The Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels, or C2B2, is offering a professional short course in the area of renewable and sustainable biorefining and biofuels designed for the educational growth, training and professional development of industry and research professionals May 11-13 in Fort Collins.
The three-day course is a collaboration of academia, industry and national laboratories to develop biorefining and biofuels technology for future commercial application. The short course will provide focused training and will include key research thrusts and commercialization challenges relevant to C2B2 and the bioenergy industry, according to C2B2 Executive Director Alan Weimer.
Topics will include feedstock engineering, plant biotechnology and crop science; biochemical and thermochemical processing; process engineering, including biomass hydrolysis, fluid dynamics and separations; product engineering, including bioproduct synthesis and biofuels characterization; and life-cycle assessment and policy analysis.
C2B2 is a research center formed by the Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory to develop new ways to convert biomass into low-carbon transportation fuels, said Weimer. C2B2 aims to increase the production and use of energy from renewable resources and has several dozen industrial sponsors.
C2B2 and the Collaboratory are cooperative activities of the University of Colorado at Boulder, Colorado State University, the Colorado School of Mines and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
"This short course has been tailored to support educational opportunities for industry and research professionals," said Weimer, also a CU-Boulder professor of chemical and biological engineering. "The quality of the instructors from the four institutions will make this a worthwhile program for professionals with a keen interest in bioenergy."
All short-course instructors -- chief scientists on biorefining and biofuels research grants and experts in bioenergy-related research and technology -- were recruited from C2B2 partner institutions, said Ryan Gill, managing director of C2B2 and a professor in chemical and biological engineering at CU-Boulder. "We feel this is a great way to support the development of the workforce required for the long-term growth of this industry."
The cost of the event is $1,000 for members and $1,500 for nonmembers. The registration fee includes meals, networking receptions and workshop materials. The short course will encourage communication and business development among large and small renewable energy industries. Tours of the crop science and conversion facilities on the CSU campus will be provided. Recommended registration deadline for all participants is April 1.
For registration information contact C2B2 Center Coordinator Frannie Ray-Earle at 303-492-7736 or by e-mail at C2B2@colorado.edu. For more information on C2B2 visit .