Conference agenda

Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference

“The First Billion Gallons”

April 27-29, 2010

Hilton Embassy Row Hotel

Washington, DC

PROGRAM AGENDA

Conference Features:

Special (Optional) ½ Day Pre-Conference Workshop: “The Obama Administration’s Biofuels Interagency Working Group – Engineering a Co-ordinated Government Response”

D.O.E.’s Advanced Biofuels Programs – Outlook and Opportunities

USDA Research Directions in Advanced Biofuels

“Legislative Round-Up” – The  American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, New Legislation and Re-Authorizations

“Carbon Cap and Trade – After Copenhagen, Next Steps”

EPA Policy Directions – Greenhouse Gas Emissions Regulation and RFS2 Mandates

Biofuels Digest’s “Hottest 50 Companies in Bioenergy” Awards Reception

Networking and Business Development Opportunities

Conference Presentations and Panel Discussions on topics including:

Emerging Feedstocks for Advanced Biofuels

Assessing Algal Biofuels: “Will the Promise be Realized?”

“Getting the ‘Gene’ie Out of the Bottle” – The Latest Updates on Advances in Synthetic Biology, and Commercial Opportunities

Advances in Bioprocessing Technologies

From Pilot to Player – Case Studies in Commercial Scale-up

Financing Strategies, Players and Structures for Advanced Biofuels

Partnership Strategies for Development and Commercialization

Aviation Biofuels

Confirmed Speakers include:

Richard L. Altman, Executive Director, Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI)

Michael Baer, Managing Director – Fuel, US Airways

Hortensia Barton, Director, Fuels Management, American Airlines

Dave Berry, Partner, Flagship Ventures

Wesley Bolson, Chief Marketing Officer & Vice President, Government Affairs, Coskata, Inc.

Douglas Cameron, Chief Science Advisor and Managing Director, Piper Jaffray & Co.

Vincent Chornet, President & Chief Executive Officer, Enerkem. Inc.

Steve Corcoran, Ph.D., President & Chief Executive Officer, KL Energy Corp.

Raffaella Cristanetti, Global Policy & Strategy, DuPont Applied BioSciences

Hamish Curran, Chief Executive Officer, TMO Renewables, Ltd.

Mark Emalfarb, President &Chief Executive Officer, Dyadic International

Brent Erickson, Executive Vice President, Industrial and Environmental Section, Biotechnology Industry Organization

Rick Gilmore, President & Chief Executive Officer, The GIC Group

Paul Grabowski, Office of Biomass, U.S. Department of Energy

J. Thomas (Tom) Halverson, Jr., Managing Director, Investment Banker, Piper Jaffray & Co.

John Hamer, Managing Director, Burrill and Company

Kirk L. Haney, President & Chief Executive Officer, SG Biofuels

Bill Haywood, Chief Executive Officer, LS9

John P. Heimlich, Vice President & Chief Economist, Air Transport Association

Jennifer Holmgren, General Manager,  Renewable Energy and Chemicals, UOP

Stephen Hughes, Ph.D., Bioenergy Research Program Director, USDA Agricultural Research Service, NCAUR, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Mark Iden, Deputy Director of Operations, DESC

Jim Imbler, President & Chief Executive Officer, Zeachem

Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Ph.D., Director, Office of the USDA Chief Scientist

Bruce Jamerson, Chairman of the Board, Mascoma Corporation

Jim Lane, Editor/Publisher, Biofuels Digest

Valri Lightner, Biomass Deployment Team Leader, U.S. Department of Energy

Robert Porter Lynch, Chief Executive Officer, The Warren Company

Jim Macias, Chief Executive Officer, Fulcrum

Paul Machiele, Fuels Center Director, EPA

Michael McAdams, Executive Director, Advanced Biofuels Association

John McCarthy, Chief Executive Officer, Qteros

Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Joel Murdock, Managing Director, Strategic Projects, FedEx Express

Phillip New, President, BP Biofuels

Mark Niederschulte, Chief Operating Officer, INEOS Bio

Jeff Passmore  – Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Iogen Corporation

Ken Pelowski, Partner, Pinnacle Partners

Daphne Preuss, Chief Executive Officer, Chromatin, Inc.

