5^th World Bioenergy Congress and Expo June 29-30, 2017 Madrid, Spain

Dr. Lew Christopher holds a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering and a Ph.D. degree in Biotechnology. He has more than 25 years of industrial and academic experience in the field of industrial biotechnology and bioprocessing of lignocellulosic biomass. He has worked as industrial research scientist and held faculty positions in departments of biotechnology, chemical and biological engineering, and environmental engineering in South Africa and USA. Currently he serves as Director of the Biorefining Research Institute leading an interdisciplinary team of faculty and researchers from several science and engineering departments at Lakehead University in Canada. His research mission is to add value to the global Bioeconomy by applying an integrated biorefinery approach to the development of renewable bioenergy technologies. Dr. Christopher is a member of the editorial board of several international biotechnology journals, advisory boards, and professional societies. He has made over 400 scientific contributions to the field of Biomass Biorefining including 8 patents, 4 books, and over 50 invited lectures delivered in Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America.

His research mission is to add value to the global Bioeconomy by applying an integrated biorefinery approach to the development of renewable bioenergy technologies. Dr. Christopher is a member of the editorial board of several international biotechnology journals, advisory boards, and professional societies.

Dr. Weilan Shao holds a Master degree in Plant Disease and a Ph.D. degree in Microbiology. She has participated in the field of the thermophilic degradation and fermentation of lignocellulosic biomass since her PhD study (1990-1993) in the University of Georgia, USA. Dr. Shao has worked as a distinguished professor in Jiangnan University, Nanjing normal University and Jiangsu University in China. Her research mission is to develop feasible and economic effective approaches for renewable bioenergy processing by using molecular biotechnology. Dr. Shao and her group have discovered a series of novel lignocellulases, the key aldehyde dehydrogenase for ethanol formation, the repressor/operator system coupling glycolysis and fermentation pathways, and the regulation mechanism of thermophilic ethanol fermentation. Dr Shao also invents new techniques for industrial enzyme production and modification, which include pHsh gene expression system (US patent), in situ gene random mutagenesis (CN patent; US patent), high production of thermostable laccase (CN patent), soluble expression of aggregation-pron enzymes, and gfa selection marker for the bio-safety of gene transfer in microbes.

Her current research is mainly focused on the metabolic engineering of extreme thermophiles for cellulosic ethanol fermentation, the development of novel gene expression and evolution techniques for an efficient industrial enzyme production, and the exploration and construction of highly active and thermostable enzymes for the biodegradation of lignocelluloses.

Animesh Dutta is an Associate Professor and Director of Bio-renewable Innovation Lab, and Associate Director, Graduate studies with the School of Engineering at the University of Guelph. Previously, he taught at Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand and at Faculty of Agriculture of Dalhousie University, NS. Dr Dutta is specialized in advanced energy systems and thermo-fluid science with hands-on experience in reactor design and pilot plant operation, design and performance of various tests in laboratory scale and pilot scale units, thermal design and process development. Over the last seventeen years, he has been consistently delivering new and innovative ideas in the areas of advanced energy conversion and heat transfer. In his career, he has published over 65 peer-reviewed journal papers, 2 book chapters, and has roughly 85 conference publications and reports. His current research is focussed on thermochemical conversion (gasification, combustion, torrefaction, hydrothermal carbonization and liquefaction) and characterization of agri-residue, biomass, and waste (MSW, Bio-solids) for fuel and energy, and design and optimization of advanced energy systems. He is committed to developing an innovative research program on energy and other value-added products from biomass and waste materials.

His current research is focussed on thermochemical conversion (gasification, combustion, torrefaction, hydrothermal carbonization and liquefaction) and characterization of agri-residue, biomass, and waste (MSW, Bio-solids) for fuel and energy, and design and optimization of advanced energy systems. He is committed to developing an innovative research program on energy and other value-added products from biomass and waste materials.

