Decarbonization is a central pillar of the Biden administration’s energy policy ambitions and the federal government is using a multi-pronged approach to drive private investment within the biofuels sector. This panel features an in-depth look at both the Sustainable Aviation Fuels credit and the Clean Fuel Production Credit or 45z tax credit as a means of boosting project economics. Additionally, the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office will walk attendees through the financing options available for low-carbon, renewable fuel production projects and the requirements for a project to qualify.

• Kenneth Hill, Senior Consultant, DOE, Loan Programs Office
  Financing SAF, Renewable Diesel, RNG, CCS, Chemicals, and Protein Projects with DOE’s Loan Programs Office
• Tony Miller, Director, Weaver & Tidwell, LLP
  Ethanol and SAF - Credit Qualification: Part 1: Lifecycle Analysis and Environmental Requirements
• Leanne Sobel, Director, Weaver & Tidwell, LLP
  Ethanol and SAF - Credit Qualification: Part 2: Tax Qualification, Registration, and Multipliers
• Pawan Mehra, Senior Economic Advisor, cCarbon
  The North American SAF Market Incentive Landscape at a State and Federal Level

Any carbon capture and storage project will ultimately require a Class VI underground storage permit, demonstrating that a selected well-site is capable of adequately storing the planned for inventories of CO2. The presentations in this panel will outline the utility of publicly available geographic data and the options available to project developers should that data not be sufficient. The value and cost of site specific test wells will be articulated along with a rubric for determining when a more involved test well is likely to be necessary in a project’s Class VI permit application.

• Dylan Hart, CCS Subsurface Solutions Lead, Black & Veatch Corp.
  Site Screening for Carbon Sequestration Injection Wells
• Kellyn Modlin, Project Comptroller, SCS Engineers
  CO2 Project Cost Analysis: A Practical Tool to Determine Project Viability
• Tug Eiden, Principal CCUS Advisor, Trihydro Corporation
  CCUS Value Impacts of Installing a Stratigraphic Test Well
• Zach Freund, Reservoir Engineer, Advanced Resources International
  Drilling Wells for CCS: How is it Different from Oil and Gas?

Perhaps the most dizzying aspect of the rise in artificial intelligence is the speed at which it has transitioned from an “under development” concept to a tool already in widespread use. Cell phones now boast AI features as a primary selling point. This panel features presentations about the use of AI in everything from basic business communications to more bespoke applications like improving corn oil capture rates and leak detection.

• Donna Funk, Principal, Pinion
  How to Work Smarter with Microsoft 365 Copilot and AI
• Eric Newell, Executive Chairman, Levridge, Inc.
  Create Efficiency in Your Business with AI
• Shawn Anderson, President and Chief Engineer, API Solutions, LLC
  AI Powered Valve Leak Inspection
• Taylor Pellerin, Technical Service Account Manager, IFF
  Insights from Machine Learning Models to Holistically Optimize Corn Oil Yield

Each of these four presentations offer very different go-forward pathways as a reaction to the opportunity presented by SAF production. These presentations will provide attendees with a compelling vision of increased opportunity for fuel producers via their production, their CO2 streams, or in the case of the panel’s final presentation, their fossil-fuel based refining assets. Producer’s weighing their own posture towards SAF production and how best to participate will appreciate this panel’s variety in approach and complexity.

• Shrikant Rathi, Executive Director, PRAJ Industries Limited
  Enhancing Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production: Innovative Decarbonization Strategies for Existing Ethanol Plants
• Youssef Tazi, CO2 Business Development Manager, Twelve
  CO2 To SAF - How Ethanol Plants Can Play A Crucial Role In Carbon Transformation
• Scott Vincent, Director of Logistics, Strobel Energy Logistics
  Biofuel Logistics Considerations
• Johnny Smatana, Business Development Manager, Integrated Global Services
  Case Study: 50% Savings in Renewables Conversion achieved at a plant in Eastern Canada

This panel will leverage the experience of the assembled speakers to offer an ‘eyes wide-open’ look at the critical development steps to inform a project’s go/no-go determination. The presentations offer a blend of considerations connected to pathway verification, voluntary carbon market modeling, test wells and strategic community engagement. These presentations will demonstrate that while the requirements may at first seem incredibly daunting, a step-wise approach made by engaging experienced providers can successfully de-risk these projects and hasten the advent of their game-changing economic benefits.

• Danielle Anderson, Senior Government Policy & Advocacy Manager, Christianson PLLP
  Experiences from the First CCS Pathway Verification Process
• David LaGreca, Director of Voluntary Carbon Markets, EcoEngineers
  CCS Case Study: The First And Largest Carbon Removal Credit Project
• Tug Eiden, Principal CCUS Advisor, Trihydro Corporation
  The Value of Conducting an Initial Feasibility Study for CCUS Projects
• Joy Frank-Collins, Marketing and Communications Specialist, Battelle
  Community Benefits Plans 101 – What They Are, Why We Need Them, And Tips On Effective Execution

Plant cleanliness is imperative to achieve consistent yield, enjoy maximum plant efficiency and protect against costly infections. This is well understood but plant teams continue to confront operational challenges rooted that could have been avoided or greatly mitigated with best-in-class cleaning practices. The presentations in this panel will illustrate the cost-benefit analysis of the industry’s leading plant cleaning methodologies and the efforts industry vendors are making to enhance their solutions in alignment with the marketplace requirements and opportunities producers are facing today.

