UW-Madison: POET Executive to headline discussion on cellulosic ethanol production

CONTACT: Falicia Hines, 608-890-2489, fhines@wbi.wisc.edu

MADISON – Built on a foundation of grain-based production, the cellulosic ethanol industry is poised for strong growth in the United States. During his keynote address at the third annual Wisconsin Bioenergy Summit on Thursday, Oct. 14, POET Senior Director of Research Greg Hartgraves will outline progress and show how grain-based and cellulosic industry segments will work together to make ethanol more sustainable.

Hartgraves brings more than 20 years of broad R&D experience in fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals to POET, the world’s largest ethanol producer. Most recently, he has led a team of researchers in further developing a cellulosic ethanol process and new products derived from cellulosic material.

The summit, themed “Fueling Wisconsin’s Future,” will feature a series of panel discussions and workshops to address topics like homegrown energy projects, renewables and sustainability, bioenergy research, and energy policy. The Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative hosts the annual conference, with additional support from We Energies, the Wisconsin Alumni Association, Clean Wisconsin and the Energy Center of Wisconsin.

The event will be held at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center at One John Nolen Drive, Madison. The program opens with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and concludes with a networking reception from 4:30-6 p.m.

The full conference schedule and registration can be found at http://www.wbi.wisc.edu/bioenergy-summit.