Journal of Nanomedicine & Nanotechnology

Pioneering expansion in nanocellulose

19^th International Conference on Nanotechnology and Expo

November 13-14, 2017 | Atlanta, USA

Kim Nelson

American Process Inc., USA

Keynote: J Nanomed Nanotechnol

Abstract:

Nanocellulose is a versatile material with a vast array of commercial applications including composites and foams for automotive, aerospace and building construction, viscosity modifiers for cosmetics and oil drilling fluids and high performance fillers for paper, packaging, paints and plastics. Nanocellulose is renewable, biodegradable, biocompatible and as strong as Kevlar�?�. Thomas Reuter�??s named nanocellulose as one of ten innovations that will transform the world by 2025. The US USDA estimates that global production of nanocellulose could reach 34 million tons per year in the coming decades. Dr. Nelson will provide an overview of the opportunities and challenges offered by the rapidly emerging nanocellulose field. She will also highlight global nanocellulose commercialization activities including commercial product launch, government funding, Environmental, Health and Safety testing and installed production capacity. American Process Inc. (API) is the world�??s first company to produce and market five different varieties of nanocellulose products with tailored morphologies and surface properties to enhance the performance of a wide variety of materials across various industries. API�??s has developed two distinct nanocellulose production processes, BioPlus® with AVAP and BioPlus® with GreenBox+® that are both demonstrated at the ½ ton per day scale at their Thomaston Biorefinery in Georgia along with co-products including unreacted �??native�?� lignin and dissolved sugars that can be converted to biofuels or biochemicals. BioPlus® with AVAP converts biomass into cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) or cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) or novel lignin-coated varieties for compatibility with plastics (L-CNF or L-CNC). BioPlus® with GreenBox+® produces exceptionally low cost, high lignin-content cellulose nanofibrils (GB-CNF) made from the patented chemical-free (hot water only) GreenBox+® process. API has been granted eight patents and over 250 patents pending in the nanocellulose field and has established Joint Development Agreements for commercial products with end-users in various fields including tires, paperboard, plastics and tissue engineering.

Biography :

Kim Nelson is the Vice President of Nanocellulose Technology at American Process Inc., headquartered in Atlanta, GA. She is the Lead Inventor of API’s nanocellulose production processes and responsible for nanocellulose technology development and partnerships. She holds nine patents and over 100 patents pending in the biorefinery and nanocellulose fields. She obtained a PhD in Chemical Engineering at GA Tech, a Master of Science from the Institute of Paper Science and Technology at GA Tech and a double Bachelor’s degree in math and chemistry from Agnes Scott College.