EERC announces 2011 biomass conference

The Energy & Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota announced that the Biomass ’11: Renewable Power, Fuels, and Chemicals Conference will be held July 26-27 at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, N.D.

“We continually revitalize this event, now in its ninth year, to ensure it is the premier biomass conference in the Midwest,” said Chris Zygarlicke, EERC deputy associate director for research and workshop technical director. “In 2010, attendees from 26 states and Washington, D.C., attended with more than 65 percent representing industry. This year, we have upgraded this event from a workshop to a full conference, allowing us to reach a much broader audience.”

Registration for the conference is now open, and the EERC is currently seeking abstracts online from anyone interested in speaking at the conference. Presentation abstracts are due to the EERC no later than March 1.

The Biomass ’11 Conference will offer a two-day cutting-edge technical program, to include a prestigious group of top industry experts in the field of biomass production (i.e., plant matter such as straw, corn and wood residue) and biomass conversion to power, transportation fuels and chemicals.

Topics to be discussed include trends and opportunities in utilizing biomass, renewable policies and incentives, renewable fuels, financing biomass-related projects, biorefinery chemicals and products, biomass for heat and electricity, biomass feedstocks and algae.

“The business of developing next-generation renewable transportation fuels that can significantly replace some portion of petroleum-based fuels is extremely competitive and challenging. Well over 100 different companies and organizations just in the United States are in a fierce battle to prove their technologies and get renewable fuels into the marketplace,” Zygarlicke said. “At Biomass ’11, we hope to highlight some of these cutting-edge transportation fuel developments. In addition, the conference will again facilitate a useful status and synopsis of both large-scale biomass cofiring efforts in the United States and the current outlook for smaller-scale distributed power and fuel systems that can operate on varied biomass feedstocks.”

Biomass ’11 is sponsored by the EERC’s Centers for Renewable Energy and Biomass Utilization through the U.S. DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the North Dakota Department of Commerce Division of Community Services State Energy Program.

Conference fees are $275 a person and include access to all of the conference sessions, attendee materials, the exhibit show floor, and meals/refreshments. For more information on registering, submitting an abstract, or becoming a sponsor or exhibitor, visit the Biomass ’11 Conference Web site at www.undeerc.org/biomass11.