Woody waste does wonders
Wood-based fuel in an airplane? Done that — a forest-powered Alaska Airlines plane flew to D.C. in November 2016.
To power a car? Feasible, according to researchers at Washington State University interviewed for a 2015 issue of Northwest Mining & Timber.
Unlike fossil fuels, using clean, renewable biofuels to heat a home or run an engine doesn’t add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Corn-based ethanol has received more media attention, but trees are another intriguing possibility gaining ground, if you’ll pardon the pun.
October 24 marks the sixth annual National Bioenergy Day. With our plentiful forests, the northwest is uniquely positioned to be an ideal source of bioenergy — the subject of two ongoing grant projects involving University of Idaho and WSU researchers called Advanced Hardwood Biofuels (AHB) and Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA).
Why not put woody “waste” to good use, and help the environment to boot?
To manage a healthy forest, wood byproducts result. Trees must be trimmed, thinned, or removed to combat disease, infestations, and reduce wildfire risk. These and other organic materials, such as wood chips and shavings, have few or no other productive uses so they tend to be left, burned, or trashed (decomposing trash also increases greenhouse gases in the atmosphere).
Instead, scientists and advocates say, we could — and to some extent already — use them to produce heat or electricity.
By combusting fire-prone materials for biofuel, woody biomass production turns a hazard into an asset, preventing wildfires and contributing to forest health while augmenting the nation’s renewable energy supply. A 2014 U.S. National Climate Assessment specifically highlighted woody biomass production as an effective tool for both forest management and carbon emissions reduction.
Bioenergy is exciting, but still in its infancy.
According to Bionergy.com, bioenergy in general comprises 5.75 percent of the nation’s total energy. If that doesn’t sound like much, consider that in 2016, approximately 19 percent of all renewable energy consumed was from wood, according to the Energy Information Administration — that’s more than wind and solar combined, and second only to hydroelectric energy. Unlike wind and solar, wood biofuels are available in any weather.
From a security standpoint, biofuels have another advantage: Wood is domestically abundant, quickly renewable, and can reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. The same National Climate Assessment indicated 30 percent of U.S. petroleum consumption could be offset by biomass sources.
That means local job creation. The AHB and NARA researchers are investigating ways to make bioenergy production more efficient, with technologies which might make use of the equipment, facilities, and skilled former workers of shut-down mills. Beyond the thousands of jobs created for the construction and operation of biofuel plants, higher demand for bioenergy means higher demand for raw agricultural products, which can lead to rural farming and foresting jobs.
Consider the ethanol industry, which in 2015 alone created an estimated 238,000 agricultural jobs according to a report by ABF Economics. That report estimates the bioenergy industry increased the average annual wage of agriculture workers by at least $9,100.
Wood bioenergy is most often produced on a rural and local or regional-scale, sustaining the same communities it benefits. Because it is so local and relatively small-scale in production (so far), it doesn’t get the same national recognition other renewables do.
For more information on biofuels see Bioenergyday.com and click “carbon” at NafoAlliance.org. To learn more about NARA and AHB see Nararenewables.org and Hardwoodbiofuels.org.
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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.