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K-State Today

October 19, 2011

Alan Weber to present sustainable energy seminar Oct. 26

Submitted by Carole Lovin

Alan Weber, a founding partner of MARC-IV, a consulting company that specializes in the development of industrial products from agricultural resources, will present a seminar, “Growing Feedstock for a 2.5 Billion Gallon Biodiesel Market — Raising Means, Changing Genes and Everything In-between,” at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, in 1029 Durland Hall.

 Topics covered:

  • The Renewable Fuel Standard has a primary market driver for the biodiesel industry and the impact of greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Creating virtual acres with current crops.
  • What new crops or technologies will impact oilseed and lipid production in the future, and what the heck are halophytes?
  • Can algae be a factor in the biodiesel industry?
  • Economic modeling forecasts for biodiesel growth.

Active with biodiesel commercialization activities since 1991, Weber assisted with the establishment of the National Biodiesel Board’s Washington, D.C., office in 2006-07 and continues to provide economic and technical support to their efforts. He currently leads industry feedstock development efforts to increase raw materials sources such as algae, jatropha, minor oilseeds such as winter canola & camelina, halophytes, and traditional oilseed commodities. In addition to his activity with MARC-IV, Weber is actively engaged with the management and operation of an 875-acre family farm in central Missouri.

Weber was recently asked to serve on the Industry External Advisory Board for the National Allliance for the Advancement of Biofuels and Bioproducts, an industry consortium formed to develop economic algal biofuels. He has also served with industry groups such as the Texas Bioenergy Research Committee and 1Soy Inc. board of directors.  Weber is a recipient of the 2007 National Biodiesel Board's Outstanding Service Award and the board's Industry Outstanding Commitment Award in 2000. Weber completed his undergraduate and graduate training in agricultural economics at the University of Missouri.

The seminar is sponsored by the K-State Center for Sustainable Energy for the Bioenergy I-STAR program funded by the National Science Foundation IGERT program. For more information about the K-State Bioenergy I-STAR program click here