Conference Report Full Steam Ahead? Summit speakers debate the likelihood of large-scale biofuel production. By Robin Brunet W ill we ever achieve large-scale biofuel produc-tion? That was the question that kept resurfacing amongst the 100-plus speakers during the five ple-nary sessions and four breakout tracks that made up the seventh annual 2012 Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotech-nology and Bioenergy, held in Vancouver between Oct. 9 and 12. Prior to the summit, Biotechnology Industry Organization’s Industrial & En-vironmental Section executive vice-presi-dent Brent Erickson set the tone for the proceedings by telling the press, “The con-tinued progress in industrial biotechnol-ogy toward commercial applications is a vital step in building a growing bio-based economy that can strengthen economic security and enhance energy security.” That indeed became a main point of discussion during two key plenaries: “Flying Green: Why Airlines See a Bright Future in Biofuels,” and “Overcoming Re-gional Biomass Feedstock Supply Chal-lenges with Public Policy and Science.” In the former plenary, Warren Lampitt, general manager of technical programs for Air Canada, described the critical impor-tance of drop-in fuels to his industry and noted that “we need a feedstock chain that assures economically sustainable yields – because we can’t afford to pay premiums for biofuel, not if we are to fly in meaning-ful volumes.” Steve Fabijanski, chief executive officer of Agrisoma, told speakers (including Sean Newsum, project manager for Boeing Com-mercial Airlines) that his company may have a solution. Agrisoma’s Resonance biofuel, a derivative of the brassica carinata oil seed, grows in harsh conditions; it’s currently be-ing harvested on 6,700 acres in 27 North American locations and out-yields all other alternatives. “With Resonance, Canada’s Biomass Processing Systems Liberating Untapped Energy Phone: (336) 252-4774 A worldwide leader in size reduction technology, Vecoplan works with individual customers to design, engineer, manufacture and implement technologically advanced, material specific, and application specific shredding, ferrous and non-ferrous removal, size and density separation, screening and classification technologies and extremely efficient conveyor and bulk material handling, metering, storage and unloading technologies. Contact Vecoplan today to learn more about our existing systems or to arrange a visit to one, or several, of our installations. vecoplanllc.com Canadian BIOMASS 7
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