APPTI to Host "Advancing Commercialization of Nanocellulose: Critical Challenges Workshop"

WASHINGTON, April 24, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Alliance for Pulp and Paper Technology Innovation (APPTI), in collaboration with the USDA Forest Service and the National Nanotechnology Coordinating Office (NNCO), will host a nanocellulose workshop, "Advancing Commercialization of Nanocellulose: Critical Challenges", May 7-8, 2019, in Washington, DC, at Patriot Plaza III, 355 E Street, SE. Register by April 30, 2019 at APPTI NANO WORKSHOP 2019.

GranBio CTO-Nanocellulose Kim Nelson, who serves as co-chair of the workshop and is also co-chair of the APPTI nanocellulose team organizing the event, noted that it will showcase US capabilities and expertise in this promising field. "Building on the outcomes of the Forest Service/NNI Nanocellulose Commercialization workshop in 2014 and the APPTI Cellulose Nanomaterials R&D roadmap released in 2016, we will review progress in closing critical research gaps, identify research projects to address remaining technology needs, and form interdisciplinary teams to execute them," Nelson added.

Invited participants include Federal agency representatives, academic and institutional researchers, nanocellulose producers and suppliers, end-users, plastics compounders, equipment suppliers, and other interested parties. Students are also welcome.

The meeting will include rapid-fire presentations by thirty US-based nanocellulose researchers, technology developers, and producers to share their expertise and capabilities. A catalog of the presenters and their capabilities and expertise will be published after the workshop.

Invited presentations will focus on the value of nanocellulose in the bioeconomy, global commercialization activities, end-user needs and challenges, and overcoming the challenges of reaching the marketplace. Networking opportunities with the nanocellulose community including an offsite reception will feature significantly in the event.

Workshop co-chair Colleen Walker, Director of the Process Development Center at the University of Maine, emphasized the importance of two state-of-the-art literature reviews commissioned by APPTI and its partners to be used during the workshop. "These surveys synthesize previously developed knowledge on the two important topics of drying and dewatering and compatibilization for use in plastics, and so provide a starting point for remaining gaps in know-how critical to broad commercialization," she observed.

Register today!  Click here APPTI NANO WORKSHOP 2019 for registration and information. The registration fee of $275.00 will cover the cost of breakfast and lunch both days, an offsite reception, and copies of the white papers and workshop summary. Registration closes April 30.

APPTI acknowledges and appreciates the support of APPTI members and partners, especially the University of Maine, GranBio, Domtar, and SAPPI, in conducting this event.
 
For further information, please contact executive director David Turpin ([email protected]) or visit the APPTI website (http://www.APPTI.org).

SOURCE APPTI