A senior expert in bioenergy supply chains and in the use of algal and non-food plant systems for the capture of CO2 and production of green chemicals and biofuels. She gained a PhD in plant biochemistry from the University of Durham, then joined Genzyme Biochemicals in protein production before moving into Business Development and Industrial Marketing. She resumed her research career at Imperial College on wood degradation and the biochemistry of polymeric lignin breakdown, then joined the University of Greenwich, where she holds the Chair in Biochemistry in the Faculty of Engineering and Science. She has led international and national research programmes, more recent of which include “The CO2 microalgae biorefinery: D-Factory”, a 10 million Euro FP7-funded project (https://www.d-factoryalgae.eu/)(ongoing); “Macrobiocrude”, (EPSRC-funded) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/projects?ref=EP%2FK014838%2F1(ongoing) ; Non-food bio-oil supply chains (EU-ACP-funded) (http://www.acpnonfood.com/) aimed at capacity building measures in South Africa, Namibia and Ghana to create sustainable, non-food bio-oil supply chains; Ecotec21 (EU-Interreg) http://enterprise.gre.ac.uk/case-studies/glycerol-chp-a-world-first which installed novel, biofuel-fired CHP technology at the University of Greenwich using biooils and glycerol; and Tuning algae for biofuel profitably (NERC, Innovate UK). 90 publications; 2164 citations; h-index 23; i10-index 35.

Current Research Interests: Biorefineries; bioenergy; microalgae and macroalgae; redox enzymes and anti-oxidants

Dr. Richard Sayre (https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardsayre) is currently a Senior Research Scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the New Mexico Consortium (NMC). Dr. Sayre’s research interests include; enhancing the efficiency of photosynthesis, algal and plant biotechnology, and nutritional biofortification of crop plants, and molecular control of vector borne diseases. Prior to coming to LANL, Dr. Sayre was a faculty member and later Chairman of the Department of Plant Cellular and Molecular Biology at Ohio State University; served as the first Director of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St Louis, and became a Senior Research Scientist at LANL/NMC in 2011. Dr. Sayre has directed several large research consortia including: 1) Director of Phase I of the BioCassava Plus Program funded by the Grand Challenges in Global Health Program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 2) Director of the Center for Advanced Biofuel Systems, a Dept. of Energy (DOE) Energy Frontier Research Center focusing on generating advanced biofuels from algae and plants. 3) Scientific Director of the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels, and Bioproducts, the largest DOE-sponsored algal biofuels consortium funded to date; and 4) is currently Director of the US-DOE sponsored PACE (Producing Algae for Energy and Coproducts) targeted algal biomass and bioproducts program.

Plant biotechnology, photosynthesis, plant biochemistry, metabolic engineering, renewable fuels, food security

Prof. Irene M. C. Lo is currently a full professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of Environmental Engineering and Management Program at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). She has been joining HKUST since 1992. Prof. Lo is an elected Academician of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA). She is the first Hong Kong scholar inducted into the EASA. She is an elected Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (FHKIE), and elected Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (FASCE), She received her Ph.D. degree in Civil (Environmental) Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1992. She is also Adjunct Professor of Tongji University, Tianjin University, Jilin University and Harbin Institute of Technology in China. She had been Visiting Professor of Technical University of Denmark and the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Prof. Lo was the recipient of the 2004 ASCE James Croes Medal, the 2007 ASCE Samuel Arnold Greeley Award, the 2008 EWRI Best Practice-Oriented Paper Award, the 2009 ASCE Wesley W Horner Award, and the 2012 ASCE EWRI Best Practice-Oriented Paper Award. Prof. Lo has held 3 Patents, edited 7 technical books, and published over 270 SCI journal articles and conference papers with citation of 5650+ and H-index of 409. Her research areas include magnetic nano-particles and nano-photocatalysts for environmental applications; pollutant migration in soils; food waste and solid waste treatment and management; and remediation technologies for river sediment, contaminated soils and groundwater.

Her research areas include magnetic nano-particles and nano-photocatalysts for environmental applications; pollutant migration in soils; food waste and solid waste treatment and management; and remediation technologies for river sediment, contaminated soils and groundwater.

Prof. Ing. Jana Zabranska, PhD. is a member of the academic staff of the Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering in the Faculty of Technology of Environment Protection, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague. She is a supervisor of Master and Doctor Degree students and has lectures on subjects "Anaerobic technology in environmental protection" and "Technology of biogas and biohydrogen production". The main field of the research is anaerobic degradation of organic compounds, activities of anaerobic microbial consortia and technological applications of anaerobic processes in practice. She is engaged in the field of industrial wastewater treatment, anaerobic digestion of different organic substrates, especially focused on anaerobic microorganism's activity, determination of degradability and methane yield from different substrates. She is authored and co-authored 273 scientific papers, 3 technological patents, 6 textbooks and 2 monographs. Prof. Zabranska is a member of IWA (International Water Association), Specialist group of Anaerobic Digestion, Sludge Management, Health Related Water Microbiology, a member of Czech Biogas Association, Czech Water Association, member of the Committee of the Czech Biotechnology Society, editorial board member of Czech journals Energy 21 and Bioprospect.

