Bowie County, Texas, has received a Biofuel Development Opportunity (BDO) Zone “AA” rating from Ecostrat covering 800,000 bone dry tons per year of woody biomass within a 75-mile driving radius of Texarkana.

The assessment from Ecostrat and the BDO Zone Initiative, in partnership with TexAmericas Center, identifies the region as having high prospective viability for feedstock supply and infrastructure and low expected default risk, according to the organizations.

The assessment identified a surplus of pine pulpwood and thinning material resulting from annual timber growth exceeding removals in the region. The zone is anchored by the 140-acre Boone-Copeland Industrial Park in Hooks, Texas, part of TexAmericas Center. The site has access to major utilities, on-site rail and highways.

The quantified biomass resource could support developers evaluating biofuels, renewable chemicals, biogas and wood-based materials projects. A BDO Zone rating evaluates feedstock availability, supply-chain strength and infrastructure using more than 100 standardized risk indicators, according to Ecostrat.

The Bowie County rating is one of a growing number of regional assessments intended to provide standardized information for bio-based project development. Ecostrat reported in August that its BDO Zone network had reached 58 rated zones across the U.S. and Canada, with about $7.6 billion in announced biomanufacturing investment associated with the zones.

“This ‘AA’ rating validates something we have long understood about our region: Northeast Texas has the natural resources, infrastructure, workforce and industrial capacity to compete for the next generation of bio-based industries,” Scott Norton, CEO of TexAmericas Center, said in a statement.

Why it Matters

The rating provides developers with a quantified assessment of a potential feedstock base before committing to a specific project. Ecostrat says BDO Zone ratings are being used by economic-development organizations to identify and promote regions with the biomass supply, infrastructure and supply-chain characteristics needed for new biomanufacturing facilities.

The approach is also being applied to multiple feedstocks and regions. Ecostrat's published ratings include recent assessments for woody biomass in Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, New York and West Virginia, as well as corn stover, canola seed and other biomass resources.

The Texarkana-area rating comes as chemical manufacturing expands at TexAmericas Center. In June, Coim USA announced an approximately $50 million expansion there that will add manufacturing capacity for renewable polyols made primarily from cashew nutshell liquid. The company also plans additional specialty-chemical production capacity at the site.