The Mid-Atlantic Sustainable Biomass Consortium (MASBio) is a regional network of universities, businesses and governmental organizations dedicated to delivering a sustainable and economically feasible biomass for value-added products system in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S.
This integrated and transdisciplinary research, education and extension project will facilitate and foster development of the bioeconomy and rural prosperity in the region. MASBio capitalizes on the R&D strengths of West Virginia University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Penn State University, State University of New York, West Virginia State University, and University of Wisconsin–Madison in collaboration with the USDA Forest Service and Forest Products Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge and Idaho National Laboratories, 12 industry partners and other stakeholders.
This project leverages and strategically utilizes available resources and geographical advantages in the Mid-Atlantic region to facilitate expansion of the bioeconomy. These existing resources include over 10 million acres of mined and marginal agricultural lands that can be reclaimed and used to produce biomass crops seasonally without occupying or competing with food crops for existing cultivated area. Additionally, more than 8 million dry tons of forest residues are produced annually in the region, and will be the foundation to create a multi-feedstock biomass supply chain of blended residues and biomass crops to maintain continuity of the feedstock supply throughout the year.
This project is supported by Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive
Grant no. 2020-68012-31881 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.