News Release Distributed 08/03/12

A conference featuring opportunities in biofuels and bioprocessing in Louisiana has been scheduled for Sept. 11-12 in Baton Rouge.

The Louisiana Biofuels and Bioprocessing Summit will bring together industry representatives, researchers and Louisiana government agencies to learn about biofuels and bioprocessing in the state, according to Vadim Kochergin, director of the LSU AgCenter’s Louisiana Institute for Biofuels and Bioprocessing, which is sponsoring the event.

“We want to showcase what Louisiana has to offer in the areas of bioproducts and bioprocessing,” Kochergin said.

The day-and-a-half program will examine the state’s resources in biomass feedstock harvesting and biomass conversion technology and explore how landowners, crop producers and processing companies can work together to develop new opportunities, he said. “We want to see how we can collaborate.”

The program will include sessions on biomass, feedstock and harvesting; presentations from representatives with companies with Louisiana bioprocessing operations; and university and business representatives who will talk about building a case for establishing commercial facilities in Louisiana.

Conference organizers are expecting growers, researchers and industry representatives to attend. Landowners can learn how their crops can be used, and industry can learn what Louisiana offers, Kochergin said.

Crops that are candidates for bioconversion include energy cane, sweet sorghum, wood chips and bagasse, a byproduct of sugarcane processing. All can be used to produce biofuels and biochemicals, Kochergin said.

The conference will be held at the Renaissance Hotel, 7000 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge. Registration is $125 per person, and the deadline is August 31.

Information and registration materials for the summit are available online at www.lsuagcenter.com/libbisummit.