccharides. In A.D. McLaren and J.J. Skujins (eds), Soil Biochemistry Vol. II, Marcel Dekker, New York, pp. 257-319. 72
.M.V. Cheshire and M.H.B. Hayes, 1990. Compositions, origins, structures, and reactivities of soil polysaccharides. In M.F. DeBoodt, M.H.B. Hayes, and A. Herbillon (eds), 1990. Soil Colloids and Their Associations in Aggregates. Plenum, New York and London, pp. 307-336.
Daniel J. Hayes, S.W. Fitzpatrick, M.H.B. Hayes, and J.R.H. Ross. 2005. The Biofine Process: Production of levulinic acid. furfural and formic acid from lignocellulosic feedstocks. In B. Kamm, V.R. Gruber, and M. Kamm (eds) Biorefineries, Volume 1, Principles and Fundamentals. Wiley-VCH. pp. 139-164.
Daniel J. Hayes, Michael H.B. Hayes, and Margaret M. Daly. 2006. Operação inovadora de biorrefino para produção de oleos
S.A. Barker, P. Finch, M.H.B. Hayes, R.G. Simmonds, and M. Stacey. 1965. Isolation and preliminary characterisation of soil polysaccharides. Nature (London)
S.A. Barker, M.H.B. Hayes, R.G. Simmonds, and M. Stacey, 1967. Studies on soil polysaccharides I. Carbohyd. Res. 5, 13-24.
P. Finch, M.H.B. Hayes, and M. Stacey, 1971. Biochemistry of soil polysaccharides. In A.D. McLaren and J.J. Skujins (eds), Soil Biochemistry Vol. II, Marcel Dekker, New York, pp. 257-319. 72
.M.V. Cheshire and M.H.B. Hayes, 1990. Compositions, origins, structures, and reactivities of soil polysaccharides. In M.F. DeBoodt, M.H.B. Hayes, and A. Herbillon (eds), 1990. Soil Colloids and Their Associations in Aggregates. Plenum, New York and London, pp. 307-336.
Daniel J. Hayes, S.W. Fitzpatrick, M.H.B. Hayes, and J.R.H. Ross. 2005. The Biofine Process: Production of levulinic acid. furfural and formic acid from lignocellulosic feedstocks. In B. Kamm, V.R. Gruber, and M. Kamm (eds) Biorefineries, Volume 1, Principles and Fundamentals. Wiley-VCH. pp. 139-164.
Daniel J. Hayes, Michael H.B. Hayes, and Margaret M. Daly. 2006. Operação inovadora de biorrefino para produção de oleos combustiveis e de quimico-platforma a partir de carboidratos de biomassa e de residuos diversos. In F.H. Dubbern de Souza, E.B. Pott, O. Primavesi, A.C. de Campos Bernardi, and A. de Andrade Rodrigues (eds) Usos alternativos da palhada residual
Hayes, M. H. B. 2006. Biochar and biofuels for a brighter future (letter). Nature, 442, 144
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Hayes, D. J., Hayes, M. H. B. (2009). "The role that lignocellulosic feedstocks and various biorefining technologies can play in meeting Ireland’s biofuel targets."Biofpr, 3(5), 500-520
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Michael Hayes is mostly involved in the following projects:
Carbolea is co-ordinating a large FP7 project that involves close collaboration between 13 partners, 7 from Latin America and 6 from Europe. The focus of this project is on the sustainable production of diesel miscible biofuels from the residues and wastes of both regions.
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The EPA STRIVE programme has funded a project that will allow Carbolea researchers to analyse, in detail, the various waste materials that arise in Ireland. The laboratory analysis will be geared towards looking for components relevant to hydrolysis or thermochemical biorefining technologies. Near Infrared Spectroscopy will also be integrated into the analytical protocol and its utility in the rapid analysis of waste will be assessed. The primary compositional data will inform a comparison between utilising these waste materials in biorefineries compare with more traditional means of waste treatment.
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In association with the Department of Agriculture, UL researchers are undertaking a desk-based evaluation of biorefining technologies and feedstocks for Ireland with a focus on the products of the agricultural sector. This work also involves a signifcant amount of lab-work characterising these feedstocks.
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Various types of peats have been collected and analysed via wet chemical and spectroscopic techniques. The resulting compositional data have enabled predictions to be made concerning the value of these peats in various biorefining technologies.
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A major project is underway involving the production of biochar and the analysis of its properties and how these influence its utility as a plant growth promoter, pollution remediant, and means for sequestering atmospheric carbon.
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Bio-Oil is being produced via fast and slow pyrolysis from various feedstocks, including municipal and agricultural wastes and energy crops such as Miscanthus. These bio-oils are then characterised via a variety of analytical methods. Various routes for upgrading the quality of these bio-oils are also being investigated.
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The Evaluation Summary Report for FUNLEVEL, a proposal for a project to be co-ordinated by Carbolea and submitted under the FP7-2009-BIOREFINERY Call "Sustainable Biorefineries", was received today. The proposal is one of only 5 proposals (from a total of over 60) to make the threshold score for eligbility for funding. The following months will determine whether this will equate to the start of negotiation phase for the project and its ultimate funding. The full title for FUNLEVEL is "Catalytic Conversion of Biomass into FUraN and LEVulinic Acid Derivatives for Applications in Biofuels and Biopolymers", it is a 48 month project, with 14 partners and a total budget of €12.2m with €2.4m allocated for Carbolea. An abstract of the proposal is available on this site.
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Michael Hayes today presented a keynote address to the international symposium entitled "Tailor Made Fuels from Biomass" at the University of Aachen, Germany. The presentation can be downloaded from this website.
