Sunday
2:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm
Introductory Comments by GRC Staff / Welcome and Introduction from the Chairs
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm
Biorefinery and Bioeconomy Concepts
Discussion Leader: Honorine Katir (Centre Européen de Biotechnologie et de Bioéconomie, France)
7:40 pm - 8:05 pm
Ed de Jong (Avantium, The Netherlands)
"PEF, the Next Generation 100% Plant-Based Polyester with Unique Properties"
8:05 pm - 8:15 pm
Discussion
8:15 pm - 8:45 pm
Nawa Baral (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, United States)
"Influence of Titer, Rate, Yield, and Aromatics Utilization on the Cost and Carbon Footprint of Bioproducts"
8:45 pm - 8:55 pm
Discussion
8:55 pm - 9:20 pm
Christopher Rees (Suthey Holler Associates, Canada)
"Follow the Science – Cascading Use of Forest Biomass"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Biorefinery Processes: Terrestrial Biomass and Microalgae
Discussion Leader: Karin Odelius (KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden)
9:00 am - 9:25 am
Lieve Laurens (NREL, United States)
"Renewable Photosynthetic Bioenergy from Algae for Direct Biobased Chemical Production in the Water – Energy - Environment Nexus"
9:25 am - 9:35 am
Discussion
9:35 am - 10:00 am
Sonja Salmon (North Carolina State University, United States)
"Fine Fragments from Untwisting Cotton Offer Insights on Enzymatic Degradation"
10:00 am - 10:10 am
Discussion
10:10 am - 10:45 am
Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:10 am
Katalin Barta (Karl-Franzens University of Graz, Austria)
"Yes, We Can Make Anything out of Biomass…but How, What, and Why?"
11:10 am - 11:20 am
Discussion
11:20 am - 11:45 am
Jean Francois Sassi (CEA, France)
"Green Algae as Efficient Carbohydrate Feedstock Providers for Biobased Chemistry & Biomaterials"
11:45 am - 11:55 am
Discussion
11:55 am - 12:10 pm
Lorenz Manker (EPFL, Switzerland)
"Sustainable Polymers via Direct Functionalization of Lignocellulosic"
12:10 pm - 12:15 pm
Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm
Owen Mototsune (University of Toronto, Canada)
"Enzymatically-Oxidized Carbohydrates as Biobased Dicarbonyl Cross Linkers"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pm
Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
The GRC Power Hour™
The GRC Power Hour™ is designed to address diversity and inclusion in the scientific workplace by providing a safe environment for informal and meaningful conversations amongst colleagues of all career stages. The program supports the professional growth of all members of our communities, including ethnicity, race and/or gender identity by providing an open forum for discussion and mentoring.
Organizers: Katalin Barta (Karl-Franzens University of Graz, Austria) and Ezinne Achinivu (University of Illinois Chicago, United States)
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Lignin Upgrading
Discussion Leader: Ezinne Achinivu (University of Illinois Chicago, United States)
7:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Ning Yan (National University of Singapore, Singapore)
"Making Organonitrogen Chemicals from Biomass"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm
Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:40 pm
Claudia Crestini (Università Ca' Foscari, Italy)
"Polymerization or Depolymerization? Oxidative Enzymes in Lignin Valorization"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm
Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:20 pm
Mika Sipponen (Stockholm University, Sweden)
"Functional Lignin Materials Inspired by Nature"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
(Hemi)Cellulose Upgrading
Discussion Leader: Katalin Barta (Karl-Franzens University of Graz, Austria)
9:00 am - 9:25 am
Karine De Oliveira Vigier (Université de Poitiers-IC2MP UMR 7285 CNRS, France)
"Catalytic Valorization of Hemicellulose and Xylose to Fine Chemicals"
9:25 am - 9:35 am
Discussion
9:35 am - 10:00 am
Carl Houtman (USDA, FS, Forest Products Lab, United States)
"Production and Use of Cellulose Nanocrystals"
10:00 am - 10:10 am
Discussion
10:10 am - 10:45 am
Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:10 am
Youssef Habibi (Mohammed IV Polytechnic University, Morocco)
"Sugar-Derived Polyesters with Various Architectures and their Applications"
11:10 am - 11:20 am
Discussion
11:20 am - 11:45 am
Gil Garnier (Monash University, Australia)
"Engineering Plant Biomaterials for Smart Applications: Opportunities and Challenges"
11:45 am - 11:55 am
Discussion
11:55 am - 12:20 pm
Audrey Moores (McGill University, Canada)
"Mechanochemistry and Aging-Based Methods for the Valorization of Biomass: The Example of Crustacean Waste"
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm
Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Downstream Processing and Process Intensification
Discussion Leader: Sankar Nair (Georgia Institute of Technology, United States)
7:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Nolan Wilson (ExxonMobil, United States)
"Considering Process, Product, and Scale during the Development of Biochemical Coproducts within Biorefineries"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm
Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:40 pm
Erica Belmont (University of Wyoming, United States)
