Open AccessFinal Technical Report
Author(s) -
John M. Davis
Publication year - 2005
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/884687
Subject(s) - raw material , production (economics) , lignin , product (mathematics) , pulp and paper industry , environmental science , nitrogen fertilizer , business , waste management , agricultural engineering , process engineering , fertilizer , engineering , chemistry , agronomy , mathematics , economics , biology , geometry , organic chemistry , macroeconomics
The forest products industry consumes large amounts of energy. Understanding how genetic variation in trees actually controls the characteristics of wood, the major raw material utilized by the industry, is an opportunity for energy savings. For companies that are vertically integrated (i.e., have both tree production and processing operations), energy savings can accrue for both production and processing. Tree production demands nitrogen fertilizers, the manufacture of which is highly energy intensive. Wood processing for paper product manufacturing requires digestion and bleaching, both of which are more efficient when the lignin content of wood is reduced. This project identified genes involved in utilization of nitrogen from fertilizer, and the coupling of nitrogen demand to lignin content, establishing a framework for reducing tree nitrogen demand per unit carbon gained. This creates opportunities for genetic manipulation of trees for greater energy efficiency