KEYNOTE: "Becoming CarbonSmart"
 

Abstract

There is an abundance of carbon locked in wastes from agriculture, forestry, unsorted and unrecyclable municipal wastes, and in gaseous byproducts of certain manufacturing processes (e.g. steel production).  Biotechnology enables us to convert this waste carbon into fuels and every day products, turning our carbon problem into an economic opportunity keeping the skies and oceans clean and blue for all. This presentation will address the various waste carbon resources available and touch upon the gas fermentation pathway as a technology enabler.

Biography

Rachel Brenc is Chief of Staff to the CEO at LanzaTech, a gas fermentation company that utilizes a proprietary microbe to convert waste gases to ethanol and other fuels and chemicals in a continuous process. She was the lead process engineer on the design of a first of its kind commercial plant in China, which successfully started in 2018. Rachel received her B.S.E. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Cornell University and currently resides in the Chicago area.