Renewable chemicals from biomass are emerging as viable alternatives to traditional chemicals. Leaders in the field will present progress and challenges in bringing renewable chemicals to the marketplace at the Biotechnology Industry Organization's (BIO) 2009 Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy, to be held Nov. 8-11, 2009 in Honolulu.

Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO's Industrial and Environmental Section, said, ”Renewable chemicals meet the most important environmental goals, including reducing use of petroleum and other non-renewable resources, reducing waste in landfills, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. In a growing number of cases, these renewable chemicals are already cost competitive with fossil-resource based chemicals.”

Presentations scheduled for the Pacific Rim Summit include:

New Biopolymers and Biomonomer Platforms
Monday, Nov. 9, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. HST

• Patrick Smith, Archer Daniels Midland Co.;
• Maggie Cervin, Danisco A/S;
• Sylvio Ortega, PHB Industrial S/A:
• Ross Youngs, AlgaeVenture Systems.

Biobutanol
Monday, Nov. 9, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. HST

• Rick Wilson, Cobalt Technologies
• Jay Kouba, TetraVitae Bioscience
• Patrick Gruber, Gevo

Stimulation of Methane Generation from Coal
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. HST

• Karen Budwill, Alberta Research Council;
• Phil Hendry, CSIRO;
• Patrick Gilcrease, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

Commercialization of Renewable Chemicals
Wednesday, Nov. 11, 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. HST

• Christophe Schilling, Genomatica;
• Steven J. Gatto, Myriant;
• Bhima Vijayendran, Battelle Memorial Institute.

The full schedule of speakers and sessions is available at http://www.bio.org/pacrim/speakers/breakout/. The Pacific Rim Summit is the only global conference dedicated to building innovative collaborations in industrial biotechnology across the Pacific. http://www.bio.org/pacrim/.

All programs at the Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy are open to attendance by members of the media. Complimentary media registration is available to editors and reporters working full time for print, broadcast or web publications with valid press credentials. Advance media registration is now open; please use the online tool to register: http://www.bio.org/news/pressreg/mediareg.asp?multievent=31. Notification of your registration status will be emailed to you, based on the information posted in this online form.

About BIO

BIO represents more than 1,200 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world's largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world.

The Advanced Biofuels&Climate Change Information Center presents the latest commentary and data on the environmental and other impacts of biofuel production. Drop in and add your comments, at http://biofuelsandclimate.wordpress.com/.

Upcoming BIO Events

Advanced Business Development Course
October 30, 2009
Vienna, Austria

BIO Europe International Partnering Conference
November 2-4, 2009
Vienna, Austria

Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy
November 8-11, 2009
Honolulu, HI

BIO Asia Partnering Conference
January 25-26, 2010
Tokyo, Japan

BIO CEO&Investor Conference
February 8-9, 2010
New York, NY

Contacts:

Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
Paul Winters, 202-962-9237
pwinters@bio.org
www.bio.org