ABLC preview: The Complete Speakers Guide

ABLC Next 2022 commences at 5pm Pacific Time on Wednesday, October 26th at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco, with more than 90 speakers, 43 sponsors, 750 delegates and 430 companies represented at the event. Here is the official guide to the onstage content.

WEDNESDAY

5:00pm  STATE OF THE INDUSTRY presentation
The Top Trends in advanced ethanol, SAF, Renewable Diesel, DME/Propane, Chemicals, Materials, Plastics, RNG, Hydrogen, Carbon Capture, New Crops, Waste Feedstocks, Finance, Bioeconomy Policy.

THURSDAY

800am INDUSTRY HORIZONS
Graham Noyes, Executive Director, Low Carbon Fuels Coalition
Zara Summers, VP, Science, LanzaTech
Patrick Serfass, Executive Director, American Biogas Council
Philippe Cantin, VP of Finance & Investor Relations, Enerkem

The Digest’s comment: As you might expect with “industry Horizons” we have a mix of policy and technology here. Patrick Serfass of the American Biogas Council is making his ABLC debut as we put methane front and center of our “Go Carbon Negative” theme – biogas and RNG are two pathways for doing just that. And Low Caron Fuels Coalition executive director Graham Noyes will not only applaud, but he’ll show you how much better the incentives become with LCFS schemes — and where they may pop up next and how the actual regulations being written are a must-master topic. We also have two technology wonders — Enerkem and LanzaTech — both of them highly active in the C1 single-carbon world — Enerkem with its amazing methanol platform and LanzaTech with its wondrous technology taking us from one carbon gaseous feedstocks to a host of chemicals and fuel ethanol right at the center of its capabilities.

9:00am SUSTAINABLE FUTURES
Pramod Chaudhari, Executive Chairman, Praj Industries
Bryan Sherbacow, CEO, Alder Fuels
Milica Folic, Director, Business Development, Topsoe
Rebecca Groen, Director, Sustainable Fuels, SHV Energy
Richard Palmer, CEO, Global Clean Energy Holdings

The incisive Tim Zenk of Molecule will moderate as we look at some of the biggest movers right now and their drive to sustainable futures, starting with our Holmberg Award winner Pramod Chaudhari and a look at the future technologies and directions of Praj. As how as they comes right now are Topsoe and Alder Fuels, making announcements around SAF and drop-in renewable fuels by the bushel-load, with Global Leadership Award winner Bryan Sherbacow giving his insights as Alder’s chief. SHV is representing a portfolio of interests but I expect most eyes will be on their advances in renewable DME at scale. Meanwhile, fans both of camelina and large-scale drop-in fuels projects will be all ears when GCEH CEO Richard Palmer takes the stage.

11:00am ABLC KEYNOTES AND PLENARY ADDRESSES
Ena Cratsenburg, CBO, Ginkgo Bioworks
Luca Vailati, Director of Business Development, Dimeta
Phil Sanderson, CFO, Velocys
Mike Morgan, Executive Managing Director, Burnham Sterling & Co.

This year our keynoters are representing the complete value chain — at the organism development level, Ginkgo BioWorks, and developing large scale projects for DME (DImeta) and SAF/RD (Velocys) using some of the most advanced technology sets we’ve seen. But let’s not overlook the role of creative, sustainable finance as Burnham Sterling’s Mike Morgan gives us the lay of the land in a keynote that also tees up the Finance & Investment Summit.

12:00 pm The Finance & Investment Summit
Moderators:
Tom Dickson, CEO, New Energy Risk
Justin Goldstein, Vice President, Public Sector and Infrastructure Banking Group, Investment Banking Division, Goldman Sachs
Jon B. Cozens, President, Mura Cascade
Harrison Clay, Head of Biogas, Energy Transition, Mercuria Energy America
Yaniv D. Scherson, Chief Operating Officer, Anaergia Services
Gretchen L. Kittel, Acting Director, Outreach and Business Development, Loan Programs Office, U.S. Department of Energy

Now joining us for the 113th consecutive year, our moderators Mark J. Riedy of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton and John R. Kirkwood of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath have assembled another star-studded panel, one of only three panel-style sessions at ABLC. We have loan guarantees with the US DOE Loan Programs Office, debt and equity finance with Goldman Sachs, global commodities and energy trading with Mercuria Energy America, biogas, major project development with Anergia Services and Mura Cascade, and rick management and insurance via New Energy Risk. Always a must-see.

