Focusing on aspects of biochar production and utilization, this panel will include an overview of current biochar technologies, followed by several unique approaches to commercialization, including biochar as a carbon removal strategy, soil amendment and fossil fuel substitution.

• Jim Doten, Carbon Sequestration Program Manager, City of Minneapolis
  
• Matthew Young, Research Staff Engineer, Biomass Specialist, Natural Resources Research Institute
  
• Matt Aro, Research Program Manager, Forest Products, Natural Resources Research Institute
  
• Malini Srivastava, Associate Professor, Architecture, University of Minnesota, College of Design
  

While scaling up is most often the goal of technology developers, this panel takes a look at the punch smaller-scale biomass energy projects and associated technologies can pack in the appropriate scenarios, on a much shorter timeline than traditional commercial facilities.

• Todd Hopwood, Business Development Manager, Siemens Energy, Inc.
  Planting One Tulip at a Time: Empowering Rural Towns for Big Decarbonization
• John Tharpe, President, American BioEnergy Converting Corp.
  Energy Optomization via Micro Power Plants
• Malena Maraviglia, Applications Engineer, ElectraTherm, Inc.
  
  Tiny and Mighty: Design Tips for Small Scale Biomass Projects with Real POWER

Whether the end product is electricity, transportation fuel, pipeline gas or hydrogen, at the heart of it all is the anaerobic digestion (AD) process. This panel will first explore how AD can provide carbon-negative energy to local communities, and then dive into the critical aspects of the AD process, including balancing feedstocks, maximizing microbial efficiency and avoiding digester mishaps.

• Chris Thomas, VP of Public Affairs, Divert
  How Solving the Wasted Food Crisis Can Power our Clean Energy Future
• Tim Cole, CEO, EcoPartners, LLC
  From Money Pit to Superbugs: The Culver Duck Farm Anaerobic Digester Case Study
• Dimitrios Chrysochoou, Technical Specialist, TRADEWORKS ENVIRONMENTAL
  Enhancing the Efficiency of Anaerobic Digestion in Municipal Sewage Sludge through Biotechnology Innovations
• Amy Hall, Director of Sciences, Digester Doc
  How to Kill a Digester in 10 Easy Steps: A Guide to Tanking Your Biogas Production

Seven SAF production pathways are currently approved by ASTM, but which will see widespread deployment? This panel takes a closer look at some of the processes and technologies available and their commercial readiness levels, several projects that currently or plan to use them, as well as a review of various aspects of scaling up biomass valorization pathways.

• Scott Vanderau, Partner, ETA Energy Transaction Advisors
  Gasification of Biomass for SAF Production
• Nathalie Ionesco, COO, Haffner Energy
  SAFNOCA®: Haffner Energy’s Value Proposition for SAF and Clean Fuels Production from Residual Biomass
• Chan Meza, Research Engineer, Southwest Research Institute
  Biomass Valorization Pathways

Cookies, coffee, decaf, hot tea and soda

Interest in carbonized biomass is an all-time high, and potential is vast to replace fossil fuels in new markets such as heavy industry. However, progress can only be furthered with the motivation, expertise and technology required to overcome process challenges, ensure product quality and demonstrate proof of concept to potential customers.

• Josh Gill, Alternative Fuels Sales Manager, CPM
  Higher Bulk Density Torrefied Pellets
• Riki Franco, CEO, Prime 6
  Innovation in Bio-based Fuels: A Cross-Industry Perspective
• Zach Bacon, Process Engineer, Valmet, Inc.
  Steam treated (Exploded) Black Pellets - A Potential Game Changer in SAF Production
• Marshall Mermell, CEO, Advanced Resilient Biocarbon LLC (ARB)
  Circular Mining with Biochar

Pursing project funding can be an extremely complex process to navigate. This panel will include a rundown of opportunity grants available, qualification requirements and the types of projects that appeal to funders, followed by market opportunities for biomass power and thermal producers to leverage low-carbon incentives and carbon offset credits.

• Joel Dulin, President & CEO, Jozana Grant Services
  Biomass Project Grants Explained
• Jim Ramm, Vice President of US Biofuels, EcoEngineers
  Biomass Opportunities in Renewable Fuel Production
• Cornelius Van Tonder, Chief Technical Officer, ReGenCorpGlobal
  Biomass Gasification to Electricity within the United States Context, utilising the 45 Y and Carbon Offset Removal Credits

A lesser-considered component of biogas generation, digestate is a byproduct that can be challenging to manage. This panel will review methods of destroying contaminants while balancing nutrient viability, as well as safety applications to ensure that renewable energy and waste management innovations are sustainable and safe.

