Supply Chain Coalitions

Locating wood-based biofuel refineries and depots in the Pacific Northwest

June 3, 2014 charles.dillon2

WMC region with select biogeophysical assets and weighted overlay analysis (WOA) results. Figure from Martinkus N, et al., Integrating biogeophysical and social assets into biomass-to-biofuel supply chain siting decisions, Biomass and Bioenergy (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2014.04.014 — WMC region with select biogeophysical assets and weighted overlay analysis (WOA) results. Figure from Martinkus N, et al., Integrating biogeophysical and social assets into biomass-to-biofuel supply chain siting decisions, Biomass …more

Breaking lignin into new biomaterials

March 24, 2014 charles.dillon2

For wood tissue, lignin plays an essential role. It is a complex molecule located in the cell walls that provides mechanical strength and allows for efficient water transport. It is also quite plentiful. Depending on the species, the lignin in wood can represent between 25 to 30% of the dry weight.

Typically, the lignin produced from the pulp and paper industry (known as kraft lignin) is …more

NARA at the Western Wood Products Association (WWPA) annual meeting

March 6, 2014 charles.dillon2

Opening reception with exhibitors at the WWPA meeting.

NARA participated as an exhibitor at the WWPA annual meeting last weekend in Portland Oregon. This event brings together lumber company, supplier and wood retailer representatives throughout the U.S. and offered a good opportunity for NARA to provide information and receive feedback.

Twelve exhibit …more

Great article on criteria for alternative liquid fuels

February 22, 2014 charles.dillon2

An insightful article by Dr. Bruce Dale from Michigan State University on metrics for possible alternatives to oil.

Middle and high school educators get biofuel supply chain update

February 17, 2014 charles.dillon2

On February 13^th, 2014, Dr. Tammi Laninga provided a webinar on the supply chain analysis work conducted by NARA.

Access webinar (#4) here.

View Powerpoint slides here

McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) hosted the webinar. MOSS provides this webinar series to middle and high school teachers interested in training student groups to compete in the Imagine Tomorrow competition at Washington State University.

Providing regional teachers and students information concerning NARA activities fits with NARA’s goal to …more

SAVE THE DATE: NARA will sponsor a Northwest Wood-Based Biofuels + Co-Products Conference in April 2014

November 21, 2013 charles.dillon2

It has been just over two years since the USDA invested $80 million to facilitate the development of a sustainable wood to biofuels and co-products industry in the northwest United States. This investment created the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA) and Advanced Hardwood Biofuels Northwest (AHB): two projects with multiple partners focused on softwood and hardwood feedstocks respectively.

These …more

NARA presents at the Follow the Energy conference

October 9, 2013 charles.dillon2

NARA researchers Tammi Laninga and Michelle Vachon will present at the Follow the Energy conference in Idaho Falls, ID. tomorrow October 10^th. Below is a reprint of their abstract:

We are presenting our asset mapping approach for examining a region’s potential for participating in the wood-based biofuels industry. Every region has its own unique set of tangible and intangible assets or resources that can be used in pursuit of economic development.

A community capitals framework is used …more

Cosmo Specialty Fibers and CLH (Compañía Logística de Hidrocarburos) join the NARA alliance

October 8, 2013 charles.dillon2

NARA is an alliance of universities, business and government laboratories. As the project matures, new opportunities and challenges are presented that warrant new expertise which can be provided by outside organizations. Bringing organizations into the NARA alliance requires approval from existing members and compliance with NARA’s non-disclosure, conflict of interest and intellectual property policies. In addition, each new member is assigned a specific scope of work within the NARA leadership team.

NARA welcomes the recent addition of two new business …more

NARA participates in the Montana Economic Development Summit

September 17, 2013 charles.dillon2

Charles Burke meets with Montana Jobs Summit participant

NARA outreach team members Charles Burke, Peter Kolb and Craig Rawlings met with business and policy leaders at the Montana Economic Development Summit in Butte Montana September 16-17. It was quite an event.

Imagine a city of less than 30,000 citizens hosting a free event …more

Forest Inventory and Utilization Data

September 4, 2013 charles.dillon2

One of the services provided by NARA affiliate, The University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER), is publically available forest industry data. Much of the information they provide and compile contributes to NARA’s efforts to produce supply chain, environmental and economic sustainability analyses, models and GIS applications useful to an emerging wood-based biofuels industry in the Pacific Northwest. Listed below are two sources …more