This video provides an overview of how a consortium of university and industry partners are working together to establish a sustainable biofuels and bio-based chemical industry in the Pacific Northwest.
Connecting People to Bioenergy Innovation through Extension
Extension works as the hub of communication for the AHB project. It provides a vital link between researchers working on bioenergy in the Pacific Northwest and community stakeholders. This video highlights the role of Extension and AHB’s outreach efforts.
Converting Hardwoods to Drop-in Transportation Fuels
This video focuses on the conversion team’s goals, activities, and accomplishments in moving towards developing sustainable biofuel industries in the Pacific Northwest.
This video gives an overview of the feedstock aspect of Advanced Hardwood Biofuels Northwest project focusing on importance of hybrid poplar feedstock development.
Sustainable Hardwood Biofuels for the Pacific Northwest
The video focuses on environmental, economic and social aspects of the biofuels sustainability and how this integrated effort will ensure developing a sustainable hardwood biofuels framework in the Pacific Northwest.
WWCC Plant Operations – Program Overview and Student Voices
Advanced Hardwood Biofuels Northwest (AHB) and Walla Walla Community College (WWC) are training future plant operators and technicians. In this video, hear about Plant Operations from program graduates and the project manager.
In the Pacific Northwest, AHB is finding innovative ways to produce bio-based, high value chemicals using sustainably grown poplar trees. Acetic acid is a financially promising chemical that is used in the manufacture of several products, including paints, plastics, textiles and potassium acetate, the primary de-icing compound used on airport runways.
Cellulosic ethanol is one of the simplest and least expensive biofuels to make from cellulosic biomass. Most ethanol sold in the Pacific Northwest is made from corn grown in the Midwest. AHB is working to make ethanol more sustainable in the PNW by producing cellulosic ethanol from locally grown poplar trees.
Currently, biojet fuel is the most promising renewable energy option for air transportation. The federal government and aviation industry are interested in biojet fuel because it offers opportunities for future growth while also increasing sustainability. In the Pacific Northwest, AHB is investigating the potential for biojet fuel made from locally-grown poplar trees.
Along the conversion pathway from hybrid poplar wood chips to renewable transportation fuels, intermediate chemicals are produced, including acetic acid, ethyl acetate, and ethylene which can be used to make a variety of bioproducts that we use in our everyday lives.
Making Biofuels and Biochemicals from Poplar Trees
Nature took millions of years to convert plant materials into fossil fuels through various natural processes. We now have the technologies in place to produce equivalent liquid biofuels in industrial settings within a few days!
A Cradle to Grave Assessment of Bio-Jet Fuels Production
This video highlights how researchers use a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a "cradle to grave" appraisal tool to understand the environmental impacts of producing poplar feedstock, converting it into bio-jet fuel, and distributing and using the fuel.
This video illustrates the key steps in cultivating hybrid poplar for biofuel production, including site selection, site preparation, planting techniques, post-planting managements practices, and harvesting.
The National Working Forum: Managing Poplar and Willow for Environmental Benefits and the Renewable Fuels Industry was held at the Benson Hotel in Portland, Oregon on April 11-13, 2016
The National Extension Energy Summit brought together Extension professionals and clean energy advocates from 31 states and Washington D.C. to share their work and ideas around sustainable and renewable energy, home and farm energy efficiency, biomass energy programs, and other clean energy areas. The April 2015 Seattle event was sponsored by Advanced Hardwood Biofuels Northwest and Washington State University Extension.