2015 Regional SunGrant Conference Agenda

On February 2–4, 2015, the Southeastern Sun Grant Center hosted its 2015 Regional Conference, Southern Crossroads: Progress In the Science & Technology of Biomass Production, Processing and Use, at the Hotel at Auburn University, AL. The Regional Conference Agenda outlines events from the Conference, including information about the exciting breakout sessions.

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Monday, February 2, 2015


Optional Pre-Conference Tour

Tuesday, February 3, 2015


Breakfast and Conference Registration (7:00 a.m. – 7:50 a.m.)

Welcome and Opening Remarks (8:00 a.m. – 8:10 a.m.)

  • Tim Rials (Director, Center for Renewable Carbon, University of Tennessee)
  • Timothy Boosinger (Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Auburn University)

Opening Plenary Session (8:10 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.)

  • Derek Griffin (Senior Development Engineer, LanzaTech) Carbon Recycling: Gas Fermentation for Fuel and Chemical Production [Abstract]

BREAKOUT SESSION 1 (9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)

  • 1A: Development of Energy Crops
    • (9:00-9:25) Wilfred Vermerris (University of Florida) Next-Generation Sweet Sorghums for the Production of Fuels and Chemicals in the Southeastern United States [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (9:25-9:50) William F. Anderson (USDA-ARS) Production of Energy Cane and Elephantgrass on Marginal Soils Using Winter Covers [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (10:15-10:40) Terry Felderhoff (University of Florida) Identification of Anthracnose Resistance Loci in Sorghum bicolor [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (10:40-11:05) Wegi Wuddineh (University of Tennessee) Identification and overexpression of gibberellin 2-oxidase (GA2ox) in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) for improved plant architecture and reduced biomass recalcitrance [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (11:05-11:30) Andrew Damiani (Auburn University) iAD 824: An Improved Genome-Scale Metabolic Network Model for Scheffersomyces Stipitis [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (11:30-11:55) David Wright (University of Florida) Brassica Carinata- A Winter Oilseed Crop for the Southern Farmer Producing a Novel “Drop-in” Biofuel [Abstract] [Slides]
  • 1B: Thermochemical Platform 
    • (9:00-9:25) Stephen Kelley (North Carolina State University) Evaluation the Reactivity of Woody Biomass with Pyrolysis Molecular Beam Mass Spectrometry (Py-MBMS) [Abstract]
    • (9:25-9:50) Sushil Adhikari (Auburn University) Effect of Torrefaction on Biomass Chemistry and Hydrocarbons Production from Fast Pyrolysis [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (10:15-10:40) Andrew Moore (North Carolina State University) Advancements in Bio-Oil Aging Mechanisms [Abstract]
    • (10:40-11:05) Tom Elder (USDA-Forest Service) Impacts of Inorganics on the Thermal Behavior of Switchgrass [Abstract]
    • (11:05-11:30) James Kastner (University of Georgia) Continuous Catalytic Ketonization of Water Extracted Fast Pyrolysis Oils Using Iron Oxides [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (11:30-11:55) Xianchun Zhu (Mississippi State University) Development of Ni Based Catalysts for the Destruction of Tars Generated in the Biomass Synthesis Gas (syngas) Production Process [Abstract]

Lunch 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.:  Kelly Tiller (CEO, Genera Energy) Surf’s Up! The Academic’s Guide to Surfing the Bioeconomy Wave [Abstract] [Slides]

BREAKOUT SESSION 2  (1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) 

  • 2A: Biomass Production and Logistics
    • (1:30-1:55) Ramesh Ravella (North Carolina A&T State University) Nitrogen Management in Giant Miscanthus (GM) Biomass Production in Piedmont Region of North Carolina [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (1:55-2:20) Edzard van Santen (Auburn University) Initial Results from the Switchgrass Breeding Program at Auburn University [Abstract]
    • (2:20-2:45) Dehai Zhao (University of Georgia) Effects of Planting Density, Management, and Site on Loblolly Pine Biomass Production [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (3:15-3:40) Scott Roberts (Mississippi State University) Making the Case for Intercropping Loblolly Pine within Newly Established Switchgrass Stands [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (3:40-4:05) Tim Rials (University of Tennessee) Recent Progress in the Development of Short-Rotation Woody Crops As Feedstock for Alternative Fuels [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (4:05-4:30) Solomon Ghezehei (North Carolina State University) Implications of Density on Early Survival and Biomass Productivity of Populus Clones Grown on Marginal Lands [Abstract]
    • (4:30-4:55) Randall Rousseau (Mississippi State University) Performance of Black Willow on Tests Sites in Mississippi [Abstract] [Slides]
  • 2B: Biochemical Platform
    • (1:30-1:55) Joseph Bozell (University of Tennessee) Can the Biorefinery Survive Cheap Oil? Approaches to High Value Chemical Products from Carbohydrates and Lignin [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (1:55-2:20) Consuelo Fritz (North Carolina State University) The Effect of Oil-Water Microemulsion Pretreatment on Biomass Conversion [Abstract]
    • (2:20-2:45) Douglas G. Hayes (University of Tennessee) Ionic Liquids for the Dissolution, Pretreatment, and Analysis of Lignocellulosic Biomass [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (3:15-3:40) Subramanian Ramakrishnan (FAMU) Solvent Based Pretreatment for Fractionation and Enhanced Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Lignocellulosic Biomass [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (3:40-4:05) Han Qiang (North Carolina State University) Fundamental Characteristics that Affect Enzymatic Digestibility of Autohydrolysis Pretreated Biomass [Abstract]
    • (4:05-4:30) Maobing Tu (Auburn University) Redefine the Role of Lignin in Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Lignocellulosic Biomass [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (4:30-4:55) Min Hea Kim (Auburn University) A Novel Co-Culture System for Ethanolic Fermentation from Lignocellulosic Sugars  [Abstract]

Poster Session (5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) 

Wednesday, February 4, 2015


Breakfast and Conference Registration (7:00 a.m. – 7:50 a.m.)