2:00pm TRACK A Advanced Bioeconomy Perspectives, Fuels & Chemicals
Mike McCurdy, Managing Director, Energy Advisory Services, ICF
Leigh Abrams, Renewable Fuels Offering Manager, Honeywell UOP
Soheil Razjouyan, Chief Carbon Technologies Officer, Green Star BCS
Dr Keith Simons, Principal Scientist, SHV Energy
Moderator: San Nejame, Promotum

2:00pm TRACK B Hot Projects
Stefan Unnasch, Managing Director, Life Cycle Associates
Roman Grossman, Director, National Business Development, Linde
Simone Callioni, Global Lead, Project Development, Aquatech
James Oyler, President, Genifuel
Moderator: David Dodds, Dodds & Associates 

2:00pm TRACK C Hot Technologies, Corn-to-Chemicals
Moderator: Sarah McKay, Director of Market Development, National Corn Growers Association
Nathan Danielson, Principal, BioCognito
Dana Hatch, R&D Manager, Virent
Kelly Davis, VP, Regulatory Affairs, Renewable Fuels Association
Dirk den Ouden, VP Circular Chemicals, Stora Enso

Projects perspectives and technologies are on the docket in the 2 o’clock hour. Track A we’ll be led by Wolf Sam Nejame of the Due Diligence Wolfpack, who will introduce perspectives and a little technology with UO and SHV Energy paired up with perspectives from ICF and Green Star BCS. We’re sure there will be data and partnering opportunities not to be missed. Over in Track B helmed by Wolf David Dodds, let’s Get Physical with Hot Projects and key tech suppliers — gases from Linde, water everything with Aquatech, equipment from Genifuel and carbon accounting from LCA, you’re just about all set to go. If you love corn, you will absolutely be fascinated by what we can do with it now — a world far beyond fuels, corn oil and feed — we have RFA, Stora Enso and Virent to show technology, perspective from BioCognito and RFA, in a panel session led by the always illuminating Sarah McKay of the National Corn Growers Association.

3:30pm TRACK A Top Research & Deployment Consortia
Damon Hartley, Group Lead, Operations Research and Analysis, Idaho National Lab
Josh Schaidle, NREL — ChemCatBio Consortium
Douglas Friedman, CEO, BIOMADE
Ed Wolfrum, Principal Researcher and Group Manager at National Renewable Energy Laboratory – Feedstock Conversion Interface Consortium
Moderator: Eric Bowen, industry consultant

3:30pm TRACK B Hot Projects Summit
Rashi Akki, CEO, Ag-Grid Energy
Brian Tracey, Director, Business Development, Vanguard Renewables
David McCoy, SVP, Kern Energy
Moderator: Dave Collings, 1898 & Co.

3:30pm TRACK C Hot Technologies Summit — Renewable Diesel and SAF
Charles Wyman, CEO, Vertimass
David Schwalje, Business Development Director, Axens North America
Sheila Remes, VP of Enterprise Environmental Sustainability, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Nancy Young, Chief Sustainability Officer, Alder Fuels
Moderator: Chris Tindal, CAAFI 

In the 330 hour, three more hot sessions. If SAF is your flavor, head over to Chris Tindal’s SAF session with Alder, Boeing, Axens and Vertimass. If you’re leaning more towards the leading consortia to join forces with, check out Eric Bowen’s R&D Consortia session with FCIC, BioMADE, ChemCatBio and INL will be looking at feedstock development and handling as well. More interested in the the hottest projects out there. What about Dave Collings and the Hot Projects Summit, there a lot of RNG in there with Vanguard and Ag-Grid Energy, but there’s also large scale liquids transition with Kern Energy. Three barn-burners for the mid afternoon,

4:30pm TRACK A Hot Technologies
Alex Kopelyan, Partner, Indie Bio
Alex Zhangellini, CEO, Arzeda, co-founder, OPEN FOLD Alliance
Matt Lipscomb, CEO, DMC Bio
David Sudolsky, CEO, Anellotech
Moderator: Will Thurmond, Emerging Markets Online