• Brecc Avellar, Senior Systems Sales Engineer US & Canada, PYREG Inc.
  
  From waste to value - Managing digestate solids in the Renewable Natural Gas Industry (RNG)
• Timothy Heneks, Director of Engineering Services, CV Technology, Inc.
  Managing Process Safety Challenges for Residual Solids from Biogas Production
• Elliott Bennett, CFO and Cofounder, Ecotone Renewables
  Managing Digestate and Biosolids Post-Anaerobic Digestion

A continuation of this two-part panel series, discussion will focus on SAF pathways and technologies with the spotlight on pyrolysis and Fischer-Tropsch process enhancements, including updates on several SAF and renewable diesel conversion processes.

• John Tharpe, President, American BioEnergy Converting Corp.
  SAF via Pyrolysis of Biomass
• Nick Borisow, Vice President of Business Development, 8 Rivers Capital, LLC
  Achieving Affordable SAF: Is Biomass + Ultra-Low-Carbon Hydrogen the Answer?
• Gord Crawford, President & CEO, Expander Energy Inc.
  Project Update - SAF and Renewable Diesel Production from Biomass

Black pepper brisket carving stations with molasses BBQ sauce and chive cheddar biscuits, baked parmesan grits, beer and wine

Sausage & egg biscuits, egg & cheese biscuits, whole fruit, coffee, decaf and hot tea

• Timothy Heneks, Director of Engineering Services, CV Technology, Inc.

South of the Border buffet

• Caldwell Reed, VP of Sales & Project Management, Piller TSC Blower Corporation
• Andras Volford, Senior Process Engineer, ClonBio, Ltd.

• Derek Vaile, Applications Engineer, Kamengo Technology, Inc.

As inflation, steep energy costs and other market forces continue to impact bottom lines, optimizing plant efficiency, reducing costs and leveraging modern technologies to streamline operations is critical to staying competitive. This panel will offer an exploration of a range of technologies focused on achieving operational objectives including increased profitability, sustainability and lower emissions.

• Jobie Rossell, Engineer/Owner, Rossell Automation Company
  The Automation Advantage: Boosting Productivity in Biomass Facilities
• Chris Veley, 30-Year Woodroom Debarking and Biomass Specialist, Material Control Solutions LLC
  Teknosavo- Automating Data Collection and Putting the Power of AI in Your Hands
• Jill Caskey, Global Sales Director, Solex Thermal Science, Inc.
  Decarbonizing Wood Pellets Production Through Advancements in Heat Exchange Technology
• Tyler Brown, Segment Manager, Andritz Feed & Biofuel
  
  The Future of Biomass Pellet Production

As the world continues its drive to net zero, minimizing an operation’s environmental footprint and maximizing efficiency is more critical than ever. From material drying to thermal coating, this panel will explore solutions across the biomass energy-generating process to assist operators in achieving their required or voluntary environmental and sustainability goals.

• Yves Marc Schade, Sales North America, stela Laxhuber drying technologies GmbH
  Off to sky with waste drying
• Pedro Araujo, CEO, Advanced Cyclone Systems, S.A.
  Advancing Bioenergy: The Role of High-Efficiency Cyclones in Biomass Thermal Decomposition and Drying
• Amy Duncan, Marketing Manager, Dos Santos International
  Reducing Environmental Footprints with Sandwich Belt High Angle Conveyors
• Eric Chase, President, Chase Nedrow Industries
  
  From Space to Biomass: NASA Technology Boosting Energy Efficiency and Cutting Carbon Intensity

Interest and investments in hydrogen are soaring, with RNG being just one of many potential feedstocks. This panel will hone in on hydrogen production, utilization and storage, with presentations offering final investment decision insights and several real-world examples of projects that have achieved varying levels of success—and why.

