Advanced BioFuels USA

Out of an abundance of COVID-19 caution, recognizing that we will have ABLC delegates and speakers facing travel restrictions in July, we are making ABLC digital-ready. The District of Columbia has not yet issued final regulations for July. We’ll continue to monitor the D.C. guidance — when we have it, we’ll advise on whether we will have a fully digital ABLC 2020 or a hybrid of digital/live. At this stage in the crisis, with the data we can see, we’re not optimistic about the prospects for ABLC at the Mayflower Hotel, however, we have to wait until the official word is given by authorities. We’re getting ready for any eventuality, for now, and ABLC Digital is on, for sure.  READ MORE

Right now, I’d like to share some background on how we are planning a “Better ABLC, with Digital”.

BioChannel.TV Americas

July 10 7AM-600 PM EDT

BioChannel.TV Europe

July 10 7AM-600 PM CET

BioChannel.TV Asia

July 10 7AM-600 PM GMT+8

The Logistics

The schedule. ABLC 2020 Digital will take place July 7, 8, 9 and 10.

Links and access. The week of June 29th, those who are registered receive all your links and the final schedule for ABLC 2020 Digital. As an ABLC Delegate, you’ll be able to access all Sessions, Lounges and Delegates.

A Better ABLC – content

1. Three streams. We will have one stream starting each day at 8am ET for the Americas, one at 2am ET for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and one starting at 10pm ET for Asia & Oceania. So, everyone will have ABLC running in local business hours, anywhere in the world. You can participate in one stream, or mix and match from all three to optimize the times for your ABLC experience and your favorite presentations.

2. Repeats of ABLC throughout July. We will repeat the entire ABLC 2020 Digital experience, the weeks of July 13, 20 and 27, so you can catch any sessions you missed.

3. On-demand via BioChannel.TV. All sessions will be available individually for you for 12 months via BioChannel.TV. Watch one, or as many as you want, as many times as you want, from any device, anywhere.

4. Slides for download and review. All presentation slides will be available for you on July 13.

5. All Plenary. All content will be in plenary session, no choosing between tracks. You will be able to see everything.

6. Live coverage of morning sessions worldwide via BioChannel.TV. The week of July 6, all morning sessions will be available to anyone in the world, from any device. That’s more people than ever to network like crazy with.

A Better ABLC – networking

1. Instant networking. At the close of each session marked “Interactive” sessions, you can select which presenters you would like to connect with. Each of you will receive each other’s contact information for follow-up.

2. The Network Like Crazy profiles. Each ABLC delegate and sponsor will have a basic profile which can be used by other delegates to search for potential partners and make one-to-contact. Profile pages will be live the week of July 6th and throughout the remainder of July.

3. The Daily Digest Lounge. Each afternoon at 530 ET, ABLC delegates can join in The Daily Digest Lounge, where we will make introductions, introduce a Secret Speaker with unique content. It is a networking and content environment very similar to the DigestConnect experience. You can debate your own ideas, comment on others’, greet partners, and interact with presenters, from any device, anywhere. 

4. The VIP Lounge. If you have clicked to be in contact with a presenter in a especially-marked session (VIP LOUNGE ENABLED), you’ll be invited to a special get-together in the VIP Lounge the week of July 13th in a video conferencing environment where you can exchange ideas, perspectives, and meet with like-minded delegates who shared your enthusiasm, and with the presenter. All sessions moderated by Digest Editor Jim Lane.

Double your experience.

If a physical ABLC is impossible in July, each paid registered Speaker & paid Delegate, Sponsor and Exhibitor will receive a non-transferable voucher good for ABLC Global in October 2020, or you can use it at any future ABLC. So, you get digital + physical, no matter what.

Answers to your questions. 

We have detailed, up-to-the-minute information on current status in D.C., the recording experience  the recording process; interacting and networking online; connecting with people after your presentation, or with any delegate, and the streaming schedule, repeats of presentations and on-demand access, and more. You can view our complete Q&A on the digital aspects of ABLC 2020, here.

In Florida, The Digest announced that the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference (ABLC 2020) will be held March 25-27, 2020 at the Mayflower Marriott Hotel in Washington, DC, and that the US Department of Energy has joined as the Digest’s co-sponsor of the event, where the DOE will highlight the role of advanced R&D in accelerating the development and deployment of an advanced bioeconomy.