"Biomass-derived Materials: Value, Co-products, and Opportunities for Process Intensification"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm
Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:20 pm
Jason Hallett (Imperial College London, United Kingdom)
"Biorefining with Low-cost Ionic Liquids: from Laboratory to Commercial, Process Scale-up and Product Development"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am
Group Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Biocatalysts and Heterogeneous Catalysts for Biomass Conversion
Discussion Leader: Richard Gross (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, United States)
9:00 am - 9:30 am
Gregg Beckham (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, United States)
"Oxidative Cleavage of C–C Bonds in Lignin"
9:30 am - 9:35 am
Discussion
9:35 am - 10:00 am
Damien Debecker (UCLouvain, Belgium)
"Upgrading of Bio-Based Platform Chemicals with (Multifunctional) Porous Microsphere Catalysts Obtained by Aerosol Processing"
10:00 am - 10:10 am
Discussion
10:10 am - 10:45 am
Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:10 am
Adam Lee (Griffith University, Australia)
"Multifunctional Catalysts for Thermochemical Cascades"
11:10 am - 11:20 am
Discussion
11:20 am - 11:45 am
Steven Singer (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, United States)
"Carbon-Optimized Bioproduction"
11:45 am - 11:55 am
Discussion
11:55 am - 12:20 pm
Jennifer DuBois (Montana State University, United States)
"Coupling CO2 to Acetone using Manganese, Iron, and Flavins"
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm
Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Whole Cell and Plant-Based Chemical and Material Production Platforms
Discussion Leader: Gregg Beckham (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, United States)
7:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Jenny Mortimer (University of Adelaide / Joint BioEnergy Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Australia)
"Producing the "Perfect" Biomass": Combining Synthetic Biology and Solid State NMR for Predictable Plant Cell Wall Design."
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm
Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:40 pm
Kevin O Connor (BiOrbic Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre and University College Dublin, Ireland)
"Bacterial Fermentation to Produce Biodegradable Polymers, Polyhydroxyalkanoates, from Biobased Resources"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm
Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:20 pm
Benedikt Winter (ETH Zurich, Switzerland)
"(Bio-based) Chemical Production within the Limits of Sustainability"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am
Business Meeting
Nominations for the Next Vice Chair(s); Complete the GRC Evaluation Forms; Discuss Future Dates and Venue; Election of the Next Vice Chair(s)
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Biomass-Derived Sustainable Polymers and Materials
Discussion Leader: Céline Calvino (Cluster of Excellence livMatS, University of Freiburg, Germany)
9:00 am - 9:25 am
Karin Odelius (KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden)
"Biobased Polymers Designed for Function and Recycling"
9:25 am - 9:35 am
Discussion
9:35 am - 10:00 am
Sylvain Caillol (Institut Charles Gerhardt, France)
"From Biobased Phenols to Sustainable Polymers: A Platform Approach"
10:00 am - 10:10 am
Discussion
10:10 am - 10:45 am
Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:10 am
Megan Robertson (University of Houston, United States)
"Degradable Thermoplastics and Thermosets from Lignin"
11:10 am - 11:20 am
Discussion
11:20 am - 11:45 am
Joseph Stanzione (Rowan University, United States)
"Advancement of Bio-Based Polymers and Composites Via Strategic Chemistries and Processing of Nature’s Xylochemicals"
11:45 am - 11:55 am
Discussion
11:55 am - 12:20 pm
Karen Wooley (Texas A&M University, United States)
"Sugar Plastics Derived from Conventional and Non-conventional Biomass Feedstocks"
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm
Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Biomass-Derived Interfacial Chemicals and Green Solvents
Discussion Leader: George John (The City College of New York, United States)
7:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Richard Gross (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, United States)
"Bacterial Cellulose: Controlling Matrix Order, Composite Reinforcement and Future Perspectives"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm
Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:50 pm
John Warner (John C Warner Green Chemistry, LLC, United States)
"All the Little Things that are Required to Make a Biomaterial Succeed in a Product"
8:50 pm - 9:00 pm
Discussion
9:00 pm - 9:10 pm
Mani Gupta (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, India)
"Chemical and Biological Approaches to Efficient Cellulose Hydrolysis Towards the Biofuel Production"
9:10 pm - 9:15 pm
Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:25 pm
Marie Jones (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland)
"Life Cycle Assessment of Novel Functionalized Xylose Products"
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am
Departure