PRELUDE TO THE AG INNOVATION SHOWCASE:
Algae to Biofuel: A practical solution to energy
Presented by the Enterprise Institute for Renewable Fuels
Monday, May 24, 2010, 9:30am – 11:00am
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
RSVP by emailing Doris Dednam at DDednam@danforthcenter.org.
Pond scum at the pump? Algae have significant potential as a clean, renewable,
and economical fuel source. In addition, biofuels
generate more jobs than any other sector of sustainable energy. As the industry
grows, there is potential for hundreds of thousands of new jobs nationally. St.
Louis has become a hotbed for this cutting edge research.
Join us for a lively discussion and learn the facts about what may be the most
promising solution to our nation’s quest for energy independence from three
leaders is the field. This special opportunity in “advance" of the program will
be presented just prior to the noon kick-off of the Ag Innovation Showcase. The
event will include:
Dr. Richard Sayre,
Director Enterprise Institute for Renewable Fuels at the Danforth Plant Science
Center; Chief Scientist, NAABB; Director, Center for Advanced Biofuels Systems
(CABS)
Dr. Jose Olivares,
Executive Director of the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and
Bioproducts (NAABB), Dr. Olivares is an adjunct member of the Donald Danforth
Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Deputy Division Leader Bioscience Division,
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Dr. Himadri Pakrasi,
Director, International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy and
Sustainability (I-CARES) and the George William and Irene Koechig Freiberg
Professor, School of Arts & Sciences at Washington University.
St. Louis' Biofuels Advantages
Enterprise Rent A Car Institute for Renewable Fuels, The ERAC Institute was founded
in 2007. With a goal of creating the next generation of alternative fuel
technologies from environmentally sound plant sources, thus reducing our
greenhouse gas emissions and our dependence on non-renewable resources. The
Institute is primarily focused on the efficient creation of bio-oils from plants
such as algae, soy and camelina. This fuel could be used on a large scale
to power cars, trucks, and aircraft.
The Center for Advanced Biofuel Systems (CABS)
is exploring ways to
increase the thermodynamic and kinetic efficiency of select plant- and
algal-based fuel production systems using rational metabolic engineering
approaches grounded in modern systems biology.
The National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts
(NAABB) is one of two cross-functional groups nationwide that will seek
to breakdown critical barriers to the commercialization of algae-based and other
advanced biofuels such as green aviation fuels, diesel, and gasoline that can be
transported and sold using today’s existing fueling infrastructure.
Photosynthetic Antenna Research Center (PARC) focuses on the study forms of
energy based on the principles of light harvesting and energy funneling as
applied to natural photosynthetic, biohybrid and bio-inspired antenna systems,
which gather light and carry it to an organism’s reaction center where the
chemistry that creates energy takes place.
International Center for Advanced Research in Energy and Sustainability
(I-CARES)
was created in June 2007 to foster research on energy, environment, and
sustainability that cannot be done by single investigators or by single
disciplines alone. I-CARES nurtures collaborations within Washington University
and with regional and international partners in order to contribute to rapid
progress in addressing the world's energy needs.
Preliminary Agenda:
9:30am – 10:00am
Welcoming Remarks
10:00am – 10:40am
Panel discussion
10:40am – 11:00am
Q&A
11:00am – 11:50am
Program concludes