• Matt Bilski, Lead Chemist, Ecolab, Inc.
  The Importance and How-to’s of Re-Use CIP

Ethanol production teams across the industry are unified in their mission for maximum uptime and yield. While plant control systems are common throughout the sector, the sophistication of the systems deployed and in use is highly variable. With the advent of AI and business intelligence packages paired with plant control systems, the bar has been raised again. Presentations in this panel will highlight the current state of the art of in process monitoring and control and how best in class producers are using it to meet aggressive uptime and yield goals.

• Adam Van Schepen, Automation Manager, Interstates, Inc.
  Monitoring Critical Process Loops
• Kelly Whittenberg, Performance Engineer, Black and Veatch Corp.
  Real-Time Data Analytics and Power BI Dashboards On Operating Facilities
• Hank Brittain, Director of Optimization & Advanced Control, OpX Control, Inc.
  How Does PID Work?

Clean hydrogen is the “it” fuel in decarbonization discussions today and for good reason. Hydrogen has the potential to replace fossil fuel in uses where electrification struggles, specifically heavy equipment and long-haul trucking. Technology developers are showing increased interest in ethanol as a feedstock because of already low carbon intensity of the fuel and the sector’s interest in driving it lower. This panel will articulate the opportunity for ethanol producers in clean hydrogen production, and the argument for why plant teams should give it serious consideration.

• Timothy Fogarty, CEO, PCC Hydrogen
  Expanding Ethanol's Global Role in Decarbonization
• Larry Tree, President and CEO, Proteum Energy, LLC. Ethanol
  The Feedstock of Choice for Renewable Hydrogen

That a workplace team that communicates well is more effective is self-evident, but how do plant leadership teams build such a culture? The presentations offered here will extoll the virtue of gaining buy-in across your plant roster for open and thorough communication. Specifically, presentations will focus on creating an environment where employees feel encouraged to call-out opportunities for improvement without fear of reprisals. Similarly, discussions will dig into the benefits of establishing a culture that isn’t afraid to “fail forward’ together.

• Kristen Glasgow, Manager, Pinion
  Manager Communication – Why It’s Important And How To Get Your Leaders And Employees On The Same Page
• Mike Morman, Director of Project Management, Fluid Quip Technologies, LLC
  Improving Your Processes Through Shared Learnings
• James Jirak, Manager, Pinion
  Working together as a board, during the good (easy) times as well as the more difficult times

Global demand for renewable diesel and SAF volumes are on a growth trajectory expected to last for decades. To meet demand, producers will have to expand their menu of feedstocks that their process can utilize. This panel looks closely at the pretreatment solutions currently available and under rapid development that allow producers to source a broader array of lipid streams and cost-effectively convert it into renewable diesel and SAF. Each approach places a high priority on preserving process catalysts from impurities like phosphorous and metals while also keeping a close eye on minimizing overall operating costs.

• Patrick Moss, VP of Engineering, Frazier, Barnes & Associates, LLC
  Feedstock Pre-treatment – Retrofitting or Adding Pre-treatment to Your Facility
• Lou Lessard, Senior Scientist, Novonesis
  Improved Enzymatic Technology for Pretreatment of Renewable Diesel/SAF Feedstocks
• Matthew Clingerman, Head of Licensing Technology Development, Sulzer Chemtech
  Triglyceride Thermal Cracking for Maximum Hydrotreater Performance
• Gregor Schaub, Associate Division Director Biodiesel, BDI-BioEnergy International GmbH
  What Fits My Process: Future Areas of Application for Waste Oil-Based Feedstock and The Necessity Of Selecting The Suitable Technology.

At face value, sequestering industrial carbon dioxide streams underground is the kind of transformative technology required to decarbonize our energy infrastructure. Regulatory agencies, low-carbon fuel markets and the general public however, take nothing at face value. The presentations in this panel will offer to attendees the means available to demonstrate the effective and safe sequestration of carbon dioxide streams. Project developers are urged to give consideration to these requirements early in the project as the deployment of these solutions once a project has been built is more difficult if not impossible.

• Lara Petrishchev, Refining & Sustainability Marketing Manager, Emerson
  Instrumentation Technologies to Address Carbon Capture Challenges
• Paul Mordorski, Biofuels Sector Lead, Merjent, Inc.
  Simplifying the Monitoring Approach to Carbon Capture
• Carly Sowecke, Lead Project Geologist, Trihydro Corporation
  Establishing Triggers for Shallow Aquifer Impairment Identification
• David King, Lead Analytics Developer, Interstates, Inc.
  Streamlining Utility Management: A Flexible Approach for Cost-Efficiency and Sustainability

Close observation, measurement and predictive modeling have long been utilized to optimize plant fermentations, but advances in both hardware to collect data and the software and machine-learning have put the discipline into warp speed. Attendees hungry for a means of leveling up their data gathering and analysis programs will appreciate these highly technical presentations built upon a foundation of decades of fermentation science.