Mark Rumizen, Head of Fuel Certification, FAA, CAAFI Certification Team Leader

Don Schenk, President and Chief Executive Officer, ACA Associates, Inc., Advisory Board Member, Air Transport Association

John Scott, Chairman of the Board, PetroAlgae

Alan Shaw, Ph.D.,
President & Chief Executive Officer, Codexis, Chairman, Biotechnology Industry Organization’s Industrial Biotech Council

Bill Sims, Chief Executive Officer, Joule Biotechnologies

Karl Simon, Director, Compliance and Innovative Strategies Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Arnold Smith, Vice President of Process Technology, Fluor Corporation)

Robert Sturtz, Managing Director, Strategic Sourcing-Fuel, United Airline

Fred Tennant, VP Business Development & Marketing, PetroAlgae

Stuart Thomas, Vice President, Technology, DuPont-Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol, LLC

Will Thurmond, President, Emerging Markets On-Line, former Chairman, Research and Development, National Algae Association (NAA), Author, “Algae 2020“ and “Biodiesel 2020”

(Cynthia) C.J. Warner, President, Sapphire Energy Corporation

Rick Wilson, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, Cobalt Biofuels, Inc.

Jonathan Wolfson, Chief Executive Officer, Solazyme

Nancy Young, Vice President, Environmental Affairs, Air Transport Association

James Zak, Manager, Fuel Purchase & Supply, Lufthansa German Airlines

Conference Agenda

 

Day One: Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Morning Session

7:00 am Pre-Conference Workshop Registration and Morning Coffee

9:00 am – 12:00 pm
 SPECIAL PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP (*Separate Registration Required)

THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION BIOFUELS INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP – ENGINEERING A COORDINATED GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

9:00 am U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Biofuels R&D Programs – Outlook and Opportunities

Valri Lightner, Biomass Deployment Team Leader, U.S. Department of Energy

The DOE Biomass Program partners with industry, academia, and national laboratory on research and development in biomass feedstocks and conversion technologies and deployment through integrated biorefineries.  The Biomass Program is helping transform the nation’s renewable and abundant biomass resources into cost competitive, high performance biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower.  The Biomass Program outlook and opportunities will be presented.

9:20 U.S.Department of Agriculture – Strategies for Promoting the Production of Advanced Biofuels

Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Ph.D., Director. Office of the USDA Chief Scientist

The Department of Agriculture has a diverse portfolio of programs supporting the production of advanced biofuels.  These programs cover the breadth of the supply chain ranging from the support of fundamental research to the development, construction, and retrofitting of commercial-scale biorefineries.  We will review key aspects of these programs and the USDA strategy for meeting the Nation’s goals for the production of advanced biofuels.

9:40 “Legislative Round-Up” – New Legislation and Re-Authorizations

Michael McAdams, Executive Director, Advanced Biofuels Association

10:10
Networking Coffee Break with Poster and Exhibit Viewing

10:40 Regulating Green House Gases – Challenges and Opportunities for Advanced Biofuels in the U.S.

Rick Gilmore, President & Chief Executive Officer, The GIC Group

This session will provide an update on the current and future status and trends in the U.S. commitment to a national carbon cap and trade system in a  Post-Copenhagen environment. We will examine the role of carbon mitigation strategies, regulatory issues and the development of carbon credit markets and their impact on the Advanced Biofuels industry and companies strategies within the industry.

11:00 How EPA’s RFS2 Mandate for Low Greenhouse Gas Advanced Biofuels Is Steering the Biofuel Market

Paul Machiele, Fuels Center Director, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Karl Simon, Director, Compliance and Innovative Strategies Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Recent advancements in advanced biofuel technology and growing investment in them are already changing the biofuel marketplace.  EPA’s new RFS2 mandates for cellulosic and other advanced biofuels are expected to accelerate this transformation.  Fuels that can meet the lifecycle GHG emission performance thresholds, while still satisfying market needs, will hold the upper hand as the value of the “RIN” associated with their production will provide investment certainty and spur their growth. We examine these issues and their impacts on the current and future advanced biofuels market.