• Jim Cron, Senior Principal Engineer SME, Geostock Sandia, LLC
  Considerations for underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS)
• Will Latta, Vice President, BrightLoop, Babcock & Wilcox
  
  Biomass Chemical Looping for Decarbonized Clean Energy
• John Pierce, Partner, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
  Hydrogen Realities, Benefits and the Next Four Years

With a myriad of policy mechanisms, evolving tax credits and new funding opportunities at play, current and future SAF producers face first-of-their-kind challenges in getting their projects financed and qualified for incentives. This panel will feature policy and finance expert insight regarding the value of federal and state incentives, and unique and challenging state-of-the-art SAF financing and tax structures. The panel will close out with a progress report from the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), a broad coalition of SAF industry stakeholders leading the development and deployment alternative jet fuels for commercial aviation.

• Jordan Godwin, Director, Oil Price Information Service (OPIS)
  Evaluating SAF Opportunities With Policy Incentives
• Mark Riedy, Partner, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
  State of the Art Funding and Offtake Structures For SAF Projects
• Timothy Hughes, Project Director, CAAFI (Com'l Aviation Alt. Fuels Init)
  The Promise, Progress & Potential for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF)

Blondies, coffee, decaf, hot tea and soda

This panel will begin with expert analyses on global policy and regulatory changes affecting the bioenergy industry and how they specifically impact the densified biomass sector, as well as explorations of potential compliance tools and solutions to meet regulatory challenges and continue market participation. Segueing into new market developments and opportunities, subsequent presentations will introduce ongoing efforts to include biocarbon applications in international standards for solid biofuels, as well as evaluate new opportunities beyond traditional industrial heat and power markets.

• Henry Ines, CEO, Chainparency
  Technology Enablement and Digital Approaches for EUDR Compliance
• Chris Wiberg, VP of Biomass Energy Lab, Timber Products Inspection/Biomass Energy Lab
  New Developments in Biocarbon Standards
• Timo Mueller, Business Development Director, SALMATEC GmbH
  Beyond Industrial Burning: Current and Potential Pellet Markets
• Erisa Senerdem, Editor, Argus Biomass Markets, Argus Media, Inc.
  Wood Pellet Global Market Update and Future Uses of Biomass

As global decarbonization strategies are deployed, bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is poised to play a critical role. During this panel, learn why BECCS is essential to the big picture, which biomass feedstocks are the most opportunistic and how they can be incorporated with plant performance and economics in mind. The second half of this panel will transition to other emission control strategies, including NOx control and syngas cleanup.

• William Strauss, President, FutureMetrics
  Why BioEnergy Carbon Capture and Storage is Essential to the Future
• John Bullock, Director of ClimateBright, Western US, Babcock & Wilcox
  The Importance of Biomass Fuel Flexibility in Bioenergy Production with Carbon Capture and Sequestration (BECCS) Projects
• Anders Nielsen, Regional Sales Director Europe, DeNOx Environment
  SCR DeNOx Design and Operation in Biomass and Carbon Capture Plants
• John Bonner, Strategic Account Manager, Precision Partners
  Effective Syngas CleanUp Utilizing Advanced Ceramic Filter Technology

The road to successful operations is long and littered with hurdles. In this rounded panel, dive into early project profit evaluation tools and influencing variables, followed by must-know regulatory and legal issues to keep top of mind, including gas rights trends and the benefits of biogenic carbon analysis as it pertains to the gas fuels industry and federal policy.

• Jeffrey Zimmer, Director of Business Development and RNG Strategy, Worley Consulting
  Early RNG Project Evaluation Tools – Will My Project Make a Profit
• Ernie Pollitzer, Owner, Clean Energy Consultants
  Lessons Learned in Biogas Regulatory Reform Rules
• Andrew Eastman, Partner, Husch Blackwell
  Gas Rights Agreements - Legal Trends
• Casey Ackley, Business Development Manager, Beta Analytic Inc.
  The Carbon-14 Method for Biogenic Content Measurement of Fuel Gases

From financing and permitting to design considerations and choosing the right feedstock, this can’t-miss panel will serve to equip attendees with the tips and knowledge they need to successfully navigate the long but rewarding road to project success.