• Matt Hawkins, Applications Manager, Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits
  Nutritional Profiles of Fuel Ethanol Samples and the Role of Supplemental Nutrition in the Process
• Joel Sirois, CEO, BioIntelligence Technologies
  Industrial Monitoring Of Yeast Metabolic Chemodynamics in Real-Time By Harnessing Artificial Intelligence and Leveraging The Inherent Fluorescence Of Naturally Occurring Molecules

The ethanol production process is a water-intensive proposition that finds producers treating inbound water streams, heating water, cooling water, driving water off and ultimately recapturing water for reuse. With so many process functions enabled by water, efficiencies made in a plant’s water program can have a tremendous impact on a plants energy expenditures and total carbon-intensity. This panel features efficiencies available for producers across all phases of their water programs with detailed demonstrations of impact to the financial and carbon bottom line.

• Patrick Severson, Account Manager , Nalco Water, An Ecolab Company
  How to Optimize your Cooling Water System
• Gregory Sato, Application Engineer, H2O Innovation
  Analyzing Feed Water to Optimize Reverse Osmosis Systems
• Delbert Grotewold, Senior Technical Consultant, Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions
  Improving Your Carbon Intensity Value Chain
• Christopher Gerken, Principal Scientist, ICM, Inc.
  Reducing your CI Score through Improved Evaporation Performance and better Water Management

The presentations in this panel will assert that additional value exists for producer’s willing to reconsider and rethink their plant protein capture program. The presentations first look inward to better understand plant protein streams, how they are captured and the potential for varying technologies to increase their inclusion in feed products. Discussions then look outward to the waiting feed market and the need to educate feed buyers about the increased value of a feed product purpose built to pack the biggest protein punch.

• Jeremy Javers, VP of Technology, Houdek
  Fermented Plant Protein and Its Impact on the Ethanol Industry
• Michael Franko, Vice President, Fluid Quip Technologies, LLC
  Protein - Understanding Differences In Industry Products
• Adam Anderson, Director of Sales, ICM, Inc.
  Measuring Up: Challenging Conventional Metrics to Maximize Oil and Protein Recovery
• Nicholas Moryn, Territory Sales Manager, CEM Corporation
  Rapid and Accurate Oil Determination in DDGS

In addition to operating profitably, plant management teams are also expected to grow the overall value of the plant asset itself. Both ambitions require the thoughtful deployment of capital not only for new technologies and expansions but also investment in commodity futures and hedging positions. Presenters in this panel will touch on both, offering producers concrete advice on making sound decisions, setting those plans into motion and recognizing when to engage outside experts once it becomes clear that internal expertise isn’t sufficient.

• Bill Schafer, CEO, Energy Integration, Inc.
  Investment Decision Making in the Face of Uncertainty
• Mark Pomykacz, Managing Partner, Federal Appraisal, LLC
  Financial Management via Utilization of Appraisal/Valuation
• Chip Whalen, Vice President of Education & Research, Commodity & Ingredient Hedging
  Best Practices for Setting up a Risk Management Profile

This panel kicks off with a thought-provoking presentation that calculates the potential output of SAF based on available feedstocks while also offering some guidance on the economic impact of building and operating production sites. Then, the panel will turn its attention toward project development offering expert advice on regulatory compliance, planning for monitoring SAF production and building pro-forma for a SAF project that will attract private investment in a market brim full of projects boasting a clear line of sight on reaching a financial close and an eventual groundbreaking.

• David Miller, Consulting Chief Economist, Decision Innovation Solutions
  Potential for HEFA-SAF and the Economic Impacts
• Julie Valentine, Director, Global Refining and Sustainability Measurement Solutions, Emerson
  Lessons Learned for Monitoring and Control of SAF Production
• John Oyen, Director of Business Development, ABB, Inc.
  The 5 C's Of Project Development, Or Everything, Everywhere All At Once
• Pawan Mehra, Senior Economic Advisor, cCarbon
  Understanding Voluntary and Compliance Demand Levers for the SAF Market Across North America and the EU

It could absolutely be argued that the level of difficulty in obtaining a Class VI underground injection well could be the highest the biofuels sector has seen to date. Applications regularly reach to 500 pages and draw on a diverse mix of geological, hydrological and environmental expertise that will require producers to engage a qualified team of outside counsel. This panel is populated with experts have trod the pathway to successful permit applications, bushwhacking their way forward. Their hard-earned lessons learned will serve as the foundation to this insightful discussion.