11:30 am Policy Makers and Support to Accelerate Advanced Biofuels Commercialization– A Panel Discussion

The United States has been working on non-grain based biofuels for more than 20 years, and there are scalable and sustainable technologies ready today for large scale commercialization. However, planning future projects remains difficult for biofuels producers because of the lack of a consistent, transparent and fair government policy toward biofuels.  This panel will discuss what an enduring government policy should look like, including:

• How to ensure consistent, transparent and fair regulatory regimes governing our industry
• Establishing alternative financing mechanisms for the impending technology roll out
• Ensuring the entire supply chain is ready for scale up

Moderator:

Brent Erickson, Executive Vice President, Industrial and Environmental Section, Biotechnology Industry Organization

Panelists:

Wes Bolsen, Chief Marketing Officer & Vice President, Government Affairs, Coskata, Inc

Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Ph.D., Director, Office of the USDA Chief Scientist

Paul Machiele, Fuels Center Director, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Rick Wilson, Chief Executive Officer, Cobalt Biofuels

Rick Gilmore, President & Chief Executive Officer, The GIC Group

Michael McAdams, Executive Director, Advanced Biofuels Association

12:30 Luncheon on Your Own

MAIN CONFERENCE

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 Afternoon Session

12:00 – 1:30 Main Conference Registration

Main Conference -Afternoon Session – Business Models and Strategies – Moving from Emerging Technology to Commercial Success

1:30 pm Opening Address

Advanced Biofuels – Why We Need to Get There Sooner!

Phillip New, President, BP Biofuels

1:50 From Bench to Big- Commercialization Strategy and Business Considerations for Advanced Biofuels

James Imbler, President & Chief Executive Officer, Zeachem

What business issues and strategies need to be considered to successfully deploy cellulosic technology? Areas of focus for this talk include: feedstock strategy, scale up, technology, engineering, operations, economics, funding, strategic partnerships and risk mitigation strategies.

FINANCING ADVANCED BIOFUELS GROWTH – STRATEGIES, PLAYERS AND STRUCTURES

In this program segment we examine the current state and climate of Venture Capital, Corporate Finance and Project Financing for Advanced Biofuels companies and discuss ways that companies can employ creative strategies for attracting financing and look at deal structures and financing options.

2:10 Corporate and Project Financing for Advanced Biofuels - Current Climate and Future Trends – A Panel Discussion

Biofuel companies face significant funding challenges in the current economic and political environment.  First, is the challenge of valuation.  Many companies that were initially funded during the boom period of the past years have triple-digit valuations that may be difficult to justify given the lengthening of development cycles, absence of liquidity events and depressed public valuations.  Further, the impact of government grants and loans on valuations is unclear.  Are they a “stamp of approval”?  Do they justify higher valuations because of their nondilutive nature?  Or do they increase the risk profile due to required infrastructure and operational costs?  Second is the challenge of defining a business model.  “Build, Own and Operate” was the mantra of first generation biofuel companies, but increasingly management teams are turning to “capital light” approaches.  Hence, several companies have opted for “retrofitting” or “leasing” their technology platforms.  How will these “Invent, Rent and Royalty” models fit with investors?  Third is the sheer amount of capital involved.  Scale up of industrial technology invariably involves the construction of a demo or semi-works facility that is capital intensive, takes two years and makes no money.  Finally, the investor base is fractured, as some investors have left the biofuels (and other capital intensive cleantech sectors), others have focused on early stage companies, and still others have retreated to late-stage or project finance, taking a wait and see attitude on those companies going through the “valley of death”.  How can companies improve their chance for financing and how will the best companies win?

Moderator:

John Hamer, Ph.D., Managing Director, Burrill and Company

Panelists:

J. Thomas (Tom) Halverson, Jr., Managing Director, Investment Banker, Piper Jaffray & Co.

David Berry, Partner, Flagship Partners

Ken Pelowski, Partner, Pinnacle Partners

Doug Cameron, Managing Director, Piper Jaffray & Co.

Ananth Ananthsubramaniam, Vice President, DTE Energy

3:10 “Crossing the Valley of Death – Commercializing Advanced BioEnergy Technology

Mark Niederschulte, Chief Operating Officer, INEOS Bio

This presentation will review some of the crucial aspects of entering, crossing through, and exiting the infamous Valley of Death.  Topics covered include:

• When is the technology ready and who decides – the technology provider, the banks or the government?
• Where do you find all that money?  Sources and strategies to survive the Crossing
• How big is “commercial”?
• What is required for “successful” demonstration?
• Technical, economic and/or environmental factors of success

3:30 Networking Coffee Break with Poster and Exhibit Viewing

PARTNERING AND ALLIANCES

4:00 The Strategy of Collaborative Innovation — Creating Winners in Advanced BioFuels – Presentations and Moderated Discussion

We will examine the essential strategies for new technologies in BioFuels and BioMass to become winners in the competitive game of attracting partners and capital for development of these emerging technologies. The core architecture of Collaborative Innovation Alliances will be critical for any company or agency to know in deciding with whom to partner and where to make investments of compatible technologies and capital. We examine case examples, key best practices and trends and directions for alliances in the Advanced Biofuels industry.

