Impressions of the Recent Alternative Fuels and Chemicals Coalition Conference and Expo

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November 15, 2022

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by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) The relatively new organization, Alternative Fuels and Chemicals Coalition, held their second annual conference November 6-8 just outside of Washington, DC. One benefit of this organization and conference is that they recognize the reality of the intertwining of fuels and chemicals in the practical world and work to reinforce the mutual interests of what the “outside world” might think of as separate, distinct entities.

Somewhere in numerous presentations appeared a flow chart of a process from feedstock to final product. Often, they can resemble the backbone of a fish with branches off to co-products chemicals, fuels or additional feedstock streams that can have their own backbone and rib diagrams. Similarly, this conference helped to release topics from silos and reinforced interrelated benefits, concerns, policy issues and economic considerations.

Synergies among fuels and chemicals

I was invited to moderate a panel of women at the leading edges of scientific inquiry, some involved with foundational research, others with investment-ready projects.

Dr. Takraka Dale from Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico discussed her work exploring the use of algae and other microoganisms as platforms for making cost-effective biofuels and bioproducts.

From the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado, Dr. Lieve Laurens described her team’s work with algae as a way to funnel CO2 to biochemical storage molecules in the algae cells via photosynthesis.

Dr. Marilyn Bruno, CEO of Aequor, talked about this California-based company that has developed biotech treatments to address some of the most persistent challenges of contamination encountered in growing aquatic-based feedstock and in fermentation systems; and in storing finished products. She also touched on Aequor’s work with the space program.

Dr. Marilene Pavan described her work with the LanzaTech biofoundry in Illinois, designed to build and prototype novel microbiological pathways and to screen strains to optimize LanzaTech’s process of converting industrial waste gases and other gases to sugars and ethanol for a wide variety of products from textiles to sutainable aviation fuel and more.

Josephine Pace, CEO of New York-based Alpha Green Solutions, talked about developing closed photobioreactor algae production and extraction systems for use around the world.

Hydrogen Everywhere

A hot development is in the production of green hydrogen from bio-pathways such as anaerobic digestion and biogas, as well as the more traditional electrolysis of water. For “green” hydrogen, using renewable energy to split the water is sometimes looked at as a way to store that renewable energy.

Green hydrogen is also a great example of how fuels and chemicals can inhabit the same space. Hydrogen certainly has use as a chemical in renewable fuel production. We see this when hydrogen is used in hydrocracking, co-processing, hydrotreatment for renewable fuels and for creating e-fuels. On the other hand, it is also used as a fuel for fuel cells or for combustion itself.

With hydrogen so pervasive throughout the session discussions this year, I hope that next year’s conference is structured to allow a whole series of sessions on the topic to cover everything from feedstocks, production alternatives, policies, investment and, very importantly the pros and cons of its production and use by various methods; and its carbon, water and energy footprints. We need candid, knowledgeable discussions about the above as well as about waste products related to electrolysis. We should also obtain studies about the greenhouse gas effects of water vapor emissions from fuel cell use and what limits on this might be so we can have informed discussions and policy decisions.

Value and Supply Chains

Many sessions explored the processes involved throughout the supply chains and value chains.

Not all sessions covered direct fuel/chemical relationships. Some focused on renewable specialty chemicals such as those used for fragrances, flavors and personal care markets.

Other sessions concentrated on industrial biotechnology or foods and agriculture. Sunday’s sessions highlighted U.S. Department of Agriculture briefings.

Funding, financing and investment received their share of attention, as well.

The topic of one Sunday Symposium, “Progress towards a U.S. Carbon Intensity Label” resurfaced numerous times in other sessions throughout the conference, with multiple calls for some way to standardize and communicate a verifiable value or weight to be given to carbon or greenhouse gas avoidance or reduction for feedstocks, intermediates, precursors, and final products.

Plenary sessions in the form of facilitated conversations among a wide range of experts enabled an equally wide range of topics to be covered with insights from multiple perspectives along various value chains.

