UMass Lowell, UMaine Researchers Turn Wood Biomass into Sustainable Jet Fuel, Fish Food
Image by University of Maine
08/12/2024
As Maine’s paper production industry continues to decline, the Pine Tree State’s forest floors remain littered with millions of pounds of low-value wood products including pulp, shavings, small-diameter trees and branches. While these materials lay prone, the likelihood of wildfire increases prioritizing the need for a solution.
In an effort to protect the forests and find a sustainable use for the biomass, researchers at UMass Lowell and University of Maine are sharing a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to transform what was once considered unusable into a form of sustainable jet fuel and a protein-based fish food.
“The most exciting part about this project is the multidisciplinary nature of the research,” explained mechanical and industrial engineering Associate Professor Hunter Mack. “It has the potential to create a new bio-economy from waste materials and increases the sustainability of both the transportation and aquaculture sectors.”
While UMaine’s Forest Bioproducts Research Institute and Aquaculture Research Institute are the grant leads, Mack’s research team will use advanced predictive models to optimize the biomass conversion process and evaluate the sustainability of the jet fuel processed from the forest byproducts. The project is part of a National Institute of Food and Agriculture program, which provides funding to advance sustainability in agricultural systems.
Professor Clayton Wheeler, director of UMaine’s Forest Bioproducts Research Institute, spoke about the importance of making something from what was considered nothing. “The new funding is key to developing creative and sustainable markets for underutilized forest biomass while prioritizing the inclusive values that are important to advancing equitable rural development in Maine,” he said.
But the benefits of the project, known as the Sustainable Wood to Fuel and Fish Feed for Strengthening the U.S. Bioeconomy, of SWF3, won’t end at the border of Maine, said Mack. “While this award specifically addresses local conditions relevant to Maine, the approach can be extended to other locations with abundant biomass resources.”
A 2023 U.S. Department of Energy report found the U.S. has the potential to produce 1.1 to 1.5 billion tons of biomass annually.
Mack said: “if all relevant resources are fully developed. This amount of biomass could potentially meet around 15% of the nation's future energy needs.”
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