• Judy Collora, Managing Consultant, Trinity Consultants
  SAF Environmental Permitting Lessons Learned
• Ron Pagel, Sr. Client Manger / Sr. Project Manger, Pond and Company
  
  A Pathway to Success - From Feedstock to a Multitude of Renewable Co-Products
• Ben Hubbard, CEO, Nexus PMG
  Ensuring SAF Project Success to Decarbonize Aviation
• Chris Cooper, Policy Director, Center for Resource Solutions (CRS)
  Market-based Accounting for Clean Fuels

• Jason Dodier, CCO & Co-Founder, Grain Ecosystem

• Rashid Shakir, Dryer One

Ham & gruyere quiche, vegetable quiche, whole fruit, coffee, decaf and hot tea

From drying and carbonization technologies to mobile equipment, this panel will feature real-world examples of projects leveraging cutting-edge, cost-efficient strategies to dry and prepare feedstock for pellet and other densified biomass fuel production.

• Guy Penard, Vice President, Yilkins
  Unlocking Biomass Potential
• Wedig Graf Grote, Vice President of North American Sales, Stela Drying Technology Corp.
  Futureproofing a Saw - and Pellet Mill with a Focus on Bottom Line and Drying Efficiency
• Isaac Lam, President, FirNova Canada Inc.
  Transforming Burnt Timber into Value-Added Products: A Sustainable Approach for Biomass Utilization

The Achilles’ heel to many bioenergy projects has often been related to crucial steps in frontend biomass material processing. During this panel, gain an overview of the front-end project development process, followed by potential solutions for addressing challenges that often serve as the common denominator in struggling or failed projects in regard to the handling, processing and transport of biomass.

• Justin Schnegelberger, Strategy Manager of Decarbonization & Emerging Technology, Burns & McDonnell
  What Is and Why The Need for a (Successful) FEED Study
• Christopher Duffy, Business Development Manager, PRODESA Group
  Give your Process a Chance.... Biomass Handling and Preparation
• Neal Yancey, BFNUF Operations Manager, Idaho National Laboratory
  Increasing Corn Stover Performance for SAF through Mechanical and Density Separation Processes
• Mahdi Vaezi, Associate Professor, Northern Illinois University
  Economy of a Woodchips Pipeline; a Case of Eastport, Maine

This panel will delve into the most beneficial options for biogas and RNG according to the scenario and scale, from traditional uses including transportation fuel and pipeline injection, to nonconventional utilization such as powering specialized combustion systems, hydrogen generation and lowering the carbon intensity of fossil fuels and other products.

• Joseph Curro, Principal Engineer, CDM Smith
  Common Combustion Alternatives For the Beneficial Use of Biogas
• Brad Pleima, President, EcoEngineers
  Leveraging RNG for Maximum Use Potential
• Rashi Akki, CEO, Ag-Grid Energy, LLC
  Biogas Opportunities for RNG vs Electricity For Smaller Farms

From woody biomass to used cooking oil, this panel will first examine competing interests for feedstocks across U.S. and international markets, along with availability and supply-demand analysis. Following discussion highlighting an innovative approach to growing and producing biomass feedstocks, the panel will round out with focus on the critical concept of developing a resilient, sustainable supply chain.

• Dane McSpedon, CEO, Hughes Energy Group
  Where will all the biomass come from?
• Julie Bushell, Founder and President, Global Sustainability Developers
  Nebraska BioEconomy - Sustainable Supply Chain Abstract
• Matt Rohlik, Managing Director - Sales and Strategic Partnerships, Arva Intelligence
  Farmer Data is Key

• Tom Garske, Senior Account Manager, Case RMC

This panel will zero in on project development, offering insights into plant engineering and design technologies, and plant economics related to scale and equipment. Transitioning to operations and maintenance, discussion will include an exploration of the lesser-known aspects of pellet mill maintenance, with practical insights into rare but impactful mechanical failures.

• Jowan Toor, Sr. Project Manager, KTC Industrial Engineering, Ltd.
  Building Pellet Plant into Existing Industrial Facility
• Forcus Martinez, Area Sales Manager America, PRODESA Group
  Analysis of Pellet Plants Economics in Projects Ranging from 20,000 to 600,000 mton/y and Above
• Sammy Aso, PhD, Rivers State University
  The Case for Densified Biomass Fuel Products in Developing Economies

From artificial intelligence to automation, this panel will explore modern solutions available to biomass energy operators to boost asset performance, reliability and efficiency.