4:30pm TRACK B Hot Projects
Roy Viteri, Business Development Manager, Thermal Kinetics, An RCM Technologies Company
John Bissell, co-CEO, Origin Materials
Justin Borchardt, SVP, S&B Engineers & Constructors
Mickey Reeves, Vice President, Project Development, TritenIAG
Moderator: Steve Slome, NexantECA

4:30pm TRACK C Hot Technologies
David Tze, CEO, NovoNutrients
Bruce Dannenberg, CEO, Phytonix
Pramod Kumbhar, President and CTO, Praj Matrix
Corinne Scown, TechnoEconomic Analysis and Life Cycle Analysis lead, JBEI
Moderator: Wes Bolsen, industry consultant

We finish the day and lean into the Hot Party with Hard Stuff, Hot Technologies and Hot Projects, things to sink your deployment teeth into. Some of the earlier-stage tech will be on display with Will Thurmond’s Hot Technologies Summit, Indie Bio will run the table with emerging tech while we look at catalytic pyro with Anellotech, the amazing world of Dynamic Metabolic Control with DMC Bio, and if you’re been floored by the advanced with AlphaFold, there’s Alex Zanghellini on hand to highlight the Open Fold Alliance Over in Track B, Steve Slome will run the Hot Projects Summit, where we have the completely fascinating and on-the-verge Origin Materials, and S&B and Triten IAG take us through the realities of engineering at scale. Wes Bolsen’s looking into Hot Technologies as well in Track C, with some amazing little critters from NovoNutrienets and Phytonix, an industry-leading tech portfolio of Praj Matrix and Corinne Brown takes us into the world of techno-economic modeling.

FRIDAY

8:00am Industry Horizons
Devin Walker, CEO T2C Energy
Rebecca Boudreaux, CEO, Oberon Fuels
Eduardo Alvarez, COO, Amyris
Alan Del Paggio, VP, Licella/Arbios
Moderator: Jim Lane, The Daily Digest

Friday begins with more industry horizons from a couple of our most celebrated companies — early-stagers no more, now deploying tech in multiple sectors, true complex biorefineries — Amyris the home of “No Compromises” products, Licella “The Wonder from Down Under”, Oberon “The decarboniizing propane” company, and a must-watch company making an ABLC debut, T2C Energy.

9:00am Sustainable Futures
Eric McAfee, CEO, Aemetis
Pat Gruber, CEO, Gevo
Neal Jakel, Managing Director, Fluid Quip Technologies
Chris Cooper, President, US, Neste
Moderator: Tim Zenk, Molecule

Tim Zenk of Molecule returns as our Sustainable Futures moderator with four of the giants of the transition to advanced biorefineries, a session so packed with energy that I wonder if the stage will spontaneously combust. Seriously, Net Zero 1 (Gevo) and Carbon Zero One “(Aemetis) are two of the most ambitious projects ever conceived from two companies disciplined  by the war to reach scale, tempered by the hard and bitter road to Net Zero. And that’s just the beginning — the company whose technology is transforming Green Plains into a bioeconomy monster, Fluid Quip Technologies, is on stage — and Neste, who started the ball rolling with renewable diesel at scale and are now moving decisively into jet.

11:00am ABLC Plenary Addresses
Chris Tindal, Assistant Director, CAAFI
Patrick Vagner, VP of Business Development, Energy & Sustainability, Ginkgo Bioworks
Gerhard Muggen, Managing Director, BTG Bioliquids
William Hohenstein, Director of Climate Change Program Office, USDA/Office of the Chief Economist
Eric Steen, CEO, Lygos

For our plenary addresses, some ABLC veterans in CAAFI’s always fascinating and funny Chris Tindal leads us off. We have Ginkgo BioWorks back with us on stage after a number of years out there transforming biology, Eric Steen returns with Lygos and the latest from the most promising of the Keasling Kompanies. Bill Hohenstein is back on stage from USDA, as we explore the mighty nuances and details of the Inflation Reduction Act and the rest of the USDA arsenal of analytics, perspectives and accelerators. And a special late addition from Europe, we have been long admires of BTG Bioliquids tech and Gerhard Muggen will be highlighting the latest – lots of hot tech at ABLC but BTG is not as often seen this side of the Atlantic, a must-see.

