Jet fuel from Maine wood?

Over the Maine woods. Maine is the most forested state, and its woods products play an important role in its economy.

Edited from a New England Council (NEC) report

University of Maine researchers have received a $10 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate the use of low-value wood to produce jet fuel and fish feed.

The NEC reported that “Wood contains organic compounds called lignins that can be converted into fuel and sugars that can be fermented into fish-feed proteins. Developing new products using wood that has been considered waste could create additional revenue streams, maximize the value of the forestland, avoid changes in land use, and encourage more effective forest management.’’

“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,” said Clayton Wheeler, director of UMaine’s Forest Bioproducts Research Institute.