The pulp and paper industry comprises companies that use wood as the raw material to produce pulp, paper, paperboard, and other cellulose-based products. Paper is a versatile material with many uses, including printing, packaging, decorating, writing, cleaning, filter paper, wallpaper, book endpaper, conservation paper, laminated worktops, toilet tissue, currency and security paper, and a number…
Livestock grazing is an important tool in effective, sustainable range management. In days gone by, people that owned cows and raised calves tended to think of themselves purely as beef producers. In the more modern cattle industry, we understand the use of herds as grass farmers, with cows being the vehicle to harvest forage and…
Livestock feed evaluation? Livestock producers are constantly in search of ways to improve the economics of their operations. One effective way of realizing improved economics is to incorporate new ingredients into the feeding operation. In this venture, producers must be careful to make certain they are familiar with the new ingredient and fully aware of…
As the name implies, integrated energy planning involves the integration of different sectors of energy like petroleum, coal, natural gas, and renewables – normally to produce electricity, heat or transportation fuels. Integrated energy planning includes energy used for homes and the industrial consumer and has the goal of reducing CO₂ emissions. Integrated energy planning involves…
Cellulosic agricultural residue is a broad term used to discuss cellulose based residues left after the harvest of a primary agricultural crop. These include everything that we would traditionally think of, such as corn stover, wheat and rice straws, bean stubbles, and potentially even some cover crops. Additionally, residues can take the form of forestry…
Environmental compliance has become an increasingly significant part of bio facility operations and planning. Frequently, the operation of a facility is dependent on complying with regulatory programs and laws at both the state and federal level. Environmental permits are often a critical path to authorizing construction and operation of new or modified facilities. Once environmental…
Air Permitting in Bio Projects? Renewable energy resources are all around us. You may have passed by a windmill, a solar farm, an oilseed processing/biodiesel facility, or a biofuel facility – all of these are sources of sustainable energy, using resources that are naturally replenished (wind, sun, plants, and agriculture). Industrial facilities that process renewables are…
Agricultural Feedstocks for the renewable energy industry include starch and sugar crops (e.g., corn, sorghum), grass crops (e.g., switch grass, miscanthus), oil crops (e.g., soybean, sunflowers), and crop residues (e.g., corn stover, corn cobs, nut shells). Agricultural feedstocks can create sustainable paths by using marginal croplands to generate energy products, and by adding value or…