Per Svending, Commercial Director, Imerys FiberLean and Allan Ward, President and Chief Operating Officer, Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc., will deliver keynote presentations at the 2014 TAPPI International Conference on Nanotechnology for Renewable Materials. The 9th annual conference, June 23 - 26, 2014 in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, explores how nanotechnology can transform biomaterials into high-value products.
“The science of nanotechnology in renewable materials continues to advance rapidly and our keynote speakers will provide an exciting update on the most recent developments in commercialization and research for improving cellulose based products,” notes Conference Co-Chair Orlando Rojas of North Carolina State University. “It provides a thought provoking kick off to the conference and provides attendees insight into cutting edge nanotechnologies that can be used to develop a whole new generation of value added products that are environmentally sound and sustainable.”
Svending/Ward
Svending has 35 years of paper industry experience in a range of management and technical roles. He worked for Eka Chemicals and Stora Papyrus before joining English China Clays, now Imerys. He is one of the inventors of the FiberLean process and is currently heading up the commercialization efforts for this breakthrough technology. His presentation will cover a commercial break-through in microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) processing and the opportunities it offers to develop new differentiated products.
Ward has an MBA from the University of Alberta and over 30 years of experience in production, technical and senior management positions. He’s a past Chairman and current board member of FPInnovations, Canada’s Forest and Pulp and Paper Research Institute, and serves with the Forest Products Association of Canada, PAPTAC and TAPPI. He is currently chair of the Alberta steering committee for forest sector related nano-technology research and a board member of Arboranano, the Canadian Forest NanoProducts Network.