The US Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office, the US National Labs that support the nation’s R&D agenda, and leadership from the US Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy leadership will play a major role on stage and in the development of the ABLC agenda.

The US Biomass Research & Development Board at ABLC

The Digest also announced that ABLC will be home to a special public meeting of the United States’ Biomass Research & Development Board on March 25th.

7 Conferences in 1 — and 18 events in all  ABLC will feature 7 distinct conference experiences:

1. The Advanced Biofuels Summit
2. The Renewable Chemicals & Biomaterials Summit
3. The ABLC Advanced Agricculture Summit
4. The Advanced Nutrition Summit
5. The Sustainable Aviation Fuels Summit
6. The Biogas & RNG Summit
7. The Hydrogen Summit

In addition to the 6 conferences, there will be 12 special events, forums and workshops :

• The Investor & Finance Workshop on capital trends
• The Bioeconomy Policy Forum on policy trends
• The Industry Horizons Forum
• The IMarket Analysis Workshop
• The ABLC Wolfpack – 4 fuels & chemicals companies to be devoured and dissected in a search for underlying value by the ABLC Due Diligence Wolves
• The Digital Biology Forum
• The Federal Perspectives & Programs Forum on new and continuing opportunities for federal incentives, R&D support, partnerships, and consortia.
• Live announcement of the 50 Hottest Companies in the Advanced Bioeconomy (the Hot 50)
• The annual Hot Party celebrating industry innovation and achievement
• The Global Leadership Award presentation
• The Holmberg Award for Lifetime Achievement presentation
• The annual State of the Industry address and Networking event

Announcing the first 9 Session Themes

Algae Products: Making Green by Going Green
Highlighting the diverse products from the global algae industry and support for innovators in this market.

Innovative Sensing Technologies for Biomass and Feedstock Production and Logistics
New advancements in sensor technologies to evaluate the quality of biomass and feedstocks as well as sensors in farming applications.

Marine and Heavy Duty Biofuel Opportunities
Marine and Heavy duty applications with a focus on drivers (emissions control, sulfur reduction in marine).

Bio Optimized Technologies for Plastics Recycling
Hghlighting selective, scalable technologies for plastics deconstruction and upcycling, and recyclable-by-design plastics.

System Integration and Advancements
Biorefinery systems panel covering biorefinery operations with a focus on robustness and feedstock handling; Process and systems integration; Lessons learned and successes

AI / Machine Learning in Bioenergy
AI / Machine Learning successes across the biobased industry.

Innovations in Biomass Pretreatment
The advantages for new pretreatment strategies such as disc refining, reductive catalytic fractionation (aka lignin first). Showcasing the benefits of their pretreatment approach- whether that is avoiding the need to utilize pressure, producing a non-condensed lignin stream, reducing toxicity of sugars etc.

Performance Advantaged Biofuels and Bioproducts
Exploring opportunities for performance advantaged biofuels and bioproducts, including fuels that improve performance and reduce emissions, and bio-based products that offer performance advantages over their petroleum counterparts.

Lower Carbon Intensity Fuels
Transportation sector fuels from CO2 and other sources of waste carbon with lower life-cycle carbon intensity. (on and off-road, aviation, marine).

The Key Data points

Live Attendance: 500+ delegates, 110+ Speakers, 250+ organizations- primarily high-level, director and above. ABLC 2018 had 539 delegates.
Global audience: 10,000 viewers follow the conference live and on-demand via BioChannell.TV

6 Themes the Industry is Thinking About

The theme for ABLC 2020 is “Network Like Crazy”” and across the two and a half days of the event, we’ll be looking closely at partnerships for project deployment, supply chain developing, securing offtake, finance, people, technology, and choosing locations.

We’ll look in depth at 6 themes.

Deploying at Scale: First commercial projects and technologies ready for deployment at scale.

Gaining Speed: new strategies for increasing speed to market; development in parallel; accessing opportunities in emerging markets and making them work.

Defining the Ask: What carbon policies will accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy; what are the rewards for countries, states and communities that move forward on carbon policy, and what’s the outlook for both current and new policies around the globe.

