SEATTLE – Washington State University’s Wood Materials and Engineering Laboratory (WMEL) has announced the 2009 agenda for the 43rd International Wood Composites Symposium & Technical Workshop. The event, which takes place March 30-April 1, 2009 at the Red Lion Hotel in Seattle, WA, will feature more than 30 speakers, according to a release from WMEL.

The Symposium opens March 31 with the keynote address by Wolf-Gerd Dieffenbacher, President and CEO of Dieffenbacher GmbH headquartered in Eppingen, Germany. According to the release, the Dieffenbacher group consists of 18 companies worldwide that provide press lines and process technology for the composite panel, automotive, plastics, and components industries.

The one-day technical workshop on “Natural Fibers: Their Role in the Carbon Economy” will take place on Monday, March 30, before the Symposium. At the workshop, the potential and challenges for the efficient use of natural fibers will be discussed as it relates to the utilization of biomass through biorefinery products and natural fiber composites manufacturing.