Moderator:

Robert Porter Lynch, Chief Executive Officer, The Warren Company, Author, “Business Alliances: The Hidden Competitive” Weapon, (John Wiley & Sons)

Presentations

4:20 Strategic Imperatives – Successful Partnerships with Big Oil

Alan Shaw, President & Chief Executive Officer, Codexis, Chairman, Biotechnology Industry Organization’s Industrial Biology Council

Winners in advanced biofuels are building sustainable companies based on enabling technology and partnerships that can go the distance to commercialization.   Major oil companies investing in the future of energy have the resource base, infrastructure and market expertise necessary to bring new fuels to broad commercial use in a reasonable timeframe.  Thus, they can be more viable, long term sources of development support than those traditionally sought by entrepreneurial firms. Codexis has leveraged a deep internal technology platform with strategic in-licensing to build a broad proprietary competitive advantage in clean technology. The company is partnered with Shell to develop advanced biofuels, and the two companies have built a collaboration evolving over more than three years. We will discuss elements of successful strategic alliances from Codexis’ perspective in this session.

4:40 The Creation of a “Biofuels Eco-System” – Partnering for Multi-Product Applications in Advanced Biofuels Commercialization

Mark Emalfarb, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Dyadic International, Inc.

Dyadic has a patented industrially proven C1 fungus that has been engineered to simultaneously produce cellulase and hemi-cellulase enzyme mixtures to break down plant cells to produce fermentable sugars which may be used to manufacture bioethanol, biobutanol, bioplastics, biopolymers and many other replacement products for petroleum-based products. Dyadic has licensed its novel C1 fungus on a non exclusive basis to Codexis, Inc., a Shell biofuels partner and to Abengoa Bioenergy, which owns and operates five bioethanol facilities throughout the United States and Europe with a total production capacity of 195 million gallons, for use in the production of bioethanol, and other sugar based products from biomass and energy crops. We examine the impact of Dyadic’s C1 on-site enzyme production and Dyadic’s current partnerships leveraging its patented C1 Platform Technology and discuss the strategic power of Dyadic’s partnering with Codexis, Abengoa and others and key issues, best practices and lessons learned in the formation and management of these partnerships, and in the creation of a “Advanced Biofuels Eco-System”.

5:00 Partnering for Advanced Biofuels Commercialization

Raffaella Cristanetti, Global Policy & Strategy, DuPont Applied BioSciences

5:20 Moderated Panel Discussion

Moderator: Robert Porter Lynch, Chief Executive Officer, The Warren Company

Panelists:

Alan Shaw, President & Chief Executive Officer, Codexis, Chairman, Biotechnology Industry Organization’s Industrial Biology Council

Raffaella Cristanetti, Global Policy & Strategy, DuPont Applied BioSciences

John McCarthy, Chief Executive Officer, Qteros

Mark Emalfarb, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Dyadic International, Inc.

6:00 End of Day One

6:30 Biofuels Digest’s “Hottest 50 Companies in Bioenergy” Awards Reception

Day TWO

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

7:00 am Morning Coffee and Continental Breakfast

7:30 am Breakfast Roundtable Discussions:

• Financing Advanced Biofuels Commercialization (Moderator, John Hammer, Managing Director, Burill & Company)
• Algal Biofuels (Moderator, Will Thurmond, Principal, Emerging Markets On-Line)
• Scaling Up Production of Advanced Biofuels (Moderator, Arnold Smith, Vice President of Process Technology, Fluor Corporation)
• Alliances and Partnerships (Moderator, Robert Porter Lynch, Chief Executive Officer, The Warren Company)
• “Carbon Cap and Trade – After Copenhagen, Next Steps” (Moderator, Rick Gilmore, Chief Executive Officer, The GIC Group, Inc.)
• EPA Policy Directions
• Emerging Feedstocks (Moderator, Stephen Hughes, Ph.D., Bioenergy Research Program Director, Agricultural Research Service, NCAUR, U.S. Department of Agriculture)

8:30 am Round-Table Discussion Reports in Plenary Session

Morning Session:

EMERGING FEEDSTOCKS AND PROCESS TECHNOLOGIES

“Getting the ‘Gene’ie Out of the Bottle” – The Latest Updates on Advances in Synthetic Biology, and Advanced Biofuels Commercial Opportunities – Presentations and Panel Discussion

9:00 Designing Next Generation Feed Stocks

Daphne Preuss, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Chromatin, Inc.

