To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of the death of Maine manufacturing have been greatly exaggerated. Yes, several Maine mills have closed and pulp and paper production statewide has declined. But the global market for advanced biobased products is skyrocketing. Maine is in an excellent position to grab market share, putting our people and natural resources to work.<\/p>\n
\u201cBiobased\u201d means making everyday products, fuels and chemicals out of renewable resources from forest, farm and sea instead of petroleum. The demand for biobased products is high because people increasingly want safer, sustainable products. Companies want to replace petroleum with biobased alternatives because of the price volatility of petroleum and its effects on the climate.<\/p>\n
Biobased manufacturing facilities are being built around the world every day. Technology to convert wood chips to sugars has already been successfully developed in Maine. These building block sugars, which were tested and found to be high quality by more than 20 companies, can be converted into high-value products, such as bioplastics, biofuels and biobased chemicals.<\/p>\n
Examples of biobased successes are popping up around Maine. True Textiles in Guilford created and dyed fabric made entirely from polylactic acid, a bioplastic made from corn. In South Portland, Grow-Tech manufactures horticultural growth media made with polylactic acid. In Boothbay, Biovation makes biobased boot dryer tactical sheet products for the military, and other products for the health care, commercial and industrial markets.<\/p>\n
The University of Maine and its Forest Bioproducts Research Institute actively churn out new biobased technologies. The university has one of the world\u2019s first pilot plants to make nanocellulose \u2014 an extremely strong, lightweight material made from very small particles of wood.<\/p>\n
Biobased manufacturing is gaining critical mass in Maine. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins recently ensured $3.5 million could be available for forest products research to improve innovation and maintain a sustainable and globally competitive domestic forest products industry. U.S. Sen. Angus King has long been a proponent of advanced manufacturing and renewable technologies. Eastern Maine Development Corporation is responding to economic distress in the Penobscot Valley region and has recently identified biobased manufacturing as an emergent opportunity for Maine\u2019s forest products industry.<\/p>\n
Maine\u2019s assets are extremely attractive to biobased investors \u2014 abundant biomass from forest, farm and sea, as well as an industrial infrastructure and a strong workforce. Also, our proud history of entrepreneurship and manufacturing means Maine can nurture and grow a new manufacturing area \u2014 especially one anchored in sustainably harvested wood and other renewable materials unique to Maine.<\/p>\n
So how does Maine turn this potential into real jobs? Other states, such as Minnesota, Iowa and Louisiana, are actively pursuing biobased manufacturing projects. How can we do this in Maine?<\/p>\n
First, we need a fresh inventory of Maine\u2019s assets to provide investors with the information they need. We\u2019ve got biomass \u2014 trees, agricultural waste, algae \u2014 but how much is available and at what cost? Where is it located? How much to transport it? Biomass cost curves and other data, including transportation, workforce and industrial infrastructure, should be packaged into a road map to attract biobased investors to Maine.<\/p>\n