• Hannes Zetzsche, Attorney, Baird Holm LLP
  Environmental Permitting a Carbon-Capture Project
• Angela Ronayne, Senior Project Manager, Merjent, Inc.
  Carbon Capture and Storage - Evolving Pipeline Permitting Regulations
• Tim Eggeman, Chief Technology Officer, New Phase Energy
  US EPA Class VI Permitting – Application Assembly and Agency Review Process
• Maggie Van Amburg, Permitting/Data Mgmt Specialist, Trihydro Corporation
  Doing it Right the First Time, Data Management Strategies for CCS/Class VI Permitting and Monitoring Programs

The days of measuring each fermentation cycle on ethanol yield alone are long gone. Now, producers know that advanced fermentation strategies are key such varied plant goals as hi-protein feed production, increased oil capture rates and measurable carbon intensity reductions. The presentations in this panel will outline how producers must consider how grind profiles and thoughtful enzyme use can and should impact not only individual fermentations but also longer term operational goals like co-product diversification and ultra-low CI fuel production.

• Jim Miers, Nutrient Category Manager, Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits
  How a Biorefinery can bring value to the bottom line by using a Fermentation Process Aid
• Mary Beth Willems, North America Applications Leader - Grain Processing, IFF
  Get The Most Out Of Your Fermentation With Advanced Liquid Glucoamylase Products
• Cassie Schneider, Account Manager, Product Management & Sales, ICM, Inc.
  Fueling Efficiency: Finding the Sweet Spot between Corn Grind Profile and Enzyme Utilization for Plant Success
• Dominic DeMaria, Business Development North America -Tank Cleaning, Spraying Systems Co.
  Enhancing Fermentation Tank Cleaning Efficiency: A Comprehensive Approach Integrating Latest Nozzle Technology, Repair Programs, and Maintenance Protocols

This first of a two-panel survey of deployable technologies ready to help producers reach for ever lower carbon intensity leaves no part of the production process unexplored. Producers will learn about the opportunities to find carbon savings across their operations via novel concepts like waste heat recycling and capturing the efficiencies available through strategic use of enzymes. Anchoring the panel will be a presentation that gives producers an engineering rubric by which they can weigh technology decisions and determine the best pathway to their carbon intensity goals.

• Erik Babcock, Account Manager – Power Generation, Solar Turbines Incorporated
  CHP: Increasing Energy Efficiency to Reduce Utility Costs and Carbon Intensity
• Hans Foerster, Global Marketing Director Grain Processing, IFF
  Towards A Sustainable Future: Metrics And Models To Assess Sustainability And The Role Of Enzymes
• John Kwik, Executive Vice President of Product Technologies, Fluid Quip Technologies, LLC
  Engineering for Energy Reduction
• Virginia Andrade, Head of Engineering, Whitefox Technologies Limited
  How the Design Philosophy of Reduce, Reuse, And Reconfigure Provides Essential Benefits to Ethanol Producers and Their Customers

Strong growth in renewable diesel markets have led an attractive surge in distiller’s corn oil prices. While the industry continue to increase oil capture rates, plenty of headroom remains and with it significant profit opportunities. The thinking shared in this panel will help producers bring the quantitative analysis common in fermentation decisions to bear on oil capture rates. The panel will not only lay out some technology pathways for producers to consider, but also an analytical.

• Pedro Pena, Vice President of Technology & Innovation, CTE Global, Inc.
  Optimizing Corn Oil Yield from Ethanol Biorefinery: Insights Using In-Depth Analytical Approach
• Jaclyn DeMartini, Scientist, IFF
  Increasing Corn Oil Yields Through Biotechnology
• Matt Tromp, Process Engineer, Fluid Quip Technologies, LLC
  Getting The Most Oil – The Overdrive Oil Pretreatment System
• Chuck Gallop, Director of Innovation, ICM, Inc.
  Comprehensive Approach for Maximizing Distillers Corn Oil Recovery

The continued drive for carbon intensity reductions by ethanol producers continues to catalyze innovation not only within the boundaries of the plant, but also upstream in corn production. Lower carbon corn yields lower carbon ethanol and the work to capture the benefits of these carbon-smart agricultural practices and share their value across the supply chain is underway. Presentations in this panel will clarify the shared opportunity for corn growers and ethanol producers and update attendees on the progress being made to quantify and monetize low-carbon agricultural production via 45z tax credits and low carbon fuel markets.

• Brian Jennings, CEO, American Coalition for Ethanol
  Project to Unlock New Markets and Tax Credits based on Climate-Smart Agriculture Practices
• Mark Heckman, Strategic Development Director, U.S. Biofuels, EcoEngineers
  Monetizing Environmental Attribute Aggregation Efforts Through Your Supply Chain
• Scott Kay, VP US Ag Solutions, BASF
  Making Tomorrow: A Farmer’s Journey To Create A Sustainable Future
• Austin Vaillancourt, Sr. Business Manager of Biofuels and Bioproducts, Gevo, Inc. / Verity Carbon Solutions
  It All Starts at The Farm

As if to underscore the need to make every available ounce of lipid-bearing feedstock viable for conversion into SAF volumes, the discussion about available pretreatment options could not be contained to one panel. This discussion picks up where the preceding panel left, highlighting pretreatment approaches that can effectively protect catalysts and minimize waste. The policies and support mechanisms for SAF production necessitate the maximization of available waste lipid streams and the pretreatment innovations highlighted during this discussion will be a vital component of commercializing the production of meaningful SAF volumes.

