Track 1 Session Details
AFCC Conference Breakout Sessions
Breakout Sessions are 90 minutes, each one has one moderator with a maximum of four to five speakers.
Breakout sessions will be focused on the following five subject areas:
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Track 1: Biobased Manufacturing: Renewable Chemicals, Bioplastics, Biopolymers, Biomaterials Creating a Cleaner Planet
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Track 2: Sustainable Feedstocks and Biofuels, Driving Decarbonization
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Track 4: Synthetic Biology, Alternative Proteins, Regenerative Agriculture, Food & Fiber
Track 1 Breakout Session Details​
​Biobased Manufacturing: Renewable Chemicals, Bioplastics, Biopolymers, Biomaterials Creating a Cleaner Planet
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This Track is Sponsored by:
Monday, November 17, 2025
All Track 1 sessions will be held in RiverView 1
Session 1: 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM: TBD
Moderator: Nina Karpynec, Head of Sales, Marketing & Technical Business Development Purification Americas, Clariant
Speakers:
Nina Karpynec, Head of Sales, Marketing & Technical Business Development Purification Americas, Clariant
As the world intensifies its push toward a circular plastics economy, two promising—but often siloed—technological pathways have emerged: bio-based plastics and chemical recycling. While bioplastics aim to reduce fossil dependence, chemical recycling, particularly pyrolysis and depolymerization, is redefining how we valorize plastic waste. This panel brings together stakeholders from across the value chain to explore how these two strategies can converge, how infrastructure and innovation must evolve, and what it takes to scale up sustainable recycling ecosystems.
Session 2: 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM: TBD
Moderator: Michael Saltzberg, President, MA Saltzberg Consulting
Speakers:
Success in commercializing Biomaterials often requires the construction of entirely new supply and value chains. Most successful ventures require strategic partnerships between two or more companies to meet these difficult challenges. In this session we will learn about the strategic considerations and business partnership structures utilized by some of the leading companies in the Biomaterials sector to secure raw material supply, share risk in scaling up new technologies, minimize required capital, and/or access routes to market. These lessons are applicable to large and small companies at various points in their commercialization journey.
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Session 3: 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM: Cell-free Biomanufacturing: From Food and Cosmetic Ingredients to Commodity Chemicals
Moderators: Doug Cameron, President, Alberti Advisors
Speakers:
Cell-based fermentation has been the workhorse of biomanufacturing for more than 100 years. However, cell-free biomanufacturing, such as transformations carried out by a single enzyme (or mixture of 2-3 enzymes), have been used for at least as long. Although cell-based manufacturing continues to advance, over the last few years there has also been a surge of innovation and application of cell-free systems, with some examples involving over 10 enzymes and cofactor recycle. This panel will explore reasons for this recent surge, as well as some of the challenges. It will also discuss current commercial applications (such as the sweetener, RebM) and emerging applications. Reasons for this surge include advances in A.I. for protein folding and for retrosynthetic pathway design, improvements in enzyme production, the ability to make products that are toxic to whole cells, developments in cofactor use and recycle, and the potential to use less-conventional inputs such as CO2, H2, and electricity. The panel will also discuss the economic and commercial aspects of cell-free manufacturing, including capital costs relative to cell-based processes.
Session 4: 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM: TBD
Moderator: James Iademarco, President and CEO, Strategic Avalanche LLC
Speakers:
In 2025, Strategic Avalanche surveyed leading industrial biotech executives across North America and Europe to assess the state of third-party collaborations in biobased chemicals, materials, and fuels. The consensus is clear: no single company can commercialize innovations alone; robust collaborations across the value chain are essential. Yet, how effective are these partnerships in practice? Our panel will present new survey data revealing current strengths and persistent gaps in collaborative efforts, from feedstock sourcing to technology development, scale-up, and offtake agreements with OEMs and brand owners. Drawing on collective experience from both multinational corporations and startups, each of our four panelists will share actionable business development strategies and real-world lessons learned-highlighting both successful alliances and instructive failures. Special attention will be given to the complexities of negotiating agreements involving intellectual property and risk sharing, where misalignment can hinder progress. The discussion will span straightforward supply contracts to intricate joint ventures and development partnerships. By dissecting the factors that drive or derail collaboration, our panel aims to equip attendees with practical tools to initiate, nurture, and manage partnerships for optimal outcomes. As the biobased industry faces increasing pressure to deliver sustainable solutions, understanding how to build and sustain effective collaborations is more critical than ever. This session will offer fresh evidence, candid perspectives, and proven practices to help stakeholders across the value chain accelerate commercialization and maximize shared value.
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
All Track 1 sessions will be held in RiverView 1
Session 5: 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM: TBD
Moderator: Mike Schultz, Managing Director, PTI Global Solutions LLC
Speakers:
The pilot phase is a crucial step in the commercialization of biobased manufacturing technology. It serves as the first significant opportunity to de-risk the science, develop engineering data for scale-up, and produce product samples for market development. However, because a fully developed pilot plant may cost millions of dollars and take months or even more than a year to design and build, a natural tension exists--how do we design and execute a pilot that can meet our objectives, and lay the groundwork for successful commercialization, while managing cost and avoiding a delay in time to market? This session will explore best practices for piloting biobased manufacturing technology, focusing on setting clear objectives, scope development, and effective execution. This session will feature invited speakers who have experience piloting their biobased manufacturing technology, with an opportunity to hear about their success stories, lessons learned, and how they have navigated the tension between cost, time, and piloting objectives.
Session 6: 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM: TBD
Moderator: Jim Barber, Barber Advisors LLC
Speakers:
This panel will be "The Long and Winding Road - Pathways to Commercialization", and will feature organizations that are well along the commercialization path or individuals who are or have been involved in such.