March 15, 2023 – Agricultural biotechnology company Qualterra, Inc., a leader in agricultural and sustainability technologies, today announced a major milestone in their business. On March 7, 2023, Qualterra delivered its next generation Biomass Processing Unit (BPU) to its customer, Vaagen Timbers of Colville, WA. This is a major milestone for Qualterra’s biomass processing and carbon regeneration team.
Qualterra’s patented BPU systems, cleanly and economically process a variety of agricultural and timber wastes, capturing carbon into a beneficial soil amendment called biochar. Biochar that is applied back into agricultural fields, improves crop yields while reducing water and fertilizer needs. The energy is captured from Qualterra’s BPU to help offset energy costs of facilities like warehouses, greenhouses, or other buildings.
Qualterra’s customer, Vaagen Timbers is a Colville, WA based producer of cross laminated and glue laminated timber in North America. The company uses an eco-friendly and integrated approach to develop and deliver beautiful
, strong and versatile wood products for their customers. They will integrate Qualterra’s BPU into their manufacturing system in order to responsibly process wood fines and wood waste to create biochar and utilize the energy generated by the Qualterra BPU as an energy source for their wood drying kiln.
“We are pleased with our BPU design and implementation for this customer,” said David Drinkard, VP of Biomass Processing at Qualterra. “Our engineering and fabrication team worked cohesively to bring this project to completion on-time and on-budget.”
“Vaagen Timbers is excited to put this Qualterra unit to work. This Biomass Processing Unit, in combination with our new dehumidification kiln made from Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) is the final piece of a project that was realized with the help of a Wood Innovations Grant from the US Forest Service, said Russ Vaagen, CEO at Vaagen Timbers. “This innovative BPU allows us to get the most utilization from our woody byproducts in a sustainable and carbon smart way. A special thanks to the team at Qualterra for being an excellent collaborative partner.”
“What an important milestone achieved for both Qualterra and Vaagen Timbers. Commitments to sustainably and responsibly processing natural resources like timber are shared visions of both of our companies,” said Mike Werner, CEO at Qualterra. “We look forward to the years of use and benefit Vaagen Timbers will have with their Qualterra BPU.”
About Qualterra
Qualterra is an agricultural technology company on a mission to create innovations in agriculture and sustainability. Qualterra’s platform of technologies follow a plant life-cycle from molecular plant testing and breeding support to propagation and nursery technologies through ag biomass waste processing and carbon capture technologies. Qualterra, headquartered in Washington State, USA, has three commercial facilities located in the main agricultural production area of the State. For more information about Quatlerra, please visit www.qualterraag.com
About Vaagen Timbers
Vaagen Timbers, LLC (“Vaagen”) is based in Colville, Washington is a Cross Laminated Timber (“CLT”) and Mass Timber producer with 108 employees. Recently named the 2020 “Manufacturer of the Year” by Seattle Business Magazine and Entrepreneur of the Year by the Association of Washington Business, Vaagen specializes in producing CLT, which is a manufactured panel that is extremely strong, durable, and fire resistant, yet lightweight and simple to install. These qualities, along with CLT’s eco-friendly reputation has made it an attractive option for the construction of homes, apartment buildings and office buildings, serving as a substitute for concrete and steel. Vaagen Mass Timber can be pre-engineered at its factory and is easy to ship. Its use can reduce on-site construction timelines and serves as a compliment or substitute for concrete and steel. Along with CLT, Vaagen also produces Glulam Beams and Glue Laminated Timber Panels (“GLT”) that, like CLT, are easy to install, improves indoor air quality, and provides an aesthetically pleasing appearance. These products are part of every CLT installation and Vaagen is one of the few North American companies that can produce the full range of products. Vaagen prides themselves on their healthy ecological footprint from the forest to the product. Vaagen is a leader in sustainable forestry practices and its products greatly reduce carbon compared with traditional building materials. For more information about Vaagen Timbers LLC, please visit https://vaagentimbers.com/.