• Scott Kohl, Chief Technology Officer, Visionary Fiber Technologies
  Immobilized Enzyme Vegetable Oil Pretreatment System Without the Use of Solid Absorbents
• Kyle Wangler, Renewable Diesel Key Account Manager, W.R. Grace & Co.
  Renewable Feedstock Pretreatment with TRISYL® Silica Adsorbents
• Bryan Yeh, Vice President of Engineering & US Operations, Canary Renewables Corp.
  Technology Options for Pretreating Feedstock For Renewable Diesel And Sustainable Aviation Fuel
• Fahmi Kresmagus, Senior Business Development Manager, Clariant Corporation BU Adsorbents
  Pre-treatment: Safeguarding the Downstream Process in Biofuel Production

• Shane Hughes, Senior Sales Manager, Toshiba America Energy Systems Corp
  Getting a Head Start on Your CCUS Project
• Michael Hillix, Principal Geoscientist and Energy Advisor, Univ. of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center
  PCOR Partnership: a catalyst for commercial CCUS deployment
• Spencer Crouch, Senior Program Manager, BKV dCarbon Ventures
  Rapid Development of Carbon Capture and Sequestration: BKV's Barnett Zero
• Todd Beasley, Vice President, Delta CleanTech Inc.
  The Science, Engineering, and Art of Carbon Capture

So long as even the slimmest of incremental yield improvements deliver bottom line benefits for ethanol producers measuring in the hundreds of thousands of dollars or more, innovation in yeast strains will continue. Attendees can expect detailed explanations from yeast provides about their progress to develop yeast strains that can deliver increased yield without sacrificing the robustness so important for operators. The panel also features a talk about the benefit of using varying yeast strains simultaneously to better mitigate changing fermentation conditions.

• Stephanie Gleason, Director of Global Technology, Phibro Ethanol
  The Best of Both Worlds – Robustness and Yield - Innovations in Yeast Strain Development
• Kisha Kruse, Senior Industry Technology Specialist, Bioenergy, Novonesis
  Optimizing Fermentation Performance With Advanced Non-GM Yeast Technology Leading To Higher Yields And Improved Co-Products
• Amanda de Souza, Grain Processing Regional Application Development Leader, IFF
  Yeast Blending – A Tool to Optimize Plant Performance Even as Operational Conditions Change

This second in a two-panel look at reduced carbon intensity technologies once again highlights the diversity of approaches and plant operations where production teams can tighten their carbon belts. These presentations and the ‘go-to market’ approaches proffered by these industry partners make it clear that carbon reduction is a benefit now firmly in the ‘must have’ category. Producers wondering if they’ve looked into every corner of their process for carbon reduction opportunities should make this panel and its companion panel a priority in their FEW schedules.

• Aaron Rud, Senior Process Engineer, Fluid Quip Technologies, LLC
  Greenfield Ethanol
• Billy Whitlock, Global Marketing Manager of Bioenergy, Novonesis
  The Impact of Biology on the Carbon Intensity of Ethanol
• Juan Vargas Ramirez, Account Manager, EcoEngineers
  Low-CI Ethanol – An Enabler Of Environmental Sustainability And Market Diversification
• Chuck Gallop, Director of Innovation, ICM, Inc.
  Electrifying your Ethanol Plant for Carbon Savings

Ethanol producers, and agricultural processors have long understood that maximizing the value of each component of inbound grain streams was vital to consistent profitability. This panel finds the sector well into that journey but with ample opportunities still in front of them and these presentations will ask the audience to consider what is next for their operation. Sugar production for the growing biochemical market? Higher protein feed products? Increased oil production? Producers hungry for an even more expansive marketplace offering will delight in this panel’s scope.

• Neal Jakel, President, Fluid Quip Technologies, LLC
  Making Sugar – The Building Block To The Biorefinery
• Pete Moss, President, Cereal Process Technologies, LLC
  Corn Dry Fractionation – True Diversification In Uncertain Markets
• Heidi Kotilainen, Head of Market Segment Biorefinery, Bühler
  Transforming Ethanol Plants into Profitable Biorefinery – Learnings From Europe
• Marina Chow, Senior Scientist, IFF
  Unlock Yield with Cellulases

Producers agree that tax credits via Section 45 will deliver real economic benefit to their operations and their investors. The challenge for producers now is navigating the program for maximum benefit. The program offers producers options including direct pay and tax credit transfer. Presenters in this panel will outline the pros and cons of each option, the differences between 45Q and 45Z credits and will provide attendees with a stepwise plan to arrive at the go-forward decision that is right for their facility.

