Welcome to the Forest Bioproducts Division of AIChE

We are a Division of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers for those interested in advancing their skills and knowledge pertaining to forest bioproducts. Our scope includes technical issues related to biofuels from cellulose and other forest products, biorefineries, biomass processing, pulp and paper technology, black liquor recovery (a biofuel from forest byproducts in the paper industry), etc. Recently our programming has been dominated by the growing interest in sustainable energy from forest products, especially biorefineries that convert cellulose or other woody components into energy sources such as biodiesel or ethanol.

Formerly known as the Forest Products Division, our name was changed in April 2008 with AIChE approval to better emphasize our historical activities around bioproducts. For years, the Division has been sponsoring programming on bioproducts, biomass, biofuels, etc. After all, the forest products industries, especially the pulp and paper industries, have long relied on recovered energy from biomass and have been at the forefront of extracting value from lignocellulosic materials. For example, much of the technical know-how in conversion of cellulose to ethanol has come from engineers and scientists in forest products, such as the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, which began work on obtaining ethanol from cellulose roughly one century ago. Now we have adjusted our name to better reflect who we've been for a long time.

The 2010 Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah

With the help of our entire leadership team and especially the work of our Program Chair, Dr. B.V. Ramarao, the Forest Bioproducts Division is offering our largest and most exciting technical program ever at the Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Nov. 7-12, 2010. Many aspects of biofuels and biorefineries will be explored to address some of the most critical energy needs of the world. Cellulose and related forest materials offer a huge supply of potential energy that can be converted into useful foods without using corn or other food sources, but the right technology and supply chains are needed for this to be effective and economical. We will be examining forest bioproducts across the supply chain in a large program aimed at addressing the key technical needs of this area. We will also provide programming on other issues relevant to the forest bioproducts industries, including the paper industry.

If you have information or research to share related to forest bioproducts, please submit an abstract for the Forest Bioproducts Division using the call for papers for the Annual Meeting. Abstracts are due May 3, 2010.

You can also view our preliminary program at AIChE.org, though this can change based on the papers submitted as we optimize the final program. Contact us if you have any questions.

Here is a preliminary list of our sessions for the 2010 Meeting:

The Andrew Chase Award for 2009: Dr. Adriaan van Heiningen

I am pleased to announce that the 2009 Andrew Chase Award has been given to Dr. Adriaan van Heiningen of the University of Maine. This award recognizes Dr. van Heiningen's many years of service to the Division. He has been instrumental in guiding our programming, in shaping our vision and direction through his years of service as a Director, and in helping others to be recognized in his past service as our Awards Chairman. He is widely respect in the forest bioproducts industries for his expertise and leadership in research. He is currently working on selective and controlled extraction of hemicellulose from forest biomass and understanding the effect of extraction on the properties of the extracted wood and downstream processing into pulp, fuels, chemicals, and other biomaterials.

The Andrew Chase Forest Products Division Award recognizes an individual's outstanding chemical engineering contribution in the forest products and related industries. The recipient receives a plaque and a cash award. Selection criteria include:

1. Significant discoveries, research, or development, successfully implemented on a commercial scale.
2. Outstanding chemical engineering contribution(s) in the field of design, operation or production management which led to significant technological improvements.
3. Distinguished service as a chemical engineering educator, with an emphasis on application of chemical engineering principles to forest products industry technologies.
4. Outstanding service to the Division

Nominees also must have presented a paper (or papers) at one of the division's symposia describing his or her original contribution(s) in the application of chemical engineering in the forest products or related industries.

Again, congratulations to Dr. Adriaan van Heiningen for his outstanding and patient service to the Division and to the profession.

The 2009 Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee

The 2009 Annual Meeting in Nashville was a huge success. Our Division had over 50 papers in many sessions across the Nov. 8-13 conference at the Grand Opryland Hotel. Programming for our Division included the following sessions:

Forest Bioproducts Division Offers Webinars!

