Dr. Theodora RetsinaCEO, American Process Inc.
Dr. Theodora Retsina is the CEO of American Process Inc. (API). She received a BSc and PhD in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College, University of London and is a licensed professional engineer in the United States. Her career began at Parsons & Whittemore, where she held positions as project engineer, project manager and process manager in various international construction projects. In 1995, she founded API – a company that focuses on value enhancement of the biomass industries through process integration, biorefinery technology applications and value engineering. API has offices in Georgia, Michigan, Brazil, Greece and Romania.
American Process has a unique blend of experience which enables the company to develop technically and financially viable biorefineries. The company's GreenPower+® technology, originally developed to add value to pulp and paper mill processes, can be applied to any industry employing biomass boilers for power. This process is currently being used to produce commercial quantities of cellulosic ethanol at the Alpena Biorefinery, in Alpena, Michigan.
At the company's AVAP Demo plant in Thomaston, GA, American Process is using its stand alone AVAP® technology to separate various types of biomass into cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin, which can be used in numerous applications, including biofuels, biochemicals, and 21st Century biomaterials like API’s BioPlus™ crystals and fibrils which have advantages over other forms of nanocellulose including lower cost, higher thermal stability, and hydrophobic surface functionalization.
API has the in-house capabilities to bring any biorefinery-related project through feasibility study, R&D, Process Integration, and Basic Engineering.
For more information about Theodora and American Process please visit the company's website and check out the GreenPower+® and AVAP® technologies in use.
Marie D'Iorio Executive Director, National Institute for Nanotechnology and Professor of Physics and Assistant VP-Research (Nanotechnology), University of Alberta.
Marie D'Iorio is the Executive Director of the National Institute for Nanotechnology, Professor of Physics and Assistant VP-Research (Nanotechnology) at the University of Alberta. Dr. D'Iorio obtained a Ph.D. in solid state physics and worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the IBM Zurich Research Laboratory in Switzerland before returning to Canada to work at the National Research Council. After enjoying eighteen years as a researcher in organic and inorganic nano-electronics , Dr. D’Iorio became Director and subsequently Director-General of NRC’s Institute for Microstructural Sciences (NRC-IMS). She has championed a number of large collaborative programs, in partnership with government departments, industry and academia to accelerate photonics and nanotechnology deployment in the ICT, Construction, and Energy sectors. Dr. D’Iorio has served as the President of the Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada and as President of the Canadian Association of Physicists.
