Sandoval Countys Biomass Utilization Feasibility Study Strategy for

Sandoval County’s Biomass Utilization Feasibility Study: Strategy for Developing a Next‐Century, Low‐Carbon Economy around Bio‐Based Products

History The Sandoval County Biomass Utilization Feasibility Study, funded by a U. S. Forest Service grant in 2017, addresses one of the major economic impediments to northern New Mexico’s forestoration projects: how to convert low value/no value woody biomass from a waste that carries disposal costs, to a feedstock used to produce a marketable product(s).

Project Goals • Economic Development – create 900 new jobs in Sandoval County’s urban and rural areas • Community Resilience – protect the watershed used by half of all New Mexicans for their water supply • Forest Health – accelerate the reduction on hazardous fuels on 437, 500 acres of forested lands within a 50‐mi radius of the County.

Project Objectives and Status • Outreach to industry and the public. (8 mtgs, 83 participants, 15 one‐on‐one mtgs with mfrs) • Quantify low/no‐value biomass feedstocks available to the local wood products industry over the next 20 years. (complete for total stocks)

Project Objectives and Status • Identify market value and market demand for products made with low/no value woody biomass. (Analyzed 14 traditional mfg categories and eliminated 100%. ) • Explore potential revenue from selling carbon credits. (Composting carbon credit project developed, currently undergoing verification. Est $13 K in credits to be sold in private transaction. )

Project Objectives • Recommend manufacturing operation(s) for Sandoval County based on feedstock supply, market demand, co‐benefits and economics. (Analyzed 14 categories of traditional manufacturing operations; eliminated 100%) • Develop a shovel‐ready construction project in Sandoval County for a wood product manufacturing operation that creates a market for low/no value woody biomass.

Lacking a traditional silver bullet…how can we leverage our biomass resources to create a high value‐added, low‐ carbon economic cluster, and promote forest and watershed health?

Just two words: Bio-Based Products Mr. Mc. Guire: I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. 
 Benjamin: Yes, sir. 
 Mr. Mc. Guire: Are you listening? 
 Benjamin: Yes, I am. 
 Mr. Mc. Guire: Plastics. 
 Benjamin: Exactly how do you mean? 
 Mr. Mc. Guire: There’s a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it? — The Graduate (1967)

What are Bio‐Based Products? • Biocomposites (e. g, carbon fiber‐reinforced polymer) • Bio‐Based Chemicals (26 hold promise ‐ DOE) • Bio‐Based Materials (e. g. , lignin, carbon fiber)

Next Steps: • Immediately begin dialogue with targeted bio‐ based products manufacturing companies to understand their site selection criteria, and benchmark them against the County’s capacity.

Next Steps: • Assess NM’s capacity to meet the site selection criteria of its targeted “keystone” bio‐based product manufacturer.

Next Steps: • Begin dialogue with NREL, ORNL’s Center for Bioenergy Innovation, DOE’s Clean Energy Manufacturing Analysis Center (CEMAC) to understand the universe of bio‐based products in the R&D pipeline. • Explore the possibility with DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office of Sandoval County as a site of a bio‐based product “pioneer plant”

Next Steps: • Explore incentives available to the bio‐based products industry in states with well‐developed initiatives (e. g. , IA, TN, CA)

Next Steps: • Convene a consortium consisting of NM universities, SNL, LANL, state and local government, and business leaders to create the conditions necessary to attract a keystone bio‐ based product manufacturer to Sandoval County, and develop a comprehensive prospectus.

Next Steps: • Work to establish a public‐private partnership with a targeted bio‐based products manufacturing company.