Transporting a low value product like forest residuals from a timber harvest site to a processing facility represents a significant economic and logistical challenge for a wood to biofuel supply chain. One way to ensure that transport costs are as low as possible is to maximize the amount of wood residuals carried per trailer …more
Pretreatment is a procedure used to disrupt the chemical bonds that hold cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose (three structural macromolecules in wood) together. The …more
In 2014, NARA researchers published 25 papers in peer-reviewed journals. These publications help transfer NARA research to a wide audience. Here is a brief narrative to how these peer-reviewed papers complement NARA’s goals and contribute towards evaluating the use of forest residuals as a feedstock to produce chemical products.
NARA goal 1: …more
The US Navy is testing a 50/50 alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) fuel produced by Gevo Inc. for use with their F/A-18 “Hornet” jets. They recently announced their first successful supersonic flight using Gevo’s ATJ fuel derived from isobutanol.
You can read Gevo’s press release here.
Gevo is an affiliated member of NARA. For NARA, they are adapting their ATJ technology to use the simple sugars contained in forest residuals as a feedstock for …more
If this question interests you, then a calculator is available to help answer the question. NARA member Martin Twer developed a calculator that translates wood weight, general moisture content and species into energy yield (either BTU, joules, calories and watt hour units). It will even tell you how much hot water you could expect for your shower.
View here to use the calculator.
NIFA energy fellowship opportunities have been announced that apply to undergraduate, pre- and post-doctoral research designed to solve current and future agricultural challenges facing society. This includes the use of agriculture for sustainable energy.
The press release containing additional details can be found here.
The Bureau of Business and Economic Research team at the University of Montana, a NARA affiliate member, just published a report titled Idaho’s Forest Products Industry and Timber Harvest 2011 with Trends Through 2013. According to the report’s abstract,
“This report traces the flow of Idaho’s 2011 timber harvest through the primary industries; provides …more
By: Janna Loeppky, M.F. Candidate, Oregon State University
One of the most important steps in the advancement and continuation of research is
the investment in future generations of researchers. While much of the ideas for research
originate with academic faculty, the work is conducted by graduate students. These students
are contributing to NARA’s goals through groundbreaking studies in their respective fields.
Contributions to original research begin with an area of interest and slowly evolve into a
…more
Here is a challenging class room assignment: map out where you would process slash piles from forest harvest into valuable …more