With several success stories to tell, Louisiana is poised to become a major player in the bioproducts industry, speakers said during a bioenergy conference held by the LSU AgCenter.
The conference was held in conjunction with National Bioenergy Day on Oct. 21.
One successful bioproduct venture in the state is Myriant in Lake Providence, which uses sugars to develop bio-succinic acid. It opened its flagship facility in Lake Providence in December 2010.
Mark Shmorhun, vice president of engineering and general manager for the Lake Providence facility, said a lot of “great” things are happening right now.
“It’s been a slow process, but we’re seeing success with our product,” Shmorhun said. “Not all chemicals are created equal, and the succinic acid we’re creating is biobased; therefore, it is environmentally friendly.”