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 Site Staff / Welcome from the GRC Chair
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm
Keynote Session: Converging Disciplines for the Sustainable Valorization of Lignin
Discussion Leader: Jeremy Luterbacher (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland)
7:40 pm - 7:50 pm
Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:50 pm - 8:30 pm
John Ralph (University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States)
"A Few Advances in Lignin Analytics, and Structurally Profiling ’New’ Lignins"
8:30 pm - 8:40 pm
Discussion
8:40 pm - 9:20 pm
Bert Weckhuysen (Utrecht University, The Netherlands)
"Paving the Way for Lignin Valorization: Recent Advances in Molecular Structure Elucidation, Biorefining and Catalysis"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am
Group Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Methods to Tailor Lignin Biosynthesis In Planta
Discussion Leader: Scott Sattler (USDA-ARS Lincoln, NE, United States)
9:00 am - 9:10 am
Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:10 am - 9:35 am
Shinya Kajita (Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan)
"A Lignin Mutant, Sekizaisou: So Old, but Still New"
9:35 am - 9:45 am
Discussion
9:45 am - 10:10 am
Jaime Barros-Rios (University of North Texas, United States)
"Global Metabolic Responses to Lignin Pathway Perturbations in Grasses"
10:10 am - 10:20 am
Discussion
10:20 am - 10:45 am
Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:10 am
Laura Bartley (Washington State University, United States)
"Lignin Under Selection: Toward Uncovering the Genetic Basis of Differences in Lignin Among Plant Lineages and in Different Environments"
11:10 am - 11:20 am
Discussion
11:20 am - 11:45 am
Aymerick Eudes (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, United States)
"Engineering Approaches for Diverting Lignin Biosynthesis Towards the Production of Platform Chemicals in Bioenergy Crops"
11:45 am - 11:55 am
Discussion
11:55 am - 12:20 pm
Yuki Tobimatsu (Kyoto University, Japan)
"Methods to Tailor Lignin Biosynthesis In Planta"
12:20 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: Rebecca Smith (University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States) and Claudia Crestini (Università Ca' Foscari, Italy)
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Designing Enzymatic Systems for Lignin Depolymerization
Discussion Leader: Michael Zahn (University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom)
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm
Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:40 pm - 8:05 pm
Jane Wittrup Agger (Technical University of Denmark, Denmark)
"Discovery of Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Lignin-Carbohydrate Complexes and Prospects of Laccase Activity"
8:05 pm - 8:15 pm
Discussion
8:15 pm - 8:40 pm
Davinia Salvachua (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, United States)
"Elucidating Aromatic Catabolic Pathways in White-Rot Fungi"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm
Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:15 pm
Steven Singer (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, United States)
"Using Cultivated Microbiomes to Understand Bacterial Lignin Depolymerization"
9:15 pm - 9:25 pm
Discussion
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm
General Discussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Catalytic Lignin Depolymerization and Upgrading
Discussion Leader: Seema Singh (Sandia National Laboratories, United States)
9:00 am - 9:10 am
Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:10 am - 9:45 am
Shannon Stahl (University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States)
"Oxidative Catalytic Fractionation of Biomass and Lignin Conversion to Aromatic Monomers"
9:45 am - 10:00 am
Discussion
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:05 am
Roberto Rinaldi (Imperial College London, United Kingdom)
"Reflections on Lignin-First Biorefining Progress, and the Pursuit of Lignin Value"
11:05 am - 11:15 am
Discussion
11:15 am - 11:50 am
Bert Sels (KU Leuven, Belgium)
"Challenges and Strategies to Scale up Lignin-first Biorefinery Technology"
11:50 am - 12:00 pm
Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm
Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
12:10 pm - 12:15 pm
Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm
Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
12:25 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
Convergent Microbial Lignin Conversion Strategies
Discussion Leader: Mirjam Kabel (Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands)
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm
Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:40 pm - 8:05 pm
Tim Bugg (University of Warwick, United Kingdom)
"Lignin Bioconversion to Renewable Chemicals Using Enzymes and Engineered Bacteria"
8:05 pm - 8:15 pm
Discussion
8:15 pm - 8:40 pm
Lindsay Eltis (The University of British Columbia, Canada)
