May 27, 2009:  Renewable Transportation Fuels

To view the presentation click  (it’s a big file)  Renewable-Fuels-May-27th-2009

With oil prices fluctuating, energy security concerns and climate change recognition, the need to develop sustainable renewable sources of energy is at its peak. Cellulosic ethanol is recognized as one of the most promising near term pathways for creating low-carbon, cost competitive alternative fuels that can be integrated into the current energyinfrastructures. In 2008, the US produced over 9 billion gallons of ethanol displacing the need for 321 million barrels of oil. To help advance sustainability, Verenium is leveraging the biotechnology developed in the last two decades to convert canes, grasses, woods and other biomass sources into cellulosic ethanol.

Speaker Bio:
Justin Stege, PhD is the Director of Biofuels Research at Verenium Corporation (formerly Diversa) in San Diego, California. Since joining Verenium in 2000, Justin has worked to discover and optimize proteins for therapeutic, animal nutrition, and alternative energy applications. As an environmentalist and a scientist Justin has found clean technology applications personally and intellectually rewarding with the potential to provide social, environmental and economic benefits across the globe. Currently, Justin’s research at Verenium is focused on the application of biotechnology to enable the sustainable production of fuels and chemicals from renewable biomass feedstocks. Programs in his group are developing improved cellulase enzymes, one of the most expensive components of the process to convert biomass into ethanol and other bioproducts. Justin is principal investigator on a multimillion dollar grant program from the Department of Energy’s Biochemical Conversion Platform to develop evolved cellulase enzymes. Justin also serves on the management committee for the New Zealand Lignocellulosic Bioethanol Initiative which is seeking to develop a bioethanol industry integrated with New Zealand’s extensive forestry and pulp & paper infrastructure.