With the significant cost of feedstocks, there is critical need for the development of feedstocks that are affordably harvested and processed, grow on land that does not compete with food production, yield large amounts of biomass or sugar per acre, and are optimized to meet the needs of bioprocessors.  Chromatin has invented, developed and commercialized technology that can create the multiple genetic changes needed to design feedstocks for cost-effective biofuel production.  The company has recently formed alliances that provide access to high quality feedstock genetics and scalable production.  Chromatin is currently in discussions with several biofuel producers, focusing on providing optimized feedstock solutions. We examine how:

• Feedstock genetics can impact biofuel yields
• Optimal feedstocks can be designed with Chromatin technologies
• Chromatin is matching feedstocks with specific processes

9:20 DesignerMicrobes™ – A Proprietary 1-step Fermentation Process to Produce Renewable Fuels

Bill Haywood, Chief Executive Officer, LS9

LS9  is engineering a wide range of DesignerMicrobes™ that are used in a proprietary 1-step fermentation process to produce renewable fuels and sustainable chemicals. LS9’s Renewable Petroleum™ technology enables the rapid and widespread adoption of renewable transportation fuels. Patent-pending UltraClean™ fuels are custom engineered to have higher energy content than ethanol or butanol; to have fuel properties that are essentially indistinguishable from those of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel; and to be distributed in existing pipeline infrastructure and run in any vehicle.

ASSESSING ADVANCED BIOFUELS: “Will the Promise be Realized?” – Presentations and Panel Discussion

Moderator:

Will Thurmond, President, Emerging Markets On-Line, Author, “Algae 2020“ and “Biodiesel 2020”

Presentations:

9:40 Drop-In Fuels – A New Approach for Rapidly Commercializing Biofuels

John Scott, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, PetroAlgae

We will discuss the potential dramatic impact of “Drop-In Fuels”, including:

• How do we drive rapid adoption of advanced biofuels
• Leveraging the current oil refinery industry infrastructure

10:00 Engineering Microbes to Drive Algal-Biofuels Commercialization

Jonathan Wolfson, Chief Executive Officer, Solazyme, Inc.

Solazyme, Inc. is a renewable oil production company that has created a proprietary, scalable process that optimizes and customizes natural algal oil production and produces high-value functional oils from renewable resources.  Solazyme focuses on the production of biofuels via heterotrophic fermentation of algae (in the dark) using standard industrial fermentation equipment and feeding them carbohydrate feedstocks such as sugar cane or cellulosic biomass.  These oils can be used across a variety of industries and applications including chemicals, foods, and fuel. We examine Solazyme’s strategy and technology and discuss Solazyme’s path to commercialization.

10:20 Breaking Boundaries:  The Direct Approach to Abundant, Sustainable,  Cost-competitive Fuels

Bill Sims, Chief Executive Officer, Joule Biotechnologies

The vital need for renewable alternatives to fossil fuels is indisputable, and plenty of research dollars are being spent to find the optimal feedstock. But what if the answer lies in bypassing the use of raw material feedstocks altogether? Joule is pioneering a transformational approach based on the direct conversion of sunlight and waste CO₂ to liquid fuels – a continuous process that requires no costly intermediates, processing or dependency on precious natural resources. This highly-efficient process is net energy positive and can scale to billions of gallons at a fraction of the land use incurred by current methods, delivering fungible fuels in virtually unlimited supply at costs that meet or beat those of fossil fuel sources.

10:40 Networking Coffee Break with Exhibit Viewing

11:00 Green Crude Solutions: Growing into the Green Age

(Cynthia) C.J. Warner, President, Sapphire Energy, Inc.

11:20 Moderated Discussion

Moderator: Will Thurmond, President, Emerging Markets On-Line, Author, “Algae 2020“ and “Biodiesel 2020”

Panelists:

John Scott, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, PetroAlgae

Jonathan Wolfson, Chief Executive Officer, Solazyme, Inc.

Bill Sims, Chief Executive Officer, Joule Biotechnologies

(Cynthia) C.J. Warner, President, Sapphire Energy, Inc.

