St. Louis to Host International Algal Biofuels Conference

St. Louis, MO, June 16, 2011 --(PR.com)-- The First International Conference on Algal Biomass, Biofuels, and Bioproducts will be held July 17 – 20, 2011 at the Westin Hotel in St. Louis. The conference will cover all areas of emerging technologies in algal biology, biomass production, cultivation, harvesting, extraction, bioproducts, and econometrics. The event is chaired by Dr. Jose A. Olivares, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Dr. Richard Sayre, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. The conference is being produced by the science publisher Elsevier B.V. Sponsorship of the conference includes, among others, the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts led by the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.

The program has been designed to provide a new level of direct interaction between preeminent scientific leaders in this rapidly developing scientific field, the strategic partners and delegates. Emphasis will be placed on latest unpublished technical and scientific results, discussion and direct interactions with strategic partners and leaders in the field. The conference is designed to facilitate extended discussion periods with dedicated networking sessions.

Plenary presentations will be given by: Dr. Valerie Sarisky-Reed (US DOE-EERE), who will provide an overview of the DOE biomass and biofuels strategy for the future; Dr. Nathan Danielson (DuPont), who will provide an overview of the scientific and technical challenges and opportunities facing the bioplastics industry; and by Dr. Richard Sayre (Enterprise Institute for Renewable Fuels at the Danforth Plant Science Center) who will provide an overview of current advances in the development of algae as a feedstock for biomass and biofuels.

Confirmed Speakers include:
Ami Ben-Amotz, National Institute of Oceanography Israel, Haifa, Israel
Heriberto Cerutti, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA
Nathan Danielson, DuPont, USA
Brian Goodall, SRS Energy, USA
Mark Hildebrand, University of California, San Diego, USA
Shanna Ivey, New Mexico State University, New Mexico
Anthony J. Marchese, Colorado State University, USA
Babetta L. Marrone, Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA
Sabeeha Merchant, UCLA, USA
Matthew Posewitz, Colorado School of Mines, USA
James W. Richardson, Texas A&M University, USA
Valerie Sarisky-Reed, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Biomass Program, USA
Richard Sayre, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, USA
Mario Tredici, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy
Makoto M. Watanabe, University of Tsukuba, Japan
Ji-Won Yang, Advanced Biomass R&D Center KAIST, Republic of Korea
Qingyu Wu, Tsinghua University, China

For details and registration please visit, www.danforthcenter.org

About The National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB)
The NAABB was created through the association of a large number of academic institutions, industrial companies, and national laboratories, to develop innovative technologies that will help bring biofuels to a commercial reality. In 2010 the NAABB received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Biomass Programs, to focus on the development of the algal biofuels industry. As a government and industry partnership, the NAABB will devote $49M of federal funds along with $20M of cost share commitments from its partners to new research, development and demonstration activities in algal biofuels. The NAABB will develop technologies for cost-effective production of algal biomass and lipids, economically fuels and co-products, and provide a framework for a sustainable biofuels industry.

About The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Founded in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit research institute with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Research at the Danforth Center will feed the hungry and improve human health, preserve and renew the environment, and enhance the St. Louis region and Missouri as a world center for plant science. The Center’s work is funded through competitive grants and contract revenue from many sources, including the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Agency for International Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center invites you to visit its new website, www.danforthcenter.org, featuring interactive information on the Center’s scientists, news and research, including the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels, the Center for Advanced Biofuel Research, and the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts. Public education outreach, RSS feeds and the brand-new “Roots & Shoots” blog help keep visitors up to date with Center’s current operations and areas of research.

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