A two-decade engineering push has culminated in what is the world’s first production facility to sustainably manufacture medium-density fiberboard (MDF) from post-harvest rice straw waste that has no added formaldehyde. 

The first new terminal in 40 years for the Washington State Dept. of Transportation-operated Washington State Ferries, the country’s largest ferry system, came with tricky site conditions and cultural significance that impacted both design and construction for a $187-million project split into multiple contracts to ensure on-time delivery. 

The AES Alamitos BESS facility is a stand-alone energy-storage unit for local capacity and grid-scale battery energy storage.

The plant refines waste rice straw fibers, which have the same properties as typical wood-based MDF fibers but without added chemicals