1:30pm TRACK A Hot Technologies
Danielle Uchimura Pascoli, Cyclotron Road Fellow, Berkeley Lab
Tad Hepner, Technical Sales Manager US, Clariant
Dave Austgen, CEO, BioVeritas
Ram Ramprasad, CCO, Twelve
Moderator: Michele Rubino, industry consultant

1:30pm TRACK B Hot Projects
Justin Billing, Director of Chemical Engineering Development, Circlia Nordic
David Rubenstein, CEO, California Ethanol + Power
Joshua Velson, Project Manager, NEXANTECA
Britt Boughey, CEO, OMC Hydrogen
Moderator: Gerry Ostheimer, BioFuture Platform

1:30pm TRACK C Hot Feedstocks
Mark Brodziski, Deputy Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA Rural Development
Larry Sullivan, principal, Lee Enterprises Consulting
John McKay, Professor, Colorado State University
Braden Crowe, Research Engineer, MicroBio Engineering
Moderator: Eric Bowen, industry consultant

In the 130 hour, Michele Rubino’s Track A session is replete with hot tech, the amazing Twelve, and a first look at Danielle Uchimura Pascoli’s new company out of Cyclotron Road, huge news from BioVeritas this week, and we’re going to get a detailed update on Clariant’s world-scale cellulosic project in Romania. It’s projects and perspective on likely molecules in Gerry Ostheimer’s Hot Projects Summit — California Ethanol + Power in on hand for an advanced biorefinery look and OMC Hydrogen from that hot molecules. We’ll tour HTL technology with Circlia Nordic and Josh Velson will highlight some molecules for the future. And don’t miss Eric Bowen’s Hot Feedstocks Summit, Mark Brodziski in the lead with programs galore from USDA, we’ll look at hemp with John McKay, algae with Braden Crowe and forest with Larry Sullivan.

2:30pm TRACK A Hot Perspectives
Will Thurmond, Author, Renewable Diesel & SAF 2030
Steve Slome, Program Manager, Biorenewable Insights, Nexant ECA
Ryan Lamberg, Strategist, Momentum
Siegfried Knecht, Chairman, AIREG
Moderator: Eduard Lindner NexantECA

2:30pm TRACK B Hot Technologies
Guy Penard, VP, Yilkins

Ahmed Shuja, CEO, Ecosce
Mac Kennedy, CEO, Mote
Robert Schultze, CEO, Infinitum
Moderator: Wes Bolsen, industry consultant

2:30pm TRACK C Hot Feedstocks
Brian Wilcox, Chief Engineer, Marine BioEnergy
Barney Bernstein, Vice President, Sustainable Oils
William Orts, Research Leader – Bioproducts Research
USDA Agriculture Research Service
Moderator: Steve Weiss, Grey Heron 

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In the 230 hour, Hot Perspectives brings together Will Thurmond of RD & SAF 2030, Ryan Lamberg of Momentum, Siegfried Knecht of European SAF horizons and Wolf Steve Slome from the Wolfpack will truth-tell about molecules that matter. Over in Wes Bolsen’s Track B we have Yilkins drying tech, Ecosce’s solvent tech, Mote’s hydrogen tech, and Infinitum’s transformative electrofuels tech.  Steve Weiss then helms the Hot Feedstocks Summit with additional presentations from USDA, Sustainable Oils, plus Marine BioEnergy’s kelp tech.

4:00pm ABLC Due Diligence Wolfpack
The Wolfpack:
David Dodds, President, Dodds & Associates
Michele Rubino, industry consultant
Steve Slome, Program Manager, Biorenewable Insights, Nexant ECA
Steve Weiss, President, Grey Heron Consulting
Sam Nejame, Principal, Promotum
Dave Collings, Senior Technical Advisory Consultant, 1898 & Co.
Paul Bryan, Process Development Advisor, Origin Materials

Perhaps our most popular session in The Wolfpack, and this time we’re looking back at pivots and perishables — why some companies didn’t quite make it with their tech as stand-atones, why some moved away from their original large-market targets to more niche products, We’ll be looking at Zymergen, Global Bioenergies, Renmatix and Alto Ingredients as the Wolves, hungry for value, tear through the hype, pettifoggery and cant and find the true data and relate the real deal.