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Today Michael Hayes gave a keynote speech entitled "Second Generation Biorefining for Sustainable Indigenous Industries for Ireland" at the Feasta "New Emergency Conference". In this presentation, biorefining processes are outlined, with discussion of acid versus enzymatic hydrolysis for lignocellulose biorefinery feedstocks. The products of high temperature/high pressure biorefining processes yielding furfural, levulinic acid, formic acid, and biorefinery residuals are illustrated, and the extents to which the chemical products can provide platform chemicals and fuel additives are discussed. Emphasis is given to pyrolysis products (gases, bio-oil and biochar) of the residuals, and of the potential to upgrade the bio-oil to fuel additive products, and to the uses of the biochar in soil amendment processes. The presentation can be downloaded here and a video of it can be watched here or below.
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In a recorded interview with Eleanor Burnhill of the RTE Morning Ireland Programme Professors Michael Hayes and Julian Ross outlined the ongoing studies on the utilisations of biomass at the Carbolea Group, located in the CES Department of the University of Limerick. They stressed how biorefining operations give platform chemicals, fuels and fuel additives, and biorefinery residuals (BRs), and indicated how pyrolysis of BRs gives bio-oil, which can be upgraded to fuel additive grade, biochar, an excellent soil amender and carbon sequesterer, and fuel gases. Excerpts from the recording have been used in Morning Ireland programmes. At a Biochar meeting at the University of Edinburgh on April 1, Professor Hayes spoke with Jerry Harrison, a Harvard graduate in the Environmental Sciences area, and a former lead musician with the famed Talking Heads. Jerrry has a strong interest in biochar. Hayes informed Miss Burnhill of the Harrison interest. When she interviewed him for Morning Ireland he reiterated his belief in the environmental benefits of Biochar, and indicated that he had interested Bono in the benefits of the product. |
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Several members of Carbolea attended the 2008 Conference for the International Biochar Initiative. This was located in Newcastle, England and saw a significant increase in attendance from the 2007 conference, based in Terrigal, Australia, which was also attended by Carbolea.
Prof. Michael Hayes made a keynote presentation under the session entitled "Biochar Characterisation". He discussed the advanced biochar characterisation techniques that have been developed at Carbolea and there were also several posters by the group on display. The presentation can be downloaded from the website.
There can potentially be a major role for biochar in carbon sequestration and soil fertility and Carbolea hopes to be strongly involved in this through our current and forthcoming projects. The origins of interest in biochar are outlined with especial focus on the enhanced ferertility conferred on the Terra Preta soils from biochar amendments by pre-Columbian native Indians. The fact that the surface area of 10 g of biochar is equivalent to the area of the Croke Park playing field highlights the immense reactive surface that it provides. Solid state nuclear magnetic resonance data indicate compositional aspects, and differences of biochars formed under varied reaction conditions. Reference is made to the refuges that biochars provide for fungi and bacteria that can influence plant growth, and the growth enhancing effect for plants is shown.. |
Here are some material by Prof. Michael Hayes that can be downloaded. For more downloads please visit the appropriate webpage.
"The Role That Lignocellulosic Feedstocks and Various Biorefining Technologies Can Play in Meeting Ireland's Biofuel Targets" - A paper by Daniel Hayes and Michael Hayes that examines how eight biorefining technologies can utilise the existing waste supply streams in the Republic of Ireland and to what extent these levels of production can satisy biofuel quotient targets. Where the quantities of biofuels produced are less than 10% (by energy content) of the current demand for petrol and diesel in the transport sector (or that predicted for 2020) an estimate of the area of agricultural land needed to reach this level is made.
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"Biochar and biofuels for a brighter future" - A letter written by Michael Hayes and published in the journal Nature in 2006.
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"DIBANET - The Production of Sustainable Diesel Miscible Biofuels from the Residues and Wastes of Europe and Latin America" - A keynote address by Michael Hayes to the international symposium entitled "Tailor Made Fuels from Biomass" at the University of Aachen, Germany (June 24, 2009).
Download
"Second Generation Biorefining for Sustainable Indigenous Industries for Ireland" - A keyonte speech by Michael Hayes at the Feasta "New Emergency Conference" (June 11, 2009) . In this presentation, biorefining processes are outlined, with discussion of acid versus enzymatic hydrolysis for lignocellulose biorefinery feedstocks. The products of high temperature/high pressure biorefining processes yielding furfural, levulinic acid, formic acid, and biorefinery residuals are illustrated, and the extents to which the chemical products can provide platform chemicals and fuel additives are discussed. Emphasis is given to pyrolysis products (gases, bio-oil and biochar) of the residuals, and of the potential to upgrade the bio-oil to fuel additive products, and to the uses of the biochar in soil amendment processes. A video of the presentation can be watched here or below in the "Videos" section.
Download
"Biochar Characterization" - A keynote presentation by Prof. Michael Hayes at the 2008 Conference for the International Biochar Initiative (Sept 8-11, 2008). This presentation covers the advanced biochar and terra preta characterisation techniques that have been developed at Carbolea.
Download
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A video of a keynote speech by Michael Hayes entitled "Second Generation Biorefining for Sustainable Indigenous Industries for Ireland" at the Feasta "New Emergency Conference". In this presentation, biorefining processes are outlined, with discussion of acid versus enzymatic hydrolysis for lignocellulose biorefinery feedstocks. The products of high temperature/high pressure biorefining processes yielding furfural, levulinic acid, formic acid, and biorefinery residuals are illustrated, and the extents to which the chemical products can provide platform chemicals and fuel additives are discussed. Emphasis is given to pyrolysis products (gases, bio-oil and biochar) of the residuals, and of the potential to upgrade the bio-oil to fuel additive products, and to the uses of the biochar in soil amendment processes. The presentation can be downloaded here and a video of it can be watched here or below.
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