TAPPI Introduces Board for BioPro Expo

TAPPI announced the initial members of a multi-industry Advisory Board tasked with guiding conference content for its new BioPro Expo event, scheduled for Aug. 24-26 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.

The board will combine TAPPI’s knowledge of processing wood and wood waste feedstocks with expertise from government and academic entities, technology suppliers, renewable energy consumers and associations in industries with access to a variety of biomass feedstocks, including agricultural, energy crop, forest, pulp and paper, municipal and food processing. The board will identify case studies, expert panels and technology sessions that focus on options for rapid deployment of bioenergy technologies, and those that complement the tradeshow.

“By joining forces with experts throughout the biomass processing spectrum—from suppliers of various feedstocks to producers and consumers of bioenergy and biofuels—BioPro Expo is providing an opportunity for networking and knowledge sharing across industries with vital interests in this emerging field,” said TAPPI President and CEO, Larry Montague. “TAPPI is enthused about working with its partners to bring practical answers and on-the-ground technologies for companies looking to capitalize on future prospects related to bioenergy.”

The conference program is made up of 24 supply, technology and policy-related sessions spread over three days, including sessions from TAPPI’s International Bioenergy & Bioproducts Conference (IBBC), which is co-located with BioPro Expo in 2010.

As content evolves, the list of partners and industries will grow. The initial board includes the following organizations and industry experts: Alberta Ingenuity Fund—Chris Dambrowitz, director, Ingenuity Accelerators Program; Bioenergy Technologies Quarterly—Ken Patrick, editor; Forest Landowners Association—Scott Jones, CEO; Georgia Power—Charles Scurry, forest products segment manager; Jacobs Engineering—Steve Dowe, director of process technology; National Renewable Energy Laboratory—Mark Davis, principal scientist; South Carolina Biomass Council—Erika Myers, coordinator, and Thomas French, bioenergy manager, Savannah River National Laboratory; Southeast Agriculture & Forestry Resources Alliance (SAFER)—Charity Pennock, project coordinator; Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE)—Anne Blair, diesel and bioenergy program manager; and TAPPI—Colleen Walker, project manager, BioPro Expo.

As project manager for BioPro Expo, Walker leads the board. She holds a Ph.D. from the Institute of Paper Science and Technology in Atlanta. She has worked for several paper producers and spent six years with the Center for Paper Business and Industry Studies located on Georgia Tech’s campus. At TAPPI, she has managed many successful conferences, including IBBC and the International Conference on Nanotechnology for the Forest Products Industry.

“The BioPro Expo Advisory Board is a unique combination of thought leaders and experts in biomass utilization who are dedicated to understanding how biomass resources can be used effectively to create new revenue streams and develop more sustainable ways of doing business,” said Walker. “In the coming months, TAPPI will continue to announce new partners for the BioPro Expo Advisory Board.”

For additional information, visit www.bioproexpo.org.