Call for Papers

Please contact the symposium organizers with questions.

Demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional carbon-intensive and petroleum-derived products has grown tremendously in recent years. This growth is only expected to continue with an increasing public awareness on the deleterious effects of industrial processes and nonrenewable materials as well as a high number of companies declaring climate pledges and striving to be carbon-neutral or "net zero" within the next few decades. Renewable materials with a low carbon footprint are sought as alternatives in a wide variety of industries including packaging, consumer products, electronics and energy storage, building and construction, automotive, wind energy, and marine. However, matching the performance of incumbent petroleum-derived or nonrenewable materials with bio-based materials has remained a challenge in many of these areas. This symposium solicits emerging research in bio-based polymers and composites with a focus on manufacturing and applications of these materials on a large scale. Materials wholly or partly derived from biomass with unique structures and/or functionalities and their potential industrial impact are of interest. Research in the fields of chemistry, materials engineering, advanced computing, manufacturing science, chemical and process engineering, and biochemistry and bioengineering that are advancing the forefront of technology in bio-based materials and sustainability in manufacturing practices are invited for submission.

Topics will include:

• Scalable polymer synthesis from biological precursors
• Biodegradable/compostable polymers and composites
• Advances in processing of bio-based materials—including additive manufacturing, injection molding, thermoforming, blow molding, extrusion, etc.
• Material life cycle and carbon footprint analyses and considerations for end-of-life/waste management
• High performance and functional bio-based polymers and composites
• Demonstration and emerging applications of bio-based polymers and composites
• Bio-based materials in advanced applications such as energy, batteries, biomedical, etc.
• Circular economy, recycling, and upcycling

Invited Speakers (tentative):

• Zhiyong Cai (U.S. Department of Agriculture, USA)
• Eric Cochran (Iowa State University, USA)
• Habib Dagher (University of Maine System, USA)
• Mitra Ganewatta (Ingevity, USA)
• Olli Kahkonen (Nordic Bioproducts Group, Finland)
• Soledad Peresin (Auburn University, USA)
• Nicholas Rorrer (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA)
• Liesl Schindler (Trillium Renewable Chemicals, USA)
• Katariina Torvinen (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., Finland)
• Ferrie van Hattum (Saxion University, Netherlands)
• Deepak Venkatraman (NatureWorks LLC, USA)
• Dean Webster (North Dakota State University, USA)
• Vikram Yadama (Washington State University, USA)

Symposium Organizers