Products Made from Plants Focus of Iowa State Workshop

AMES, Iowa — Iowa State University will host the Midwest Biopolymers and Biocomposites Workshop May 11 to bring together researchers and companies developing products from plant components. The workshop is for technicians, engineers, designers and companies that use or are considering using biopolymers, biocomposites or bioadhesives for product design and manufacturing. These materials have the potential to turn a wide range of feedstocks, from corn to coconut fibers, into products that could reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil. The variety of feedstocks increases the challenge of converting them into products. David Grewell, assistant professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering and head of Iowa State's Biopolymers and Biocomposites Research Team, is coordinating the workshop. "This workshop will enhance the technology and growth of the bioplastics market by allowing industry, researchers and academics to work directly together and build on each other's strengths. The goal of the workshop is to bring these people together so they can share ideas, concepts, concerns and help solve problems and identify opportunities," Grewell said. Anil Netravali, professor of fiber science at Cornell University, will present the keynote address on green composites. Other speakers include industry leaders, entrepreneurs and university researchers. They will discuss the challenges and opportunities in developing and commercializing biobased products. Workshop participants will be able to tour Iowa State bioscience and manufacturing facilities and schedule one-on-one meetings with workshop speakers. Grewell said work on bioproducts has been the focus of study and research at Iowa State for many years. He works on protein-based plastics while other researchers study plant oil-based plastics, and others support both efforts through testing composite formulations and characterization. More information and registration is available online. The workshop is sponsored by the Center for Crops Utilization Research, Biopolymers and Biocomposites Research Team, Bioeconomy Initiative, Institute for Physical Research and Technology and Center for Industrial Research and Service.