• Donna Funk, Principal, Pinion
  What Income Tax Regulations Are Coming and How Do I Prepare For Them
• Rebecca Johnson, Tax & Research Manager, Christianson PLLP
  Tax Credits: To Sell or Pass onto Members?
• Dawn Lima, VP - Renewable Energy & Sustainable Technologies, Foss & Company
  How to Maximize Your Tax Credit Revenue

That meaningful SAF volumes will have to be produced to align with the goals of the federal government, foreign governments and airlines around the world is well understood. The question now is which production technology will find commercial traction in the marketplace first. This panel features presentations from that approach SAF production from a number of angles. The panel begins looking at technologies that are capable of converting waste grease streams in a distributed production approach, before giving time to the alcohol-to-jet technologies hoping to unlock SAF market share for biofuel producers in the corn-belt.

• Enzo De Biase, Business Development Manager, NextChem Tech., NEXTCHEM
  Nextchem Tech SAF Technology
• Mark Mauss, President, Lutros, LLC
  Novel DCO feedstock pretreatment with a counter-current, reactive-extraction process for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel (RD) production
• Stephen Sims, Vice President of Business Development, Universal Fuel Technologies
  Flexiform Ethanol To Produce SAF At 1/2 The Cost Of Alternatives
• Mark Yancey, Senior Technology Advisor, SAFFiRE Renewables, LLC
  Update on Project SAFFiRE

• Marcos Miranda, Research Scientist, Carbon Solutions LLC
  Understanding Key Industries In Regional and National Carbon Capture and Storage Networks CCUS Project
• Shane Johnson, Founder & CEO, CarbonQuest
  How Distributed Carbon Capture can Support Medium-Sized Ethanol Plants and Contribute to a Local Carbon Economy
• Brad Piggott, Senior Engineer, Trimeric Coporation
  Flow Rates and Impurities in Fermenter CO2 and Their Impact on CO2 Capture Facility Design
• Jamie MacKinnon, Senior Vice President - Agri-Carbon, Anew Climate
  Environmental Attribute Stacking and Options for CCS Enabled Ethanol Production

As yeast and enzyme technologies surge forward, introducing the potential for ever increasing yields for ethanol producers, it is paramount that plant laboratories are well equipped and informed to properly monitor and maximize each fermentation cycle. Presenters in this panel will discuss the how lab hardware must be enlisted to keep a close eye on fermentation, ensuring conditions are optimal and bacterial infections are kept at bay. Attention will also be given to lab methodologies for accurately measuring the cellulosic content in fermentations simultaneously starch and fiber conversion.

• Charlette Jauch-Hasty, Technical Account Manager, CTE Global, Inc.
  Impact of Column Length on Fermentation Analysis Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography
• Nick LeFebvre, Technical Team Manager, Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits
  Fluorescence Microscopy for Bacterial Infection Detection in Fuel Ethanol Plants
• Yanhong Zhang, Interim Executive Director/Director of Research, National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center
  Contribution to D3 RINs Application with in situ Fermentation - Comparison of Cellulose Testing Methods (ASTM method and NCERC method)
• Eric Sumner, Founder and President, ArrowUp, LLC
  Innovating Ethanol Fermentation: A Novel Approach to Bacterial Control

No plant can operate as efficiently as the most efficient producers in the industry without looking first at the plant’s most energy intensive process step of distillation. Producers have long known this and as marketplace opportunity has grown via low carbon fuel production, the economic returns for captured efficiencies make the ROI even more attractive. This panel pairs presentations to answer common troubleshooting questions with content that looks to distillation as the best place to take a big swing at the plant’s CI score.

• Ethan Campbell, Process Lead Engineer, KATZEN International, Inc.
  Distillation Troubleshooting
• Michael Hora, Principal Engineer, Fluid Quip Technologies, LLC
  Efficiency in Distillation
• Roy Viteri, Business Development Manager, RCM Engineering-Thermal Kinetics
  Troubleshoot an Ethanol Distillation System
• Dan Wood, CEO, Keit Industrial Analytics
  Controlling Distillation Through Real Time Monitoring

That the production of biogas from ethanol plant side streams holds incredible potential is well understood throughout the industry. What is less clear is exactly where in the process to place the technology to retain maximum benefit within co-product streams, while also producing enough biogas to make the technology commercially viable for the plant. Additionally, producers must weigh the benefits of using produced biogas onsite versus cleaning it and selling it in the open market. The calculus is complex and these presentations will help bring clarity to this promising carbon reducing technology ready for more widespread adoption.

• Kyle Althoff, President, Equinox
  Biogas Production to Drive Lower-CI Fuels with Corn Ethanol Production
• Chelsa Oren, Account Manager, EcoEngineers
  Raw Biogas vs Pipeline Quality Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) – Understanding the Differences and How Your Ethanol Plant Can Benefit
• Shrikant Rathi, Executive Director, PRAJ Industries Limited
  Enhancing Sustainability in Ethanol Production: Integrative Strategies for Decarbonization and Energy Independence

Rising alongside the market opportunity for low-carbon fuel production is the need to gather and compile emissions inventory, both within and outside of the plant. Fortunately for producers, the vendor community has been quick to develop comprehensive software and testing tools that can arm producers with the verification data they’ll need to show compliance and capture the financial benefits of these emerging markets and tax credits. For FEW attendees charged with knowing and marketing their plant’s low-carbon attributes, this discussion is a must.

