Advanced Biofuels Workshop opens in Denver
January 1, 1970
BY Ryan C. Christiansen
Posted June 16, 2009
The Advanced Biofuels Workshop, a BBI International Inc. event, was held June 15 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colo. Presentations at the workshop began with opening remarks from Craig Johnson, BBI's communications manager, followed by special presentations by Alan Belcher, senior vice president of operations for Mascoma Corp., and Will Thurmond, managing principal for Emerging Markets Online. The daylong program included presentations by more than a dozen additional speakers and hosted 165 registered attendees.
This year's ABW is being held during a year when the U.S. renewable fuel standard (RFS) requires the use of 600 million gallons of advanced biofuels, which will increase to 21 billion gallons by 2022. Speakers at the ABW addressed provisions of the RFS and current efforts to commercialize low-carbon, advanced biofuels technologies.
The U.S. government defines advanced biofuels as any renewable fuel-other than ethanol derived from corn starch-that is derived from renewable biomass and achieves a 50 percent greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirement. Advanced biofuels include cellulosic biofuels, biomass-based diesel and other low-carbon transportation fuels. ABW presentations focused on technology updates, feedstock management, market challenges, research and development activities, and near-term policy development supporting advanced biofuels.
During his opening presentation, Belcher talked about how Mascoma, in partnership with General Motors Corp. and Marathon Oil Corp., has made major research advances in consolidated bioprocessing (CBP), a low-cost processing technology for producing biofuels from cellulosic biomass. CBP uses engineered microorganisms that produce both cellulase enzymes and ethanol at high yield in a single step.
"All cellulosic ethanol conversion technologies are legitimate technologies," Belcher noted, "but CBP has been ‘pie-in-the-sky' for the longest period of time." Mascoma has engineered yeast that will convert cellulosic biomass directly to ethanol. Belcher said Mascoma expects to be using its technology to produce ethanol at the 25,000 gallons per year scale by early next year.
The ABW is being held this year as a co-located event with the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop. The FEW is a globally recognized event that has helped to facilitate the ethanol industry's evolution by providing programming that includes technical workshops and networking forums alongside the largest, most widely attended expo in the business. FEW presentations include a strong focus on commercial-scale ethanol production, new technology, and near-term research and development. It is the world's largest, longest-running ethanol conference. BBI International has owned and operated the FEW since 1995.
SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE
The Advanced Biofuels Workshop, a BBI International Inc. event, was held June 15 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colo. Presentations at the workshop began with opening remarks from Craig Johnson, BBI's communications manager, followed by special presentations by Alan Belcher, senior vice president of operations for Mascoma Corp., and Will Thurmond, managing principal for Emerging Markets Online. The daylong program included presentations by more than a dozen additional speakers and hosted 165 registered attendees.
This year's ABW is being held during a year when the U.S. renewable fuel standard (RFS) requires the use of 600 million gallons of advanced biofuels, which will increase to 21 billion gallons by 2022. Speakers at the ABW addressed provisions of the RFS and current efforts to commercialize low-carbon, advanced biofuels technologies.
The U.S. government defines advanced biofuels as any renewable fuel-other than ethanol derived from corn starch-that is derived from renewable biomass and achieves a 50 percent greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirement. Advanced biofuels include cellulosic biofuels, biomass-based diesel and other low-carbon transportation fuels. ABW presentations focused on technology updates, feedstock management, market challenges, research and development activities, and near-term policy development supporting advanced biofuels.
During his opening presentation, Belcher talked about how Mascoma, in partnership with General Motors Corp. and Marathon Oil Corp., has made major research advances in consolidated bioprocessing (CBP), a low-cost processing technology for producing biofuels from cellulosic biomass. CBP uses engineered microorganisms that produce both cellulase enzymes and ethanol at high yield in a single step.
"All cellulosic ethanol conversion technologies are legitimate technologies," Belcher noted, "but CBP has been ‘pie-in-the-sky' for the longest period of time." Mascoma has engineered yeast that will convert cellulosic biomass directly to ethanol. Belcher said Mascoma expects to be using its technology to produce ethanol at the 25,000 gallons per year scale by early next year.
The ABW is being held this year as a co-located event with the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop. The FEW is a globally recognized event that has helped to facilitate the ethanol industry's evolution by providing programming that includes technical workshops and networking forums alongside the largest, most widely attended expo in the business. FEW presentations include a strong focus on commercial-scale ethanol production, new technology, and near-term research and development. It is the world's largest, longest-running ethanol conference. BBI International has owned and operated the FEW since 1995.
SOURCE: ETHANOL PRODUCER MAGAZINE
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