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We are delighted to welcome Professor Paul Walton (Department of Chemistry) to talk about second generation biofuels. Currently biofuel crops take up arable land, much of the plant is wasted, and it is debatable whether they really are environmentally sustainable. New research aims to convert whole plants into fuel by degrading biomass with enzymes.
This IDN seminar aims to bring together people from different disciplines to look at the ways new technologies can impact on development agendas. With the increasing requirements for energy and competing demands on land and the environment, the use of enzymes to degrade biomass offers significant opportunities. However, with potential impacts on subsistence farmers and local communities it is important to consider the many ways that these new technologies might be embraced and developed in genuinely sustainable ways.
This seminar will begin conversations to understand the contributions that different disciplines can offer to this multifaceted issue. Paul is an excellent speaker, who will make the chemistry accessible to a wide audience and open up collaborations to encourage interdisciplinary proposals regarding energy and sustainable development.
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