"Harnessing the Metabolic Prowess of Rhodococcus for Lignin Valorization"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm
Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:15 pm
Guillermina Hernandez Raquet (Institut National de la Recherche pour l'Alimentation, l'Agronomie et l'Environnement INRAE, France, France)
"Assessing the Lignin Degradation Potential of Microbial Consortia"
9:15 pm - 9:25 pm
Discussion
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm
General Discussion
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Lignin from an Industrial Perspective
Discussion Leader: Jean-Pierre Lindner (BASF, Germany)
9:00 am - 9:05 am
Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:30 am
Ydna Questell Santiago (Bloom Biorenewables Ltd, Switzerland)
"Unlocking the Full Value of Biomass Through Acetal Functionalization: A Journey From Concept to Pilot Scale Production"
9:30 am - 9:40 am
Discussion
9:40 am - 10:05 am
Michael Boot (Vertoro, The Netherlands)
"Sailing on Pharma"
10:05 am - 10:15 am
Discussion
10:15 am - 10:45 am
Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:10 am
Jaime Gracia Vitoria (VITO NV, Belgium)
"Aromatics on the Horizon"
11:10 am - 11:20 am
Discussion
11:20 am - 11:40 am
Christian Dahlstrand (RenFuel K2B AB, Sweden)
"Bridging the Gap Between the Pulp and Oil Refinery Industries"
11:40 am - 11:50 am
Discussion
11:50 am - 12:20 pm
Sankar Nair (Georgia Institute of Technology, United States)
"Lignin from an Industrial Perspective"
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
Tools and Methods for the Analysis, Visualization and Structural Elucidation of Lignin
Discussion Leader: Yuki Tobimatsu (Kyoto University, Japan)
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm
Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:40 pm - 8:05 pm
Tuo Wang (Michigan State University, United States)
"Solid-State NMR Techniques for Investigating Lignin Structure and Interactions with Polysaccharides in Intact Plant Cell Walls"
8:05 pm - 8:15 pm
Discussion
8:15 pm - 8:40 pm
Gregg Beckham (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, United States)
"Recent Advances in Mass Spectrometry, Computational Tools, and NMR Spectroscopy for Improved Lignin Characterization"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm
Discussion
9:25 pm - 9:50 pm
Gijs van Erven (Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands)
"Quantitative Lignin Analysis by Pyroysis-GC-MS Using 13C Lignin Internal Standards"
9:50 pm - 10:00 pm
Discussion
10:00 pm - 10:05 pm
General 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
Tailoring Chemical Routes for the Synthesis of Direct and Functional Replacement Products from Lignin
Discussion Leader: Marcus Foston (Washington University in St. Louis, United States)
9:00 am - 9:10 am
Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:10 am - 9:35 am
Mojgan Nejad (Michigan State University, United States)
"Lignin-Based Polymeric Resins"
9:35 am - 9:45 am
Discussion
9:45 am - 10:10 am
Martin Lawoko (KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden)
"Macromolecular Lignin-Based Thermosets: Gaining Fundamental Insights on Molecular Properties for Improved Performance"
10:10 am - 10:20 am
Discussion
10:20 am - 10:50 am
Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:15 am
Mark Thies (Clemson University, United States)
"Fractionation and Purification of Lignins for Higher-Value Applications via the ALPHA Process"
11:15 am - 11:25 am
Discussion
11:25 am - 11:50 am
Ning Yan (National University of Singapore, Singapore)
"Downstream Transformation of Lignin-Derived Fragments into Value-Added End Products"
11:50 am - 12:00 pm
Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm
Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
12:10 pm - 12:15 pm
Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm
Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
12:25 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
Incorporating Process Engineering in the Lignin Upgrading Workflow
Discussion Leader: Sankar Nair (Georgia Institute of Technology, United States)
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm
Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:40 pm - 8:05 pm
Christos Maravelias (Princeton University, United States)
"A Systems View of Lignin Valorization: Challenges, Tradeoffs and Technology Targets"
8:05 pm - 8:15 pm
Discussion
8:15 pm - 8:40 pm
Junyong Zhu (USDA Forest Products Laboratory, United States)
"Carboxylic Acid Hydrotropic Fractionation at Atmospheric Pressure to Produce Functional and Minimally Condensed Lignin"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm
Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:00 pm
Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
9:00 pm - 9:05 pm
Discussion
9:05 pm - 9:15 pm
Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
9:15 pm - 9:20 pm
Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
Closing Remarks
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am
Departure