Biobased fuels and products — those made from crops and waste from farms — are the focus of an upcoming workshop in Wooster.

“Advanced Biobased Systems: Growing an Industry” is March 16 at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center at 1680 Madison Ave.

It’s for anyone involved with or interested in the biobased industry, says organizer Ajay Shah, an assistant professor at OARDC and the head of its Biobased Systems Analysis Lab, the sponsor of the event.

Expected to attend are farmers, scientists, processors, manufacturers, commodity representatives, and people in the ethanol, biodiesel and transportation industries, Shah adds.

“The potential of agricultural biomass as a renewable feedstock for fuels and chemicals continues to grow,” he adds. “But there’s still a need to make biobased systems more efficient, environmentally friendly, and technically and economically viable.”

The workshop hopes to foster such progress. Speakers from academia and industry, including featured speaker Kevin Keener from Iowa State University, will share their ideas and perspectives, with time left for networking and discussion.

Keener, who’s a food science and human nutrition professor at Iowa State University, and directs its Center for Crops Utilization Research and BioCentury Research Farm, will speak on “Biomass Utilization in Iowa: Research and Technology Development.”

In addition, Shah will present “Feedstock for Biobased Industries” based on his research as a faculty member in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering.

Other presenters include:
• “Biobased Industries: Setting the Stage,” by Denny Hall, director of Ohio State’s OBIC Bioproducts Innovation Center
• “Pennycress as a Next Generation Feedstock,” by Ana Alonso, associate professor in Ohio State’s Department of Molecular Genetics
• “Biomass Conversion to Biofuels and Other Products,” by Thaddeus Ezeji, associate professor in Ohio State’s Department of Animal Sciences, which also is part of CFAES
• “Utilizing Biobased Fibers for Composites, by Prabhat Krishnaswamy, senior vice president with Columbus-based EMC2
• “Feedstock Logistics for Biobased Industries” and “Bioproducts Case Study: Thermal Energy from Locally Grown Switchgrasses,” by Fred Circle, president of FDC Enterprises of Springfield

The industry speakers will highlight what’s happening in the real world, including successes and challenges, Shah says.

The workshop is from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in OARDC’s Shisler Conference Center. Wooster is about 30 miles east of Akron, 60 miles south of Cleveland and 95 miles north of Columbus.

Register by March 7 and save $10. Registration for the event, which includes continental breakfast, lunch and refreshments, is $50 by March 7 and $60 afterward. For details and a registration, visit go.osu.edu/BiobasedWorkshop, or contact Mary Wicks of OARDC at [email protected] or 330-202-3533.

Source: OSUE