Professor and UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Biorefining Art Ragauskas co-directed the annual Global Center for Sustainable Bioproducts (GCSB) Workshop, held August 4-6, at the University of Alberta in Canada. Ragauskas is the principal investigator and director of the GCSB, an international National Science Foundation-funded project.

The three-day GCSB workshop brought together a team of scientists, engineers, students, and industry partners from across North America, Europe, and Asia to address the development of sustainable materials and technologies.

The GCSB’s vision is to transform agricultural residues and other underutilized biomass resources into next-generation bioproducts. By integrating expertise in biomass fractionation, biotechnology, materials science, additive manufacturing, and life-cycle analysis, the group seeks to develop innovative solutions that are both environmentally sustainable and economically viable.

“The workshop was an energetic, highly collaborative international research gathering with a strong sense of shared purpose,” Ragauskas said. “The combination of laboratory and waste-management facility tours, technical presentations, keynote talks, student posters, advisory-board discussions, meals, and informal networking created an atmosphere that encouraged interaction and exchange of ideas.”

Peter Karoki, a graduate student in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, participated in the conference virtually. Karoki and Raguaskas were presenters for a session about the influence of lignin polarity performance of lignin/PHB composites.

“I really appreciated the opportunity to listen and interact with researchers and students from across the GCSB network and learn about the diverse research being carried out across the center,” Karoki said. “The workshop also reinforced the value of building strong international collaborations to advance sustainable bioproducts.”

Contact

Rhiannon Potkey ([email protected])