The Renewable Bioproducts Institute at Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Ga., USA,  has announced "Renewable Bioproducts: Advances in Lignocellulosic Bioprocesses and Products," an inter-disciplinary, industry-faculty symposium October 1-2 at Georgia Tech’s Global Learning Center in Atlanta. Its purpose is to accelerate the development and commercialization of renewable bioproducts from lignocellulosics materials. A second conference in the spring of 2015 will address how the Renewable Bioproducts Institute at Georgia Tech will meet the challenges identified in October to advance the possibilities.

 

"This is the inaugural scientific event for our new research center," said Executive Director Norman Marsolan. "We are on the threshold of a new era of development of renewable, sustainable products. We will demonstrate the premise that the Renewable Bioproducts Institute at Georgia Tech is the place to go for cross-industry, cross-disciplinary innovation with this abundant raw material."

 

Technical and business development representatives from biochemicals and biomaterials, pulp and paper, polymers and plastics, packaging, biofuels, health and hygiene, printed electronics, and transportation companies, and others interested in advanced materials, are encouraged to register.

 

Dr. David Constable, director—Green Chemistry Institute, American Chemical Society, will offer a keynote address. Company presenters from Algenol, American Process, Coca-Cola, Domtar, Michelin, Renmatix, Solvay Specialty Polymers, and more will describe their materials and chemical needs and why lignocellulose is of interest. Georgia Tech faculty from the Schools of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and of Materials Science will describe promising research directions and how they could enable new applications for lignin and cellulose. Convergence panels will identify common visions, and plan how to realize them.

 

The evening of October 1 will feature a poster session of an estimated 40 graduate students presenting their work with renewable bioproducts. Symposium participants will be given an opportunity to vote on the most innovative and promising projects.

 

Creation of the Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI) was announced in June. The Renewable Bioproducts Institute benefits from a significant endowment originating with the Institute of Paper Chemistry, as did its predecessor center, the Institute of Paper Science and Technology. That endowment has contributed to the support of more than 1,000 graduate degrees over the years. It currently supports more than 50 paper science and engineering students who advance the research mission of RBI through their faculty-directed research. The research institute will continue to build on that tradition by working closely with industrial partners to foster an innovative, competitive, and profitable bioproducts industry.  

 

More information and registration for the event is available online.