BREAKOUT SESSION 3 (8:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.)

  • 3A: Models and Metrics
    • (8:00-8:25) Laurence Eaton (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) The 2016 Update to the U.S. Billion-ton Biomass Assessment [Slides]
    • (8:25-8:50) Carter Reeb (North Carolina State University) Multi-Criteria Decision Making and Biomass Feedstock Supply Feasibility: How Does the Southeastern US Stack Up [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (8:50-9:15) Tim Young (University of Tennessee) Extending Web-Based Outreach Using the Biomass Site Assessment Tool (BioSAT) [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (9:15-9:40) Edward Yu (University of Tennessee) Economic Gains and Greenhouse Gases Emissions of a Biofuel Supply Chain in Tennessee [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (9:40-10:05) Burt English (University of Tennessee) Estimating the Cost of Feedstock for a Hypothetical Bio-Refinery: A Case Study in Mississippi [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (10:30-10:55) Sudhagar Mani (University of Georgia) GIS Based Assessment and Supply Logistics of Miscanthus Produced from Strip-Mined Lands [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (10:55-11:20) Sandra Ekşioğlu (Clemson University) Optimization Models in Support of Biomass Co-Firing in Coal-Fired Power Plant [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (11:20-11:45) Guillermo Velarde (North Carolina State University) Design and Development of a U.S. Logistics Models for Residential and Commercial Biomass Pellets [Abstract] [Slides]
  • 3B: Co-Products
    • (8:00-8:25) Nicole Labbé (University of Tennessee) Developing an Integrated Biorefinery: Potentials of Switchgrass Extractives [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (8:25-8:50) Richard Garrison (Texas Tech University) Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Extracts from a Bioenergy Crop, Switchgrass, in Adipocytes [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (8:50-9:15) Hailing Liu (Florida State University) Lignin-Based Smart Materials [Abstract]
    • (9:15-9:40) David Harper (University of Tennessee) Foams from Lignin [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (9:40-10:05) Carlos Salas (North Carolina State University) Integration of Lignin with Residual Soy Proteins in the Fabrication of Fiber Webs for Utilization in the Field [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (10:30-10:55) Shuai Li (North Carolina State University) Jet Fuels and Bitumen Emulsions Stabilized by Carboxymethylated Lignins: Effect on Combustion Efficiency and Emissions [Abstract]
    • (10:55-11:20) Yusuf Celikbag (Auburn University) Pyrolysis Oil Substituted Epoxy Resin: Improved Ratio Optimization and Crosslinking Efficiency [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (11:20-11:45) William Hand (Auburn University) Micro fibrillated Cellulose Reinforcement in Phenol Formaldehyde Wood Adhesive [Abstract] [Slides]

Lunch on your own (11:45 a.m.: – 1:30 p.m.)

BREAKOUT SESSION 4 (1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.)

  • 4A: System Sustainability
    • (1:30-1:55) Virginia Dale (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Landscape Design Approach for Assessing Sustainability of Pellet Production from Southeast United States Forest Residues [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (1:55-2:20) John Schelhas (USDA Forest Service) “Weaving Straw into Gold”: Perceptions of the Social, Ecological, and Economic Sustainability of Wood-based Bioenergy in the Rural U.S. South [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (2:20-2:45) Esther S. Parish (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Assessment of the Overall Environmental and Socioeconomic Sustainability of the Vonore, Tennessee Switchgrass-to-Ethanol Production System [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (3:15-3:40) Puneet Dwivedi (University of Georgia) Do Markets for Forest Carbon and Wood-Based Energy Products Always Save Carbon [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (3:40-4:05) Amanda Ashworth (University of Tennessee) Enhancing the Sustainability of Lignocellulosic Feedstock Production Systems in the Southeast and Under Intensified Climatic Change [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (4:05-4:30) Kurt Krapfl (Mississippi State University) Soil resource dynamics of a loblolly pine-switchgrass intercropping system [Abstract] [Slides]
    • (4:30-4:55) William Hubbard (University of Georgia) Extension and Outreach Efforts in Support of Creating a Sustainable Forestry & Agriculture Biomass Economy in the Southern United States [Abstract] [Slides]
  •  4B: Woody/Herbaceous Engineering Operations
    • (1:30-1:55) Lance Stewart (Genera Energy Inc.) Building Successful Feedstock Logistical Systems [Abstract] [Slides]
      • (1:55-2:20) John Klepac (USDA Forest Service) Results of Transpirational Drying of Loblolly Pine at Roadside and in Bunches at Multiple Locations in South Alabama [Abstract] [Slides]
      • (2:20-2:45) Jonathan Kenney (Auburn University) Factors that Affect Fuel Consumption in Logging Systems [Abstract] [Slides]
      • (3:15-3:40) Daniel de Souza (Auburn University) Determining the Impact of Felling Method and Season of Year on Coppice Regeneration [Abstract] [Slides]
      • (3:40-4:05) Oladiran Fasina (Auburn University) Physical Characteristics of Short Rotation Woody Biomass [Abstract] [Slides]
      • (4:05-4:30) Francisco Gomez (Texas A&M) A Biomechanical Approach to Quantify Lodging in Sweet Sorghum for Biofuels [Abstract]
      • (4:30-4:55) James Larson (University of Tennessee) Effect of Particle Size and Bale Wrap on Storage Losses and Quality of Switchgrass [Abstract] [Slides]

Conference Dinner (6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) Mark Windham (University of Tennessee) The Southeastern Conference: Its Roots and Traditions [Abstract]