Something Missing?
Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) was another hot topic with multiple dedicated sessions and mentions in many others. The Biden Administration’s emphasis on Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge, and the growing public understanding that aviation will not be decarbonized or defossilized via electricity and batteries for a good, long time, inspired urgency, action and purpose in this renewable fuels sector.

On the other hand, the topic of renewable fuels for marine/maritime uses, which is also understood to be “hard to decarbonize” or defossilize, wasn’t as ripe for consideration at this conference. Internationally, and in countries that dominate ocean commerce and shipping, there’s a lot more action as evidenced by the Green Shipping Challenge announced at COP27. By next year, this should get more attention at this conference as well.

Jam-Packed

It’s great that conferences are structured to enable multiple tracks and choices; but it always comes with the wish to be in more than one place at the same time. This was no exception. High quality, intelligent, civil discussions about difficult topics took place not only in the formal sessions, but also in hallway discussions and networking events.

It’s a good opportunity to meet with representatives from government, industry, business, finance, education and advocacy to discuss topics related to where the rubber meets the road on climate change mitigation from renewable, sustainable fuels and chemicals.

Symposium audio pt1 & audio pt2 for Progress Towards a U.S. Carbon Intensity Label. Presentation.

Symposium audio for The Importance of Standards for Synthetic Biology and Industrial Biotechnology. Presentation: Steve Evans - Andrea Hodgson - Vijay Srinivasan

Symposium audio for Hydrogen Hubs: Building a Consumer Base and Enabling Adoption.

Plenary Session audio for Sustainability In Industrial Biotechnology – Is it Measurable?

Plenary Session audio for Vanguard Biobased Materials and Their Applications. Presentations: Rich Altice - Mark Herrema - Jon Veldhouse

Plenary Session audio for Fly the Sky Economically and Climate Smart.

Workshop audio for Research and Development Activities on Sustainable Aviation Fuel. Presentations: Zia Abdullah - Alex Menotti

Workshop audio for Cutting Edge Debt, Equity and Insurance Project Finance Structuring for the Bioeconomy

Workshop presentation for USDA’s Role in the Bioeconomy

Workshop presentations for Best Practices in Evaluating the Wood Feedstock Supply Chain for Low-carbon Biofuels: Doris DeGuzman - Nick Andrews - Pete Coutu - Ira Dassa

Presentations and audio for Track 1, Session 1, Policy Initiatives Curbing Plastics Use and Their Effect on PHA Use and Proliferation. Presentations: Bauer - William Bardosh - Raj Krishnaswamy - Anindya Mukherjee - Brad Rodgers

Presentations and audio for Track 1, Session 2, Advancements in Plastic Waste Management. Presentations: Derek Atkinson - Ramani Narayan - K. Prakash Shyam - David Sudolsky - Rhodes Yepsen

Presentations and audio for Track 1, Session 3, Carbon Capture and Conversion to Biobased Fuels and Products. Presentations: Garett Estadt - Derek Greenfield - Chad Haynes - Steven Singer - Marika Ziesack

Presentations and audio PT1 & PT2 for Track 1, Session 4, New Biobased Materials

on the Horizon from Internal Growth Strategies and Partnerships. Presentations: Steve Davies - Brian Gordon - Daniel MacEachran - Max Senechai - Tom van Aken - Phil Van Trump

Presentations and audio for Track 1, Session 5, Feedstocks for Scaling Up Renewable Chemicals. Presentations: Joaquín Alarcón - Timothy Bauer - Siddhartha Pal - Darcy Prather - Philipp Walter - David Weiner

Presentations and audio for Track 1, Session 6, Production of Sustainable Biomaterials and Consumer Products Promoted by Policy Strategies. Presentations: Nouf Alhazmi -

Drew Bowers - Peter Jackman - Antonio Quiñones-Rivera PT1 PT2 - Basudeb Saha - Tim Urban

Presentations and audio for Track 2, Session 1, Reducing Waste to High Value Products: A Regulatory Perspective. Presentations: Paul Argyropoulos - Eric Barger - Bob Hambrecht - Paul Schubert - Julie Tucker

