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NARA member receives approval for bio-jet fuel

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The Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA) congratulates our fuels partner, Gevo, Inc. for ASTM International’s inclusion of Gevo’s alcohol to jet (ATJ) synthetic paraffinic kerosene (ATJ-SPK) into ASTM D7566 (Standard Specification for Aviation Turbine Fuel Containing Synthesized Hydrocarbons). This inclusion makes Gevo’s ATJ-SPK eligible to be used as a blending component, up to 30%, in standard Jet A-1 fuel used by commercial airlines in the United States and in many other countries around the globe.

As previously announced, …more

Sugar yields from two feedstock sources

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Pretreated FS-10 post-harvest forest residuals. NARA image.
Pretreated FS-10 post-harvest forest residuals. NARA image.

Pretreatment is the process that breaks up major wood components (lignin and polysaccharides like hemicelluloses and cellulose) so that enzymes can degrade (hydrolyze) the polysaccharides into simple sugars. Effective pretreatment and hydrolysis are necessary to achieve high sugar quality and yield. The sugars derived from the pretreatment/hydrolysis process can …more

NARA will host a wood-based biofuels conference

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NWBCC2016-front copy

In the past decade, funding agencies (USDA-NIFA and DOE), stakeholder coalitions (SAFN), state agencies, and industry have invested millions of dollars and substantial time to envision a Pacific Northwest industry that uses wood-based biomass to produce liquid biofuels and other co-products. USDA-NIFA funded programs like the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA) and Advanced Hardwood Biofuels Northwest (AHB) will end in 2016. These programs, …more

Lignin to plastic opportunities

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Under the conditions evaluated by NARA to convert post-harvest forest residuals into biojet fuel, approximately two-thirds of the woody material is left over as a byproduct. This left over material is rich in lignin, a complex polymer molecule found in plant cell walls.

The USDA-NIFA, through the NARA grant, funds research to develop high-value chemicals and materials that can be made from the lignin-rich material left after the …more

Slash removal and microbial communities

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Monitoring equipment at the NARA long-term soil productivity site.
Monitoring equipment at the NARA long-term soil productivity site.

A key issue attached to the use of post-harvest forest residuals (slash) to make biojet fuel and other chemical products is how slash removal impacts the productivity and ecology of a working forest. The USDA-NIFA, through the NARA project, funds research to evaluate the impacts of …more

Extractives found in post-harvest forest residuals

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When it comes to evaluating an industry that uses post-harvest forest residuals (slash) to make bio-jet fuel and co-products, the primary components in softwoods, like Douglas-fir, receiving the most industrial interest are cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The cellulose and hemicellulose contain the simple sugars used to biofuel and other chemical products. The lignin is a byproduct of the fuel conversion process and can be used to make additional products …more

Measuring soil nutrient levels of intensively harvested forests

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Soil monitoring equipment
Soil monitoring equipment

Those who consider the use of port-harvest forest residuals as a feedstock for biofuel or energy production are interested to know how biomass removal affects soil temperature, water retention and nutrient levels. These effects are being measured at Long-Term Soil Productivity Sites (LTSP) throughout the U.S including the NARA LTSP site in southern Oregon. As the name …more

NARA introduces webinar series

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The Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA) is concluding its final year under the contractual terms with the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA). Many of the outputs generated from this project are recorded in peer-reviewed journals or documents in various NARA reports.

Another format used to rapidly introduce NARA outputs to a wide audience is through webinars. In October 2015, NARA launched a …more

NARA students present findings for Olympic Peninsula biomass users

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IDX student Destry Seiler describes liquids depot siting strategy during the IDX webinar November 16th, 2015.
IDX student Destry Seiler describes liquids depot siting strategy during the IDX webinar November 16th, 2015.

Students enrolled in the Integrated Design Experience (IDX) course at Washington State University are working with NARA to explore potential solid and liquid depot sites in the Olympic Peninsula region. These potential …more

NARA 2015 Annual Meeting

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Participants at the 2015 NARA annual meeting held in Spokane , WA
Participants at the 2015 NARA annual meeting held in Spokane , WA

In mid September, NARA conducted its 2015 Annual Meeting in Spokane, WA. This meeting marked the conclusion of the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance Project’s fourth year, and the launch of its last year under the contractual terms with the United …more