Biotechnology for fuels and chemicals : the twenty-fifth symposium : proceedings of the Twenty-fifth Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals : held May 4-7, 2003, in Breckenridge, CO

The 25th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicalswas held in Breckenridge, CO, May 4-7, 2003. Over 450 attendees helpedunderscore the growing importance of bioenergy and a biobased economyduring this special Silver Anniversary Symposium. Forty states andtwenty-three countries were represented at the Symposium, with over40% of the attendees from industry, almost 40% from universities andcolleges, and the remainder from government agencies and laboratories.The robust participation and sponsorship by industry highlights the relevancyand importance of this Symposium. In Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals: The Twenty-Fifth Symposium, leading American and international researchers from academia, industry, and government present the latest research and breakthroughs on how biotechnology is being used to produce economically competitive fuels and chemicals in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner. The contributors discuss both fundamental science discoveries and the progress that has been made in commercialization efforts. Special attention is given to biofeedstock (plant genomics, production, and pretreatment), bioprocessing, direct production in plants, and the use of molecular biology and genomics to create new biocatalysts. The field continues to expand, and the ideas and techniques described here will play important roles in developing new biological processes for producing fuels and chemicals on a large scale, as well as for reducing pollution and waste disposal problems and their adverse impacts on global climate change. Cutting-edge and authoritative, Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals: The Twenty-Fifth Symposium provides an excellent overview of current research and development in the production of commodity fuels and chemicals via biological transformation. Session 1A. Feedstock supply, logistics, processing, and composition Session 1B. Enzyme catalysis and engineering Session 2. Introduction to microbial catalysis and engineering Session 3. Bioprocessing including separations Session 4. Biotechnology for fuels and chemicals - past, present, and future Session 5. Biobased industrial chemicals Session 6A. Biomass pretreatment and hydrolysis Session 6B. Plant biotechnology and feedstock genomics Special session A. Microbial pentose metabolism Special session B. International Energy Agency - Bioenergy: Current state of fuel ethanol commercialization. For large, economic, and sustainable harvest of biomass feedstock, major changes in cropping practice, collection, storage, and transportation are required.