• Preston Brown, President, incite.ag
  45Z Readiness: Preparing Your Corn Suppliers For CI Scoring
• Benjamin Kling, Policy Research Associate, Beta Analytic Inc.
  Analyzing Biofuels and Co-Products With Carbon-14 Biogenic Testing
• Andrea Foglesong, Vice President/Sr EHS Consultant, PROtect, LLC
  Why Understanding Your Scope 1, Scope 2, And Scope 3 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Is an Important Component Of A Facility’s Carbon Reduction Program
• Chris Malone, VP of Market Development , Indigo Ag
  Maximize 45Z credits: Managing CI in your feedstock supply

• David Winsness, President, Comstock Fuels
• Brian Werner, Executive Director, Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association
• Julia Silvis, Managing Director of Research and Intelligence, GREATER MSP
• Nick Jordan, Professor of Agronomy & Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota

Unlocking the remaining upside in ethanol plant fermenters hinges on continued innovation in yeast strains. Yeast developers know that their ethanol producers want yeast strains that can do more with less. The presentations in this panel highlight the work done to bring yeast strains to market that unshackle ethanol producers from the introduction of costly fermentation amendments and enzymes. The panel will also spend time helping attendees understand how to conduct an effective yeast trial at their operation to validate their expectations before committing to a new fermentation package.

• Kelly Hahler, Technical Service Manager, Leaf by Lesaffre
  Importance of Yeast Selection in Optimizing Yield and Productivity In a Modern Biorefinery
• Josh Heyen, CEO & President, Xylogenics, Inc.
  Amylolytic Yeast for Cold Brew Fuel Ethanol Production
• Lindsay Kuhn, Technical Services Representative, Phibro Ethanol
  When It Comes to Yeast Trials, Preparedness is Key! Explore Best Practices for a Successful Yeast Trial
• Matthew Watts, Senior Scientist, Novonesis
  A New Non-GM Yeast Technology that Will Be a Game Changer for the Biofuels Industry

Deploying the best available safety measures does not have to come at the expense of plant yield and operational efficiency. The presenters in this panel will demonstrate that enhanced safety and increased efficiency can often ride on the same rail. The presentations here range from a deep dive into alarm rationalization, approaches to ensure structural integrity of the plant, the efficiencies and improved safety of modern HVAC systems and the standard for managing electrical risk.

• Cheyenne Wohlford, President & CEO, CCS Group
  Preventative Maintenance
• Tom Mladucky, Director of Automation Modernization, Novaspect, Inc.
  Enhancing Operational Safety and Efficiency in Ethanol Plants through Advanced Alarm Management and Rationalization
• Joe Schommer, Business Development Manager, RESA Power
  Arc Flash, The NFPA 70E Standard and Your Electrical Maintenance. Are You Prepared
• Kevin Lundorff, Global Account Executive, Twin City Fan Companies, LTD
  Fan Energy Index: Examining the Impact of New Efficiency Regulations on Ventilation Systems

Whether a result of a natural evolution of the industry or the product of a strategic effort to expand the product offering from the base of first-generation ethanol plants, industry experts agree that the time for the fulfillment of the promise of biorefineries has come. Ambitious plans for ethanol decarbonization via CCS technologies are inspiring innovation amongst technology providers ready to drive decarbonized ethanol plants into a new era of green chemical and fuel production. This panel features updates on the technologies that will unlock new opportunities for producers ready to break out of the fuel ethanol/distiller’s grains/corn oil box.

• Viviane Serpa Muller, Global Innovation Manager, Leaf by Lesaffre
  Going Beyond Ethanol for a Sustainable Path Forward
• Ethan Campbell, Process Lead Engineer, KATZEN International, Inc.
  CO2 Opportunities for Producers
• Radu Craciun, Global Product Technical Manager, BASF Corporation Inorganics
  Novelty and Challenges in Bio-ethanol Utilization - Toward a CO2 Neutral Chemical Industry
• Jeff Bonar, CEO, CapCO2 Solutions
  Green Methanol - Low Carbon Revenue Win for Farmers, Ethanol Plants, and Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Regulation is a double-edged sword and ethanol producers are wise to understand which bring opportunity and which bring risk. The regulatory environment has been dynamic since the FEW body last gathered and this panel will walk attendees through some notable regulatory challenges and true to form, these presentations will outline the opportunities for the industry via global CO2 targets and low carbon fuel markets as well as the hear and now challenges that come with the further tightening of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)