Currently she is involved in the research of intensification and control of biogas production from agroindustrial materials and biological removal of hydrogensulfide from biogas. The new interest is focused on utilization of stored renewable energy in the form of hydrogen to upgrade biogas to biomethane and biological transformation of carbon dioxide to biomethane.

Dr. Dana Pokorna is Assistant Prof. at the Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Technology of Environment Protection, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague. She has lectures on subjects "Biodegradability and Ecotoxicity" and "Technology of biogas and biohydrogen production". Main activities in research area are anaerobic wastewater treatment and sludge stabilization, the anaerobic biodegradability of organic compounds, methods for the determination of anaerobic biomass activity, special analytical methods (gas chromatography and capillary isotachophoresis) for the monitoring of anaerobic metabolism and the anaerobic biodegradability of organic compounds, the removal of hydrogen sulfide from biogas both using sulfur oxidizing bacteria immobilized on biofilter and by autotrophic denitrification combined with the removal of nutrients from wastewater. Currently, she is interested in upgrading biogas to biomethan utilizing stored renewable energy in the form of hydrogen and the biological transformation of CO2 to biomethane. She is the author or co-author of tens of papers and conference presentation on renewable energy and the production and cleaning of biogas. She has participated in solving a number of projects dealing with anaerobic process and biogas production. Dr. Pokorna is the member of International Water Association (IWA) and European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB), the member of Czech Biogas Association and Czech Water Association and the member of the Czech Biotechnology Society Committee.

Main areas of her interest – anaerobic biodegradation of organic substrates, determination of anaerobic biomass activity, analytical determination of byproducts and end products of anaerobic degradation, biogas cleaning (H2S removal), upgrading biogas to biomethan and transformation of CO2 to biomethan.

Inder Singh with a Masters in Organic Chemistry and PhD in combined fields of Organic Chemistry and Pharmacology has been providing custom environment friendly solutions for pharmaceutical industry globally for 35 yrs. and now in the renewable energy sector for 10 yrs. Inder has extensive industry experience in developing new custom molecules, reaction specific catalysts, catalysis, process intensification and in developing continuous processors and downstream product recovery systems. He has successfully developed several manufacturing processes that are used commercially in pharmaceutical industry. He has established, owned and operated SBI Fine Chemicals and SBI BioEnergy for over 18 yrs. in Canada.

Inder has extensive industry experience in developing new custom molecules, reaction specific catalysts, catalysis, process intensification and in developing continuous processors and downstream product recovery systems.

Gordon Huang is currently working as a professor in Environmental systems engineering at University of Regina, Canada. He is also a Canada Research Chair and Fellow at Canadian Academy of Engineering. He is a President of International Society for Environmental Information Sciences, Executive Director of Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability Communities. He completed his Ph.D. at McMaster University, Canada

Waste management, site remediation, and risk assessment, Simulation and optimization of hydrological and environmental systems, Modeling of energy and environmental management systems, Climate modeling, impact assessment, and adaptation planning

Sandra D. Eksioglu is an Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering at Clemson University. Dr. Eksioglu’s research focus has been on the theory and application of operations research tools to problems that arise in the areas of transportation, logistics, and supply chain. She works on developing mathematical models and solution algorithms that help design and manage large scale and complex supply-chains. In particular, she is interested in the application of these tools to the biofuels supply chain. She received the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation in 2011 for her work on biofuels supply chain. She has co-authored over 70 refereed publications. Dr. Eksioglu is an active member of Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE), and American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).

Dr. Eksioglu’s research focus has been on the theory and application of operations research tools to problems that arise in the areas of transportation, logistics, and supply chain. She works on developing mathematical models and solution algorithms that help design and manage large scale and complex supply-chains. In particular, she is interested in the application of these tools to the biofuels supply chain.

