Integrating geothermal energy into wood processing to maximize value

Global resource depletion and environmental pressures to reduce fossil fuel consumption will result in an increasing demand for renewable bio-based alternatives to many of the products currently derived from fossil fuels. This includes energy and fuels from biomass as well as other products. Table 1 shows potential global markets and their predicted growth rates for a number of non-traditional products that could be made from woody biomass. Wood processors, including pulp and paper mills, sawmills and panel mills, have a significant opportunity to capitalize on this demand as their waste streams will be increasingly looked upon as feedstocks for bio-based products.