NEXT GENERATION FEEDSTOCKS FOR CELLULOSIC ETHANOL– Presentations and Panel Discussion

Moderator: Stephen Hughes, Ph.D., Bioenergy Research Program Director, USDA Agricultural Research Service, NCAUR, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Presentations:

11:40 Flexible Feedstocks – A Key for Advanced Biofuels Commercialization

Wes Bolsen, Chief Marketing Officer & Vice President, Government Affairs, Coskata, Inc.

The Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) first signed into law in the U.S. under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and revised under the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), sets the mandate for 21 billion gal./yr. of production coming from cellulosic and advanced biofuel sources. Only by using a diverse array of feedstocks will the industry be able to meet these targets, and convert the 1.3 billion tons of renewable biomass that is available each year into biofuel – and to do so without significant land use changes. We will discuss the fundamental benefits of feedstock flexibility that will lead to the commercialization of advanced biofuels processes, including:

• The ability to utilize all feedstocks named in the Department of Energy’s “Billion Ton Study” to commercialize a large scale advanced biofuels industry in a sustainable manner.
• Using locally abundant feedstocks to enable geographically flexible business models that create jobs nationwide and decrease emissions from feedstock transportation requirements
• Managing feedstock prices with feedstock blending, and reducing exposure to commodity price volatility to keep prices steady and ensure long-term viability

12:00 Jatropha 2.0

Kirk Haney, President & Chief Executive Officer, SG Biofuels

We discuss how the true promise of Jatropha comes from unlocking its potential through breeding and genetics, employing proper agronomic practices, and developing a value chain that creates a viable global marketplace.   Mr. Haney reveals how understanding the unique characteristics of Jatropha – its opportunities and limitations – is a critical component of any successful Jatropha project.  In February, SG Biofuels introduced the first elite cultivar produced through its JMax Jatropha Optimization Platform. JMax 100 and the JMax platform draw on more than three years of research, the strength of the SG Biofuels Genetic Resource Center and a science team that includes three members of the National Academy of Sciences.  The SG Biofuels GRC contains over 6,000 unique accessions, the foundation for any successful crop improvement program.

12:20 Moderated Discussion

Moderator: Stephen Hughes, Ph.D., Bioenergy Research Program Director, USDA Agricultural Research Service, NCAUR, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Panelists:

Wes Bolsen, Chief Marketing Officer & Vice President, Government Affairs, Coskata, Inc.

Kirk Haney, President & Chief Executive Officer, SG Biofuels

12:40 Luncheon

1:00 Special Luncheon Presentation

Global Policy Initiatives to Kick Start Cellulosic Biofuels – Why is Commercialization Taking so Long?

Jeff Passmore  – Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Iogen Corporation

As with all emerging technologies, there are many essential steps along the road to successful commercialization of cellulosic ethanol. We provide a brief update on Iogen’s current status as one of the world’s few cellulosic ethanol demonstration facilities. Mr. Passmore will address the various criteria required to build a successful commercial scale cellulosic ethanol plant and then focus on the most important piece: Government Policy. While examining the current status within Canada, the EU, and the US, Mr. Passmore will explore why Governments support renewable fuels and what we as an industry need to continue moving forward.

1:40 SPECIAL KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Afternoon Session

2:20 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SPECIAL INDUSTRY PANEL DISCUSSION – Policy Inputs to Create Successful Department of Energy Programs and Policies

In this session the U.S. D.O.E convenes a Special Industry Panel to solicit key input and feedback on DOE policies and programs to support the development of the Advanced Biofuels Industry to:

• Ensure Sustainable, Affordable, Available and Reliable (SARE) Biomass
• Ensure adequate access to capital for Scale-Up and Project Financing
• Create Integrated Policies and Programs to support the industry

Discussions topics will include:

• Types of biofuels companies are commercializing
• Types of industry partnerships required for successful Advanced Biofuels Commercialization
• R&D portfolios and directions
• Policies needed (i.e. taxes, subsidies, loan guarantees, GHG regulations, Cap and Trade) to support Advanced Biofuels Commercialization.

Chairman and Moderator:

Paul Grabowski, Office of Biomass, U.S. Department of Energy

Panelists:

(Cynthia) C.J. Warner, President, Sapphire Energy, Inc.

Jennifer Holmgren, General Manager,  Renewable Energy and Chemicals, UOP

Jonathan Wolfson, Chief Executive Officer, Solazyme, Inc.