Lt Col Monish Ahuja (Retd) is currently the Managing Director of Punjab Renewable Energy Systems Private Limited (PRESPL). He is an alumnus of the prestigious National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Pune. He is holding the following degrees in education proficiency: • Post Graduate (M.Tech) in Nuclear Technology from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in 2006. • Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) in Mechanical Engineering from JNU in 2002, • Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) from JNU in 1994. In a short span with the understanding of the Biomass IPPs and biomass supply chain management, he set up the first of its kind biomass fuel aggregation and supply company Punjab Renewable Energy Systems Private Limited (PRESPL). The company has grown from a start up to INR 18 Crores Turnover Company in 5xYears time and having closed its first round of PE investment from Zurich based Impact PE- responsAbility in 2013. This is a big force multiplier to support biomass IPPs, process industry boilers, cogeneration plants and other industry using biomass as a feedstock.

Lt Col Monish Ahuja (Retd) is known in the Biomass fraternity as a dedicated and knowledgeable leader. He has been advocating the barriers faced by Biomass Project Developers at various seminars and forums and has been instrumental in impressing MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Sources, India) towards the cause of biomass power plants.

“Morten is Senior Project Manager in Sweco A/S and is managing severals of Sweco’s biogas projects. Morten has more than 20 years years of experience in project management and since 1997 he has managed several large bio-gas projects in both Denmark and abroad. The last 6 years, the emphasis has been on exports, including sales, development, construction and commissioning of the plant in the USA in particular and to some extent Africa. Previously, Morten been stationed in Japan and was responsible for the construction of a biogas plant. Especially the foreign projects have been characterized by high complexity and a large number of stakeholders with consequent heavy demands on coordination and follow-up. As project manager Morten puts great emphasis on good communication and personal presence both internally and in relation to customers and other partners in the project. His work also includes developing advanced separation technologies for separating nutrients from digestate and transforming these into valuable and marketable fertilizers. Morten Jacobsen holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southern Denmark and a degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern Denmark.”

His work also includes developing advanced separation technologies for separating nutrients from digestate and transforming these into valuable and marketable fertilizers.

Dr. Saady received a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering and M.Sc. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Technology (Iraq), and a Ph.D. from the University of Windsor (Canada). He worked as an associate researcher at Dairy and Swine Research and Development Centre, Sherbrooke, Quebec. He received seven prestigious scholarships including three NSERC top scholarships. He published 30+ peer-reviewed articles, two book’s chapters, and served on committees for 6 international conferences in USA, Canada and Europe. He is the Editor-in-Chief for Advances in Recycling & Waste Management Journal published by OMICS International. Dr. Saady is currently a consulting biogas projects development scientist.

Dr. Saady is specialized in developing environmental biotechnologies to bioconvert organic waste biomass into biofuel and bioenergy such as hydrogen, methane, and electricity using wet and dry anaerobic digestion. Microbial fuel cell and bioelectrochemical technology. Lignocellulose hydrolysis. Biodegradation and fate of recalcitrant organic compounds and emerging contaminants. Identification and evaluation of on-farm clean and renewable technologies. Biofiltration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in livestock industry waste gases. Development of psychrophilic microbial processes.

Jay J. Cheng is a Professor of Bioprocessing and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University, USA and Adjunct Professor at Peking University-Shenzhen Graduate School, China. He graduated from Jiangxi Institute of Technology (now Nanchang University) in China with BS in Chemical Engineering in 1982, St. Cyril & Methodius University in Macedonia with MS in Biological Engineering in 1987, and University of Cincinnati in USA with PhD in Environmental Engineering in 1996. He was a Fulbright Scholar at University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, Sofia, Bulgaria in 2005/2006. Dr. Cheng’s research has been focused on wastewater treatment and bioenergy production processes. His research effort has resulted in publications of a book, over 80 articles in refereed scientific journals, and more than 80 papers in national and international technical conferences. Dr. Cheng is among the most cited authors in the areas of Bioenergy and Environmental Engineering. He has been invited to present over 60 key-note speeches and seminars in China, Europe, and North and South Americas.