Presentations and audio for Track 2, Session 2, New Policies to Incentivize Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Production. Presentations: Mike Darcy - Gary Grimes - Terry Kulesa - Philip Moore - Tim Pohle - Cherie Wilson

Presentations and audio for Track 2, Session 3, Develop and Produce Scalable, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Presentations: Zia Abdullah - Mela Buzzetta - Ramsey Fahs - Andrew Miller - Brian Ripsin

Presentation and audio for Track 2, Session 4, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF): What’s on the Horizon for Companies in Low-Carbon Transportation Fuels Industry. Presentations: Nick Andrews - Mike Caston - John Hannon - Gerard Ostheimer - Nancy Young

Presentations for Track 2, Session 5, The Environmental & Economic Benefits of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG). Presentations: Mallik Angalakudati - Henry Berling -

Zach Chapin - Shawn Kreloff - Steve Soule (NO audio or Presentations available for this session)

Presentations and audio for Track 2, Session 6, Advances and Solutions: Decarbonization with Affordable Hydrogen, Renewable Gasoline and Other Alternative Fuels. Presentations: Philippe Haffner - Tom Hobby - Dave Kettner - Andrew White

Presentations and audio for Track 3, Session 1, Enzyme and Cell-free Technologies for Production of Sustainable Chemicals. Presentations: William Armiger - David Babson - Ken Barrett - David Demirjian - Elizabeth Onderko - Eric Steen

Presentations and audio for Track 3, Session 2, Advancing Sustainability Through Key Strategic Partnerships. Presentations: Tim McCaffery - Ben Dolman - Matthew Lipscomb -

Louis Snyders

Presentations and audio for Track 3, Session 3, Renewable Ingredients for Fragrances, Flavors, and Personal Care Markets. Presentations: Mark Miller - Asfia Qureshi -

David Ramjohn - John Shaw

Presentations and audio for Track 3, Session 4, Industrial Biotech Pathways: Amino Acids, Succinic Acid, Fatty Acids. Presentations: Tina Boville - Cesar Granda - Dexter Hsu - Andreas Kohl - Kelly Smith

Presentations and audio for Track 3, Session 5, Vision to Profitably Manufacture Renewable Specialty Products. Presentations: Aaron Fitzgerald - Martha Marrapese -

Nirav Patel - Carl Rush - Antoine Schellinger - Albert Vitale

Presentations and audio for Track 3, Session 6, Roadblocks and Opportunities for the Development of the US Industrial Biotechnology Manufacturing Landscape. Presentations: Brentan Alexander - Gayle Bentley - Mary Maxon - Kate Sixt - Phil Van Trump - Mark Warner

Presentations and audio for Track 4, Session 1, Process Development Tools for Advanced

Biofuels. Presentations: Robert Freerks - Dan Giuliani - Tad Hepner - Asfia Qureshi - Zhang Yan

Presentations and audio for Track 4, Session 2, Technologies and Methods to Improve the Profitability of Green Crude and Chemicals and Advance Carbon Capture. Presentations: Joanne Ivancic - Marilyn Bruno - Taraka Dale - Lieve Laurens - Josephine Pace

Presentations and audio for Track 4, Session 3, Regenerative Agriculture as a Solution. Presentations: Keith Berns - Karen Boyd - Laura Decker - Keith Pitts

Presentations and audio for Track 4, Session 4, Food Solutions through Protein Fermentation. Presentations: Ranjan Patnaik - Michael Tai - Bryan Tracy - Qiaosong George Zheng

Presentations and audio for Track 4, Session 5, Precision Fermentation: Building Microbial Strains for Commercial Readiness. Presentations: Patrick Boyle - Sunil Chandran - Larry Feinberg - Lori Giver - Alex Hutagalung - Thomas Jeffries - Jason Webber

Presentations and audio for Track 4, Session 6, Development of Alternative Proteins, Applications, and Regulatory Requirements. Presentations: Manoj Kumar - Debbie Yaver