Attracting Capital: accessing strategic relationships; leveraging existing resources; new products and strategies that extend value for existing projects; what role carbon pricing plays, and how much and where and when.

Early Movement: Designing platforms and breakthrough first products that reduce cash burn and create brand visibility; monetizing through new and existing channels.

Sustainable Feedstock: Identifying real resources, timelines to scale, aggregation that works, sustainability metrics, and residues vs novel energy crops.

5 Industry Segments that Matter

Fuels: In the Advanced Biofuels Summit, ABLC will be focusing on demonstrated cellulosic biofuels, expansion opportunities in biomass-based diesel, progress in aviation fuels; Low Carbon Fuel Standards and their impact, progress in emerging alternatives to gasoline and diesel including DME, butanol and more, upgrade and expansion technologies for first-gen plants and thermochemical technologies that are on the rise.

Chemicals and Biomaterials: In the Renewable Chemicals & Biomaterials Summit, the event will focus on new demand for renewable chemical Intermediates, expansion in biobased plastics & packaging, the rise of fragrances & flavors, strategic interest and intent in organic acids and novel-performance chemicals.

Crops & Feedstocks: In the ABLC Crops & feedstocks Summit ABLC will focus in on yield improvement, sustainable crop protection, novel feedstocks, supply chain development, the rise of protein production for animal and human nutrition, opportunities for vegan technologies, and trends in advanced R&D including two major case studies on industry consortia aimed at developing new feedstock platforms.

Sustainable Aviation Fuels: In the Sustainable Aviation Summit, the event will highlight success stories and emerging technologies for aviation fuels for commercial and military application, including a look at consortia aimed at deployment, and the emerging policy and airline industry puchasing trends.

8 Industry Segments & Subjects that Matter

Clean Fuels & Energy

In the Biogas Forum and the Advanced Biofuels Summit, ABLC will be focusing on demonstrated cellulosic biofuels, expansion opportunities in biomass-based diesel, progress in aviation fuels; Low Carbon Fuel Standards and their impact, progress in emerging alternatives to gasoline and diesel including DME, butanol and more, upgrade and expansion technologies for first-gen plants and thermochemical technologies that are on the rise. Full conference details are here.

Renewable Chemicals and Biomaterials

the Renewable Chemicals & Biomaterials Summit, the event will focus on new demand for renewable chemical Intermediates, expansion in biobased plastics & packaging, the rise of fragrances & flavors, strategic interest and intent in organic acids and novel-performance chemicals. Full conference details are here.

Feedstocks & Supply chain development

In the Advanced Agriculture Summit, and the Advanced Nutrition Summit, the event will look at the development of a sustainable, available, reliable and affordable supply chain of feedstock based on biomass (including waste resources and new energy crops) to meet the conversion and product needs of the growing bioeconomy. Full conference details are here.

The New Nutrition

In the Advanced Nutrition Summit, ABLC will focus in on the rise of protein production for animal and human nutrition, opportunities for vegan technologies, the growing interest in the microbiome and the implications for R&D, and the expanding universe of nutraceuticals. Full conference details are here.

The Digital Biology Toolkit

In the Digital Biology Summit, ABLC will address the development of the new biological and manufacturing tools that support the rise of all these market segments — as well as the companions advances in robotics, genetics, big data and mobility that are ensuring that the nexus of biology and information science continues to power innovation across a wide selection of industries. Full conference details are here.

Agriculture

In The Advanced Agriculture Summit, ABLC Global will look at yield improvement, new crops, international deployment of technology, new sources of income — and the role of robotics, genetics, big data, remote sensing, mobility — and new tools for crop protection through early detection & spot treatment against pests, parasites, competitors and disease. Full conference details are here.</a19 191

Finance

In the Financing & Investing Workshop, ABLC Global will brings together the latest case studies of successful financing, and introduce the players, the models, the geographies, and the steps to success from financing early-stage companies through to commercial-scale deployment. Full conference details are here.  READ MORE

As background, the US Center for Disease Control issued an advisory that events with more than 50 attendees should not go forward for the next 8 weeks. And Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a state of emergency in the City of Washington, and also issued a health and safety advisory relating to holding events in the city, in an effort to contain the COVID-19 virus outbreak. We must follow the local advisory on health and safety.