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Woody Biomass Processing and Rural Regional Development

Author

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  • Randall Jackson

    (Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University)

  • Péter Járosi

    (Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University)

  • Amir B. Ferreira Neto

    (Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University)

  • Elham Erfanian

    (Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University)

Abstract

This paper reports on economic and environmental impacts of introducing woody biomass processing in an economically distressed area in central Appalachia, one of the more heavily forested areas in the U.S. Woody biomass is a readily available unconventional energy source that has the potential to boost the rural region’s economy. We use a static regional computable general equilibrium model to assess regional economic impacts of two different WBP production pathways, biomass to ethanol and biomass to biofuel via fast pyrolysis. In an economy with a workforce approaching 160,000, we find that introducing woody biomass ethanol or fast pyrolysis processing would increase regional output by 0.45% and 0.78%, boost jobs by 0.13% and 0.20%, and increase income by 0.16% to 0.26%, respectively. The results from the environmental assessment show that the ethanol pathway is substantially more environmentally friendly than the fast pyrolysis pathway.

Suggested Citation

  • Randall Jackson & Péter Járosi & Amir B. Ferreira Neto & Elham Erfanian, 2017. "Woody Biomass Processing and Rural Regional Development," Working Papers Working Paper 2017-01, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University.
    • Handle: RePEc:rri:wpaper:2017wp01
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    woody biomass processing; computable general equilibrium models; central Appalachia; rural economic development;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R58 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Regional Development Planning and Policy
    • R15 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Econometric and Input-Output Models; Other Methods
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects

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