Bio-Based Cellulosic Ethanol – Challenges to a Petrochemical Engineer

The evening’s presentation will provide a lighthearted view into the Mr. Gehring’s experience as the process engineering manager developing the front-end design of a production scale cellulosic ethanol plant. He will relate a period of fast moving discovery where his experience in petrochemical processing met the world of biological based conversion. He will reflect on his experience in this endeavor starting with the question: How do I engineer a cow? He will then muse on the fickleness of the biocatalyst, look at what happens when you don’t respect your utility systems in developing a batch operation, and final play a round of feedstock roulette. The hope is that you will gain a greater appreciation for the complexity of bio-based processes along with the benefits of integrating the needs of the engineering team into the development of the pilot plant work.