His research maily focuse in the areas of Bioenergy and Environmental Engineering. His research effort has resulted in publications of a book, over 80 articles in refereed scientific journals, and more than 80 papers in national and international technical conferences

Dr. J.P. Paredes-Sánchez is a lecturer in the Department of Energy at the University of Oviedo, Spain. He received his PhD in Energy Engineering in 2010, at the University of Oviedo (Spain), and has been associated with national and international research projects at the Oviedo Higher Technical School of Mining and Engineering since 2007. He is the author or co-author of tens of papers and conferences on renewable energy and energy efficiency. He has published books about university education and energy sources. He is also involved in European programs for updating renewable energy research and higher education.

Research focus has been on the theory and application in the combination of conventional and non-conventional energy and Modelling of Biomass Energy Systems (BES), with a background in bioenergy research and hybridization techniques using energy sources.

Nedim Saracoglu, Ph.D., is professor, the chair of Forest Management Department at the forestry faculty, vice dean of forestry faculty and the director of Renewable Energy Research Centre of Bartın University, Bartın, Turkey. His current research interests are forest biomass, energy forestry, forest yield. He has published more than 70 papers in reputed journals.

His current research interests are forest biomass, energy forestry, forest yield. He has published more than 70 papers in reputed journals.

Dr. Rintu Banerjee is an professor at Agricultural & Food Engineering Department at Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. Her Research Areas maily focuses on Food Biotechnology, Bioenergy, Enzymology & its Biotechnological applications, Protein Chemistry. She has achieved many Awards & Honours. She has done many International and National publications in the Journals. She has gone through scientific research areas and some scientific projects too.

Her Research Areas maily focuses on Food Biotechnology, Bioenergy, Enzymology & its Biotechnological applications, Protein Chemistry.

Dr. P Shanmugam is employed as Senior Principal Scientist (Scientist -“F”) in the Environmental Engineering Department of Central Leather Research Institute (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research), Adyar Chennai.20 India, leading a team of Scientists/ Researchers and carrying out research in the field of sequential production of bio-diesel, bioethanol, bio-hydrogen and biomethane from fat and protein rich solid and liquid wastes as a “Biorefinery” through enzymatic transesterification, solventogenesis, hydrogenesis and methanogenesis respectively as an enzymatic biorefinery for CDM, high Carbon offsetting, and for better environmental protection. He has demonstrated many large scale onsite biogas plants producing power and fertilizer from leather, slaughter house, wholesale vegetable market complex waste and municipal organic solid wastes, which can be viewed in his web site www.clri.org/WriteReadData/Biodata/PaShanmugam.htm . Shanmugam did his Ph.D. on Hydrogen and methane generation from the phase separated anaerobic co-digestion of leather fleshing with MSW from Public Health and Environmental Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, United Kingdom on Commonwealth Fellowship after his M.S.,Degree from Civil / Environmental Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Chennai, India and M.Sc. Degee in Environmental Sciences, (Specialization on Industrial Pollution and control) from Bishop Heber College, Bharathidasan University, Trichirappalli, Tamil Nadu. India. His core Professional responsibilities are to lead the bioenergy research ream and to deliver lectures in Wastewater Engineering and treatment and solid waste management for Leather industries to B.Tech and M. Tech. Environmental Engineering and Leather Technology students for Anna University, Chennai.

Submerged Anaerobic Membrane separation technologies for water and waste water treatment for zero liquid and solid discharge. Bio-refinery producing biodiesel, bio-ethanol, biohydrogen and biomethane from Industrial and municipal organic solid and liquid wastes for Zero liquid Discharge, power generation (Waste into Wealth) and green house gas emission reduction. Design, erection, commission, execution, operation maintenance and troubleshooting assessment of large scale and pilot scale biohydrogen and methane plants (UASB and CSTR reactors. Tracer residence time distribution, rheology and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling detecting short circuiting and active/ dead zone predictions of anaerobic CSTRs Atmospheric air pollution dispersion modeling and photochemical smog formation studies Environmental Impact Assessment, Environmental Management Plan and QMS.

Dr.Stephan Leisner have been working in the biodiesel industry since 2005. He have been involved in building up the largest biodiesel plant in Austria and I am now working for Bio Oil Group, which is dedicated to producing biodiesel based on 100pc waste feedstocks such as used cooking oil. So far he worked on six production sites with different technologies and a total capacity of 350,000 t/yr . His main expertise and experience lie in using difficult waste feedstocks and producing double counting eligible products for blending companies and mineral oil firms.

His main expertise and experience lie in using difficult waste feedstocks and producing double counting eligible products for blending companies and mineral oil firms.