Other Panelists TBA

3:40 Networking Coffee Break with Poster and Exhibit Viewing

ADVANCES IN BIOPROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES – “Moving From Pilot to Player” – Case Studies in Scaling-up to Full Commercial Production –

Presentations and Panel Discussion

Moderator: TBA

4:10 High Flexibility Feedstock Processes for Cellulosic Ethanol Production

Hamish Curran, Chief Executive, TMO Renewables Ltd.

TMO Renewables has developed a process capable of cost effectively converting more than 25 different biofeedstocks into ethanol, making it one of the most versatile processes established. We examine the important strategic advantages of highly flexible feedstock useage and look at the business and economic model implications of this breakthrough.

4:30 Syngas Conversion of Waste into Locally Produced Advanced Biofuels and Chemicals

Vincent Chornet, President & Chief Executive Officer, Enerkem

In Enerkem’s Fluidized-bed environment, waste materials and biomass are transformed—gasified—into a synthetic gas known as “syngas”, which is then synthesized into alcohols. We examine the strategic advantages of this process and Enerkem’s progress in applying it in the Advanced Biofuels marketplace.

4:50 Good Design Principles for Commercial Scale Up of Advanced Biofuels

Rick Wilson, Chief Executive Officer, Cobalt Biofuels

We examine the crucial steps and fundamental questions to be answered and questions to be addressed in moving from Pilot and Demonstration Plant operations to full Commercial Operations

5:20 Moderated Discussion

Moderator: TBA

Panelists:

Hamish Curran, Chief Executive, TMO Renewables Ltd.

Vincent Chornet, President & Chief Executive Officer, Enerkem

Rick Wilson, Chief Executive Officer, Cobalt Biofuels

Fred Tennant, Vice President, Business Development, PetroAlgae

6:00 End of Day Two

DAY THREE -April 29, 2010

8:00 am CAAFI and Aviation Biofuels – Introduction

Richard L. Altman, Executive Director, Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) (Moderator)

Founded in 2006, the CAAFI coalition of airlines, manufacturers, airports and the FAA Office of Environment and Energy has led commercial aviation to a position of “first mover” in developing and deploying transportation biofuels. Accomplishments include the first new aviation fuel specification in 20 years, a framework for carbon life cycle analysis accepted by the global aviation community, and initial deployment agreements for both commercial and military users.

8:20 Meeting Aviation Fuel Standards – Status of Aviation Biofuels Approvals

Mark Rumizen, Head of Fuel Certification, FAA, CAAFI Certification Team Leader

In September 2009, a new jet fuel approval framework for alternative fuels (ASTM D7566) was announced, along with initial approvals for use via Fischer-Tropsch processes (e.g., Biomass to Liquid as a 50% blend with Jet A). This year’s certification goals include the approval of Bio Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (Bio-SPK) fuels from oil seed plants such as camelina and jatropha. Criteria for fuel approval, as well as plans to move forward with the approval of new process types (e.g. fermentation, pyrolysis) will be described, along with means for new suppliers to engage in the approval process.

8:40 Aviation’s Approach and Assets in Quantifying and Capitalizing on the Emissions Benefits of Aviation Alternative Fuels

Nancy Young, Vice President, Environmental Affairs, Air Transport Association

The aviation community sees the introduction of renewable jet fuel alternatives as an essential component of meeting its environmental objectives, including achieving carbon-neutral growth in the next decade. The potential benefits go beyond greenhouse gas emissions, with aviation alternative fuels showing promise in contributing to the airlines’ efforts to minimize small particle matter (PM) emissions affecting local air quality, of particular significance given that over 50 commercial service airports in the U.S. are in areas with special requirements for PM2.5. Efforts within aviation to quantify significant potential emissions gains associated with the introduction of new renewable alternative fuels globally are well advanced, positioning aviation fuel users to value and capitalize on environmental improvements.

9:00 Initiatives to Develop Financial Support for Jet Fuel Ventures

Don Schenk, President and Chief Executive Officer, ACA Associates, Inc., Advisory Board Member, Air Transport Association

Current weaknesses in the financial markets, combined with past vulnerabilities among both buyers and sellers, make financing of future projects an area of significant risk for prospective fuel projects. This session will review steps that the aviation sector has taken and is pursuing to ensure the availability of financing for projects defined with supply chain components. Collectively these measures, and support provided by supply-chain interests for well focused projects, are allowing jet fuel ventures to be first in line as financing begins to open up.

