International Symposium on Bioplastics, Biocomposites and Biorefining (ISBBB) successful with BDDC as leaders                       

The International Symposium on Bioplastics, Biocomposites and Biorefining (ISBBB) took place May 19 to 24 at the Delta Guelph Hotel and Conference Centre. Organized by the University of Guelph’s Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre (BDDC), the conference attracted more than 260 attendees and hundreds of speakers and presenters, making it one of the biggest events in the area of biobased materials and biorefining.

Speakers and guests came from 31 countries around the world, with representation from every continent.

The program was very technical and full days of plenary and parallel sessions allowed the delegates to learn from the 156 oral presentations and 50 poster presentations. Of those, 16 of them were plenary sessions from esteems speakers coming from academic, industry and government, giving a well-rounded perspective of the issues and research in biomaterials.

Many University of Guelph professors and students from various departments attended and presented at the conference. Local businesses were also present, promoting their messages and products to a multinational audience.

The conference reflected worldwide interest in bioproducts reflects the growing awareness and focus of protecting the environment while stimulating economic growth.

Interest in bioproducts and biobased materials continues to expand and gain momentum to address concerns on environmental sustainability , record-high greenhouse gas emissions and reducing our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels.

Greener bio products are becoming a viable substitute for non-renewable materials in many manufacturing sectors, consumer goods and services. The discussions and presentations at the conference brought research from international experts to address issues in innovation and product commercialization.

The conference setting offered many networking opportunities to encourage collaborations between international colleagues including a conference dinner on Thursday night in Niagara Falls. Many delegates came away from the conference will new introductions and potential partnerships with universities and research centers worldwide.