Agenda 2020 Open Forum Draws Expert Input for Advanced Technology Roadmaps
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The U.S. forest products industry’s Agenda 2020 Technology Alliance held the first of two open forums this week in Atlanta, Ga., USA, to gather perspectives on pathways to advance the industry’s manufacturing and products. About 40 experts from academia, companies, and government agencies participated.
The overarching focus of the Agenda 2020 program is in two major areas—sustainable manufacturing and new products from advanced biobased materials. Agenda 2020 seeks breakthrough technology that would significantly increase its energy and resource efficiency. Its effort is focused on developing attractive technologies for next-generation manufacturing of pulp and paper products and for biobased materials, chemicals, and fuels.
"Agenda 2020 member companies have identified key R&D needs in the pulp and paper industry in the areas of finding innovative manufacturing technologies to increase energy, water, and resource efficiency, and to develop sustainable new biobased products to meet global market needs," said Agenda 2020 vice-chair Fritz Paulsen, research and development manager for KapStone Paper. "We actively seek the creativity of the broad research community through workshops like these to address the industry’s key needs. We believe we can make dramatic improvements that would have a significant impact on sustainability, economics, and job preservation, and creation."
Information and ideas from the forum will provide input into the selection of areas for in-depth investigation. Registration is open for a similar forum is planned for December 10 in Chicago. Workshops on the selected topics will be held during the first half of 2015.
"Over the past year, Agenda 2020 teams have been investigating new technologies that have high potential for increased energy and raw materials efficiency," added David Turpin, Agenda 2020 executive director. "For example, the energy reductions from these technologies could save as much as a quarter of the industry’s total energy use. If other new technologies deliver significant additional reductions, then we could project doubling our energy productivity."
"I was happy to see the consensus and synergy among the industry representatives regarding utilization and optimization of the potential for biomass in new product development—bioproducts are the key material of the future, and the U.S. can be in a leadership position here," Amit Naskar, carbon and composites group leader at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, said.
National Institute of Standards and Technology senior scientist Michael Postek observed that "the Agenda 2020 Roadmap Workshop provided a critical opportunity for advanced bioproducts manufacturing industrial leaders to explore new possibilities and new innovative products to renew the industry."
The forums are being conducted pursuant to a federal grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia program. The program supports basic and applied research on long-term, pre-competitive, and enabling technology development. Its goal is to strengthen the capacity of U.S. industry and the nation to compete in global markets. Agenda 2020 applied for and was awarded a grant to support its ongoing research roadmap effort.
Anyone seeking further information is invited to visit the website or email David Turpin .
