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.
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]
- (1:30-1:55) Lance Stewart (Genera Energy Inc.) Building Successful Feedstock Logistical Systems [Abstract] [Slides]