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Ag Biobase Renewables

 BIOBASED PRODUCTS EXPO '94 TO SPOTLIGHT NEW, RENEWABLE RESOURCE,
 GREEN PRODUCTS FROM AGRICULTURE'

  KANSAS CITY, MO., Nov. 17 -/E-Wire/-- The growing range of new,
renewable resource-based "green products from agriculture" for
industrial and consumer uses will be the focal point of an upcoming
national exposition co-sponsored by three federal government agencies
and a private sector trade organization.
      The "Biobased Products EXPO '94 -- Expanding Industrial Uses and
Markets for Agricultural and Forestry Materials" will be held Dec. 5-7,
1994, at the Kansas City Convention Center -- Bartle Hall, and the
Kansas City Marriott Downtown Hotel in Kansas City, Mo.  The EXPO is
the leading trade show and technical conference devoted to showcasing
new, environmentally preferable, renewable resource, industrial
products from agriculture.
      A diverse range of new products, research and processing
technologies will be featured, including:  bioplastics, coatings and
biodegradable polymer products made from corn, wheat and potato starch;
biodegradable lubricants made from oilseed crops; wall systems,
composite lumber and construction materials made from agriculture
fibers; biobased industrial cleaning solvents, paints, stains and
biochemicals from citrus and oilseed crops; biofuels, including ethanol
and biodeisel fuel made from corn, soybeans and other biomass crops;
biomass crops for electrical power generation; treeless paper from
fiber crops like kenaf; cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and more.
 These emerging products typically are banking on their environmental
advantages, as well as performance characteristics, for market success.
Many are cleaner performing, producing less harmful emissions.  Others
are biodegradable, cleaner to process, and utilize by-products and
agricultural wastes.  Some replace critical materials, or products like
prime lumber, that have become more expensive and in short supply.  And
they are primarily made from renewable resources, which is important to
the long-term sustainability of the world's environment.
      The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE); U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA); and U.S. Department of Defense (DOD); along with
the New Uses Council, a private sector agriculture and renewable
resource industry organization, have teamed up to sponsor the EXPO. The
Small Business Administration (SBA) and several private companies are
also providing active support.  EXPO '94 will build on the success of
the first Biobased Products EXPO held in 1992 in St. Louis that drew
100 exhibitors and more than 400 participants.
      U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Richard Rominger is among
the national agricultural leaders scheduled to address the EXPO.  Also
scheduled for the program are senior officials from the Department of
Energy, Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, USDA's
Forest Service, members of Congress, state agencies, environmental
organization representatives, and prominent industry and research
officials from the European Community and Japan.
      The EXPO serves three main purposes, according to John Campen,
chair of the EXPO '94 and director of market development and
utilization for the National Corn Growers Association.  It's a business
networking event designed to build partnerships between industry
product developers and marketers, research institutions, entrepreneurs,
investors, agricultural groups, environmental groups and companies, and
government technology transfer and development programs.  The EXPO is
also a marketing and trade promotion event for companies to showcase
new renewable resource products, and it serves as a technical symposium
to provide information about market sectors, and research and
development strategies.
      For information about attending the Biobased Products EXPO '94,
contact: Barbara Detwiler, Science Applications International
Corporation at 703-734-4081, fax 703-356-4056.
      -0-    11/17/94
 /NOTE TO EDITORS:  Members of the news media are invited to attend the
Biobased Products EXPO, and should pre-register by contacting the
numbers above.  The standard registration fee of $295, covering
materials, several meals and admission to presentations, will be waived
for working members of the media.  Media credentialing will be handled
at the event.  For more information, contact Bruce Abbe, vice president
of public affairs for Communicating for Agriculture and member of the
EXPO program committee, at 612-854-9005/
      /CONTACT: Bruce Abbe of Communicating for Agriculture,
612-854-9005/

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