Can biomass displace petrochemicals as a feedstock for manufacturing?
BBSRC, Event

Can biomass displace petrochemicals as a feedstock for manufacturing?

Can biomass displace petrochemicals as a feedstock for manufacturing?

The world is committed to decarbonising human activities to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. If we are to restrict global temperature rise to 1.5-2.0 by the end of this Century, we will have to eliminate the use of fossil-based resources: the UK has made a legal commitment to achieve zero net carbon emissions by 2050 and other nations are making similar commitments.   Petrochemicals currently provide the liquid transportation fuels, chemicals and materials that play central roles in our industrial economies, but the only renewable feedstock available in sufficient quantities to meet the global demand for these products is biomass, covering dedicated crops and residues from agricultural, food, industrial and municipal sources.  This webinar will identify the emerging technologies required to process biomass and consider the issues surrounding the use of biomass and its implications in displacing petrochemical feedstocks.

Provisional Agenda

Chair: Paul Mines, CEO of Biome Technologies PLC, Chair of the Industrial Biotechnology Leadership Forum (IBLF)

  • Why do we need to use biomass and what would be the impact on GHG emissions of using biomass for manufacturing? Adrian Higson, NNFCC’s Managing Director.
  • Vision for the use of biomass in manufacturing. Will Canon, Project Development Director. Croda  
  • Processing biomass: deconstruction. Professor Simon McQueen Mason, Chair in Materials Biology, University of York
  • Biomass for energy carriers. Professor Patricia Thornley, Director of EBRI, Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI), PI Supergen Bioenergy Hub) 
  • Biomass for materials and Chemicals. Professor Alex Conradie, Chair in Sustainable Chemical Processing, University of Nottingham
  • Societal views on biomass use in manufacturing. Professor Alison Mohr, School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Nottingham 
  • Panel Discussion

The webinar will take place on Wednesday 30 June at 14.00-16.30 GMT

Registration is free, register here.