9:20 Airline/Defense Collaborative Demand Creation for Alternative Fuels

John P. Heimlich, Vice President & Chief Economist, Air Transport Association

Mark Iden, Deputy Director of Operations, DESC

Airlines and Defense buyers of aviation fuels have initiated actions to purchase sustainable alternative aviation fuels. Buyers will describe the rationale for purchases and processes being used to foster deployment through offtake agreements. ATA and DESC will provide details of their precedent-setting strategic alliance (announced March 19, 2010), which ensures that suppliers can view aviation as “one” customer.

9:40 “The Buyers Speak” – Supplier Opportunities in Aviation Biofuels –A Panel Discussion

Moderator

Jennifer Holmgren, General Manager,  Renewable Energy and Chemicals, UOP

Panelists:

Hortensia Barton, Director, Fuels Management, American Airlines

Joel Murdock, Managing Director, Strategic Projects, FedEx Express

James Zak, Manager, Fuel Purchase & Supply, Lufthansa German Airlines

Michael Baer, Managing Director – Fuel, US Airways

Robert Sturtz, Managing Director, Strategic Sourcing-Fuel, United Airlines

Phillip Hopton, Verno Systems, Inc.

Leaders from the Air Transport Association (ATA) Energy Council and the CAAFI Business Team have spearheaded landmark alternative fuel deployment initiatives. Three landmark MOUs, for projects in three different parts of the country, were executed through the combined efforts of airline fuel purchasers over the last several months of 2009. The buyers who have led those efforts will review lessons learned and successes achieved, with an application to new ventures contemplated by energy-supplier attendees.

10:20 Advanced Biofuels Development at Mascoma

Bruce Jamerson, Chairman of the Board, Mascoma Corporation

Steven Hicks, Chief Executive Officer, Frontier Renewable Resources

Mascoma is developing a low cost, low carbon manufacturing process for cellulosic ethanol using its proprietary “Consolidated Bio Processing” technology. The presentation will examine how the company is developing its first commercial partnership with Frontier Renewable Resources, LLC. We examine how Frontier and Mascoma are collaborating on the development of a manufacturing facility in northern Michigan using Macoma’s process technology and surplus pulpwood biomass as feedstock.

Topics will include:

• Pathway to commercialization
• Capital markets and government funding
• Federal biofuels policy

10:40 Refreshment Break

11:10 Local Energy Centers – Promoting the Small-Scale Model for Integrated Biomass Energy and Advanced Biofuels

Alan Rae, Director of Global Business Development, KL Energy Corporation

KL Energy’s low CAPEX process technology ideally lends itself to smaller scale projects, tailored to the capacity to the feedstock availability.   Our environmentally friendly pre-treatment technology to produce cellulosic ethanol we retain the lignin as a valuable co-product.  Our strategy where possible, is to build fully integrated facilities that take advantage of the substantial benefits of CHP with Advanced Biofuel plants, and we have focused our attention on projects that provide industrial integration with feedstock suppliers, such as sugar cane mills and wood processing industries. As the global recognition of the importance of distributed energy increases we believe it provides an opportunity for low CAPEX integrated KLE Energy Centers to become and increasingly significant contributor to this sector.

11:30  Producing Ethanol from Garbage: Ready for Commercialization

Jim Macias, Chief Executive Officer, Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc.

Utilizing an innovative, clean and efficient thermochemical process, Fulcrum is ready to begin construction on what may be our Nation’s first commercial-scale municipal solid waste (MSW) to ethanol facility, the Sierra BioFuels Plant.  Sierra BioFuels, scheduled for operations in 2012, will convert 90,000 tons of post-recycled MSW – the amount of trash produced by a city with a population of 165,000 – into 10.5 million gallons of ethanol per year.  In addition to Sierra BioFuels, Fulcrum is advancing the development of additional and larger plants with the capacity to produce one billion gallons of ethanol annually. We will discuss the key factors in Fulcrum’s business model for the successful building of large-scale biofuels facilities, including:

• MSW as an attractive feedstock
• Feedstock supply
• Thermochemical technology advantages
• Planning, Engineering and Construction
• Financing

11:50 Advanced Biofuels Leadership – Moderated Panel Discussion

Moderator:

Jim Lane, Editor, Biofuels Digest

Panelists:

Bruce Jamerson, Chairman of the Board, Mascoma Corporation

Jim Macias, Chief Executive Officer, Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc.

Alan Rae, Director of Global Business Development, KL Energy Corporation

Eric McAfee, Chief Executive Officer, AE Biofuels

1:00 Closing Comments and End of Conference