• Kari Buttenhoff, Partner, Christianson PLLP
  Hurdles in the Current Biofuels Regulatory Programs
• Dean Drake, President, Defour Group, LLC
  Cop 28 and Ethanol: Going Boldly Beyond Petroleum
• Paul Mordorski, Biofuels Sector Lead, Merjent, Inc.
  Why Project Developers Should Care About a Lower PM2.5 Standard

The parallels between biodiesel and SAF production’s reliance on catalysts and the ethanol industry’s reliance on yeasts is useful in understanding the enormous efforts biodiesel producers make to purge contaminants from their process. A production facility lacking a discipline in maintaining optimal conditions for their catalysts is doomed to disappointing yield and bloated operating costs. This panel features presentations that urge a comprehensive analysis of the entire production process to root out production inhibitors and the chemistries available for deployment to keep catalysts happy and operating at peak capacity.

• Thomas Wolak, Global Business Manager, The Lubrizol Corporation
  Catalyst Sulfiding for Renewable Diesel Production: A Focus on SulfrZol®54 and Amine Compatibility for Enhanced Efficiency and Environmental Safety
• Hari Nemmara, Director, R&D, Filtration Technology Corporation
  Optimizing Contaminant Filtration in Renewable Fuel Feedstocks

• Matt Richards, Director of Application Technology, Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits
  Pushing the Limits on Both Robustness and Yield: More Efficient Cellular Factories for a Better Biorefinery, without Compromise
• Reed Semenza, Director of Biofuels, Zee Loffler
  Effect Of Biofilms on Ethanol Yield
• Nick Strasser, Technical Service Representative, Phibro Ethanol
  Deconstructing the Corn Kernel – Unlocking Hidden Efficiencies

This panel promises a discussion that goes well beyond introductory hazard remediation content. Instead, each of these presenters is well-versed in the risks inherent in ethanol production, the best remediation practices as articulated by the National Fire Protection Association and how their technologies can connect producers to the best available protection. Attendees should expect high levels of specificity delivered by professionals with deep experience in dust and fire risk at operating ethanol plants.

• Casey Ryan, Manager, SW Firefighting Foam & Equipment, LLC
  Fire Suppression Post AR-AFFF
• Rakesh Patel, Director of Operations, ADF Engineering Inc.
  Revolutionizing Dust Safety: Understanding the Shift from NFPA 652 to NFPA 660
• Karl Von Knobelsdorff, CEO and President, Knobelsdorff Electric
  Navigating NFPA 70B and 70E

While the industry’s continued reductions in the carbon intensity of ethanol earn praise and accolades, it is easy to forget that the CI score of feed co-products has fallen at the same rate. This panel elevates that fact and asks the audience to consider the opportunities for ethanol plants in producing not only lower CI ethanol, but more specifically lower CI DDGs. Central to the discussion is ensuring the additional value from a reduced carbon feed product flows back to the ethanol producers that manufactured it.

• Heather Gieseke, Principal, Pinion
  From Grain to Gain: A Framework for Unlocking Value with Co-Products
• Ryan Mass, Director of Nutrition and Feed Development, ICM, Inc.
  Climate Smart Animal Feed from an Ethanol Biorefinery - a Technoeconomic Assessment
• Lara Moody, Executive Director, Institute for Feed Education & Research
  Ingredient Decisions to Reduce the Footprint of our Animal Feed Customers

Attracting, hiring and retaining a quality staff is vital to the long-term success of any business, and ethanol production sites are no exception. This panel dovetails nicely with the track’s plant culture panel, but pushes the conversation forward. Presenters will place a special emphasis on the mutually beneficial practice of offering employees an opportunity to grow their technical skills delivering real benefit to the operational team and increasing the prospects of retaining an employee via an investment in their professional growth.

• Ron Faciane, Director, GP Strategies Corporation
  Best Practices for Building and Maintaining a Technical Workforce
• James Jirak, Manager, Pinion
  Finding, Keeping And Managing Employees That Believe In The Company’s Reason
• Gary Weihs, Managing Partner, Kincannon & Reed Executive Search
  Human Capital Strategy

To meet ambitious national and global SAF production and utilization goals this nascent industry is going to need to scale, quickly. It is no surprise then that existing biofuel assets, with experienced production teams, strong balance sheets and in-place offtake infrastructure continue to attract interest from technology developers ready to convert a portion of their production to SAF outputs. This panel looks specifically at the interconnection of the established ethanol production matrix and the SAF opportunity. Included in the discussion are some solutions to drive the carbon-intensity of ethanol even lower assuring these assets satisfy the regulatory requirements of the introduced marketplace incentives here and abroad.

• Max Lander, Director of Project Origination, Rondo Energy, Inc.
  How Heat Batteries Make Ethanol America's Premier Zero-CI SAF Feedstock
• Afshin Raei, Process Engineer, POWER Engineers, Inc.
  Alcohol to Jet Fuel
• Brendan Ihde, Director, Business Development – Chemicals & Feedstocks, Virent Inc.
  Ethanol to Aromatics (E2A) – SAF Product Diversification