Marisol Berti, associate professor of plant sciences, and Russell Gesch, USDA-Agricultural Research Service research plant physiologist and adjunct professor of plant sciences, attended the 21st European Biomass Conference and Exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmark, June 3-7. The title of the conference was “Setting the Course for a Biobased Economy.”
Berti and Gesch were invited panelists in a discussion workshop titled “Can EU Agriculture Feed Both the Energy and Bio-based Industries of the Future in a Sustainable Way?” Berti also was chair of the “Managing Perennial Grasses: Long-term International Experiences” session during the conference. In addition, Berti’s abstract, “Forage Sorghum: An Excellent Feedstock for Second Generation Biofuels in the North Central Region of the USA,” was selected for oral presentation in the “Long-term International Experiences” session.
Gesch’s and Berti’s poster, “Double- and Relay-cropping Oilseed and Biomass Crops for Sustainable Energy Production,” won the Best Visual Presentation award in the Biomass Feedstock, Residues and By-products poster session. The poster was based on results of Berti’s Sungrant Initiative project, “Double- and Relay-cropping Systems for Oil and Biomass Feedstock Production in North Central Region” and doctoral research by plant sciences graduate student Alfredo Aponte. Other poster collaborators include Burton Johnson, professor of plant sciences; Yun Ji, assistant professor of chemical engineering at the University of North Dakota; Wayne Seames, professor of chemical engineering at UND; and David Archer, USDA-ARS research agricultural scientist.
At the conference, more than 1,800 attendees from 66 countries discussed the status and the future of biomass for energy, materials and further bioeconomy applications during 360 keynote, plenary, oral and 400 visual presentations. More information is available at www.conference-biomass.com.
NDSU is recognized as one of the nation’s top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.