To supplement the technical content we provide at the Annual Meeting and to reach more people, we are now offering regular Webinars on a variety of technical topics of interest to our members. Most recently, we have two exciting webinars coming up in February 2010, with more to follow. These free and are provided with the help of GoToWebinar.com.

Our Purpose

The Forest Bioproducts Division fosters sharing of technical knowledge about forest bioproducts, biorefineries, many technical aspects of the pulp and paper industries, and associated technologies involving cellulose and other forest products. We provide technical sessions, Webinars, and networking opportunities to promote these areas and help engineers and scientists advance their skills, knowledge, and capabilities. We also coordinate with other divisions dealing with related areas to strengthen AIChE's role and to promote the exchange of ideas and knowledge.

The Division has been evolving to be increasingly focused on renewable bioproducts, including biorefineries and other engineering issues involving bio-based materials that go beyond forests per se to also include biomass issues, etc. Take a look at our technical program (below) for 2007 or 2006 to get a feel for these directions.

There are about 150 members in the Division representing academia, industry, and other groups. The most visible work of the Division is in sponsoring and organizing multiple technical sessions at national AIChE meetings, often collaborating with TAPPI and other groups. These technical sessions provide forums for the exchange of information about new technical developments in the forest bioproducts industries.

Upcoming changes for the Division include the introduction of regular Webinars from technical experts and others to increase the opportunities for Division members to stay on top of this rapidly evolving field. An annual meeting just isn't enough to meet the needs of Division members, so stay tuned on information about Webinars and other opportunities.

Message from the Chair

We are in the most exciting time ever for the forest bioproducts industry. Once viewed as an old smokestack industry with aging paper mills, the world is beginning to realize that the forest bioproducts industries offer hope for practical biofuels that don't deplete food resources and for a rich array of practical, renewable materials with an incredible array of uses. Our Division was offering advanced programming in biorefineries, biofuels, and biomass utilization years before green energy became so hot. We welcome the many other groups within AIChE that are showing intense interest in this area and feel it is one of the rich opportunities for chemical engineers to keep on changing the world for good.

We are expanding our technical offerings now to reach beyond the Annual Meeting. Webinars are proving to be an effective means of helping our members and friends share information with others. Webinars that we offer now are being recorded and will be available to AIChE members through AIChE on Demand. Stay tuned for more information.

We are reaching out to students now, and offer free Division membership to any student member of AIChE, waving the nominal $9 annual fee for Division membership. We are also working to add an international director to our Division to keep us more in contact with thought leaders in forest bioproducts in emerging nations. Stay tuned for news in that arena as well.

If you are a chemical engineer, we hope you will work with us as we strive to solve some of the most important problems of our day and share knowledge that really makes a difference.

- Jeff Lindsay, Chair of the Forest Bioproducts Division

Feb. 20, 2010

Message from the Past Chair

Dr. Chris Verrill, Past Chair of the Forest Products Division, penned the following message for members of the Division while he was Chair, and it still remains useful

Dear Members of the AIChE Forest Products Division,

If you are new to the Forest Products Division (FPD) of AIChE; welcome! If you have been a member for a while, thank you for sticking with us through a period of reduced activity. Recent consolidation of trade conferences has limited opportunities for presenting leading-edge work related to the forest products industries. At the same time, academic efforts have advanced bio-based product research, forest biorefinery process development, and material science and engineering fundamentals at the molecular level, a.k.a., nanotechnology. More than ever before the FPD can support the evolution of our industry by providing a forum for presenting these new developments.

I am committed to leading a Division transformation to better meet member needs. To do this, I need your input, and urge you to get involved.

I look forward to an exciting [Annual] meeting and welcome your involvement in the Division.

Christopher L. Verrill

Past Chair, Forest Products Division Tel: 404-894-1083
September 9, 2005

To contact any of the other leaders of the Division, please see our recently updated page of Leaders of the Forest Bioproducts Division.

This is the official home page for the Forest Products Division of AIChE. It replaces the old AIChE FPD home page.