• Lawrence Berg, Vice President of Engineering, RJM Corporation (USA), Inc.
  CFD Modeling of Slag and Ash Deposition
• Marissa Davey, Automation Manager, North America, Valmet, Inc.
  Boosting Biomass Plant Performance with Advanced Automation

The potential for new biogas and RNG production sites is vast, opportunity that stems directly from the stream of potential feedstocks available. This panel will examine some unconventional renewable natural gas feedstocks, including municipal solid waste, hemp, wheat and rice straw, and corn stover, as well as technological pathways for their utilization and the production of value-added products.

• Terry Moore, Chief Business Development Officer, WastAway
  Solving the World’s Landfill Challenges … One City at a Time - Fueling Massive RNG Production!
• Steven Fance, CEO/CTO, Cultiv8 Hemp Solutions
  Cultiv8: Hemp RNG - Powering Sustainable Transportation with Carbon-Negative Bricks
• Cornelius Van Tonder, Chief Technical Officer, ReGenCorpGlobal
  Low Density Agricultural Feedstock to RNG through Gasification and Methanation: A Unique End to End solution
• Rafael Sanchez-Cohen, Senior R&D Engineer, IntraMicron
  Powering Sustainable Aviation Fuel: Harnessing RNG Tail Gas with MFEC Technology for Energy-Efficient Production of Synthetic Fuels

As competition for sustainable aviation fuel and other biofuel feedstocks heats up, producers will be forced to look beyond traditional options such as UCO and soybean oil. During this panel, attendees will learn about efforts to unlock new biomass sources such as invasive plant species and poplar trees, as well as an innovative approach to growing biomass feedstocks.

• Sydney Rodman, CEO, Green Revival
  Accelerating the biomass future: Generating bioproducts from invasive plant species
• Surya Guduru, Head of Strategy & Business Development, Emvolon
  Leveraging Decentralized Organic Waste Sources to Produce Green Methanol, Biodiesel and SAF
• Ankan Sinha, Research Scientist III, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
  A Two-Stage Integrated Process Towards Synthesis of Renewable Transportation Fuel Via Catalytic Hydrothermal Liquefaction Of Lipid Enriched Microalgal Biomass

• Brian Edwards, Explosion Protection Consultancy Manager, Fike Corporation
  NFPA 660 - The New Combustible Dust Standard
• Christopher Giusto, Regional Manager, Hallam-ICS
  Enhanced DHAs: Moving Beyond Compliance with Effective Dust Collection
• Steve Beckham, Manager, Amos-AgMachinery, LLC
  Gentle Handling for Wood Pellets

As it is a proven, mature technology, biomass gasification is witnessing substantial growth. This technical panel will begin with expert reviews of in-depth biomass gasification testing data based on low-density feedstocks in the U.S., with subsequent presentations transitioning to gasification bioenergy applications and technology to enhance and optimize gasification processes.

• Cornelius Van Tonder, Chief Technical Officer, ReGenCorpGlobal
  Biomass Gasification Optimising to Achieve High Calorific Syngas from Low Density High Inert Feedstock
• Werner Botha, Director, Bara Consultants
  Verification and Technoeconomic Evaluation of a commercial Biomass Gasification Plant
• Bert Bennett, Senior Engineer/Principal Scientist, ICM, Inc.
  Municipal and Industrial Scale Biomass Gasification Systems and Their Bioenergy Applications Including Combined Heat and Power, BioChar/BioCarbon Co-Production and the Removal and Storage of CO2 captured from Flue Gas
• Shuchita Patwardhan, Director of Technology, Microbeam Technologies, Inc.
  Advanced Control Technologies for Optimizing Biomass Blends in Gasification

This cohesive panel will steer attendees through the journey of developing a biomass-to- biomethane project with new technology, within the framework of maximizing opportunity and minimizing risk.

• Joshua Packwood, Co-Founder, President, and Chief Operating Officer, Kingston Infrastructure Partners, LLC
  Perspectives from an Owner/Investor at One of Europe's Largest Biomethane Production Platforms

Ethanol is here and now, well established and widely recognized as the main SAF feedstock in the near term. This panel will focus on the viability of ethanol as the most promising SAF input, addressing its challenges and potential.

• Minji Jeong, Research Specialist, EFI Foundation
  Harnessing Decarbonized Ethanol to Bridge the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Supply Gap
• Fanny Roldan, Associate Director – Commodity Insights Consulting – Downstream & Biofuels, S&P Global Commodity Insights
  Ethanol's Role in Addressing Low CI Feedstock Availability and Surplus Amidst Declining Gasoline Demand for SAF Production