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About us

Our mission

To provide stakeholders, interested in creating a forest residuals to bio-jet industry, with regional solutions that are economically viable, socially acceptable, and meet the high environmental standards of the Pacific Northwest (WA, OR, ID and MT).

What is NARA?

NARA is an alliance of public universities, government laboratories and private industry that provides technologies, resources and analyses for stakeholders interested in using forest residuals to create bio-based alternatives to petroleum-based products such as jet fuel. The Alliance is funded through a five-year grant provided by USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Led by Washington State University, the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA) will take a comprehensive approach to building a supply chain for aviation biofuel with the goal of increasing efficiency in everything from forestry operations to conversion processes. Using forest residuals from logging operations as feedstock, the project aims to create a sustainable industry to produce aviation biofuels and important co-products. The project includes a broad alliance of private industry and educational institutions from throughout the Northwest.

NARA’s Five Teams

To meet its mission’s goals, the Alliance is broken down into specific areas of focus:

Education

Engage citizens, meet future workforce needs, enhance science literacy in biofuels, and help people understand how they’re going to fit into the new energy economy.

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Sustainability Measurement

Evaluate and assess environmental, social, and economic viability of the overall wood to biofuels supply chain, guiding the project as it goes forward.

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Feed Stock

Take a multi-pronged approach for the development and sustainable production of feedstocks derived from wood materials, including forest harvest residues and municipal solid wood waste.

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Conversion

Provide a biomass-derived replacement for aviation fuel and other petroleum-derived chemicals in a way that is economically and technologically feasible.

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Outreach

Serve as a conduit between researchers and community stakeholders, helping to transfer the science and technology of biofuels and important co-products to communities in the Northwest.

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