With high gas prices and concerns about diverting crops from food to fuel, West Virginia University researchers believe theyve found a solution in the forests of the Mountain State.

West Virginia is the third most heavily forested state in the nation, and the harvesting process yields around 2.4 million dry tons of wood residues each year. These residues include the waste left over from forest operations and managementand sawdust, chips and barks in sawmills.

These wood wastes are sustainable and can be used as feedstock for biofuels, biogas and green electricity,said Jingxin Wang, associate professor of wood science and technology in WVU s Division of Forestry and Natural Resources.

Wang; Joseph McNeel, professor and director of the division; Jinzhuo Wu, a graduate research assistant in the program; and Tony Goff, a research technician, have conducted extensive research on the sustainability of wood residue as a source of bioenergy.

With a conversion factor of 50-120 gallons of ethanol from one dry ton of wood chips, West Virginia could produce up to 159 million gallons of ethanol per year,Wang said.Even if a small fraction of woody biomass were used, a significant amount of bioenergy could be produced.

The use of wood residues as feedstock for bioenergy may provide West Virginia a significant opportunity in economic development and energy independence, according to Wang.

West Virginia is a moderate ethanol consumer, but future trends of ethanol consumption are inevitably increasing,he said.

The most current ethanol consumption in West Virginia is about 126,000 gallons. Bordering states Ohio, Virginia and Pennsylvania consume more ethanol than West Virginia.

Currently, West Virginia and Virginia have no ethanol production,Wang added.If the woody biomass in West Virginia can be converted into ethanol, the ethanol produced can not only supply its own needs, but also supply markets in the neighboring states.

The research team represents WVU s Biomaterials and Wood Utilization Research Center, one of only a dozen such centers to be funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The centers research efforts are focused on providing research leadership for the regions forest products economy and increasing the success of processing and manufacturing. Its scholars aim to improve the use of Appalachian hardwoods, improve opportunities for value-added products developed from wood residues and enhance the global competitiveness of hardwood industries in Appalachia.

Wang and his colleagues participated in the U.S. Department of Agricultures Grand Challenge, a competition to promote forward thinking and leadership in land-grant colleges of agriculture and forestry and other institutions of higher learning. The research team from WVU , one of 13 universities honored with the Grand Challenge award, was invited to present its research during the Department of Agricultures Research, Education and Economics Bio Energy Awareness Days II this past summer in Washington, D.C.

The Grand Challenge is conducted in cooperation with the 25×25 Alliance, which aims to see Americas farms, ranches and forests provide 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States by 2025, while continuing to produce safe, abundant and affordable food, feed and fiber.