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Biomass-fueled boiler to be operational this year, Campus Facilities officials say
Mar 9, 2012
Already one of the most energy-efficient power plants in the the nation, MU is on schedule to open its 100 percent biomass boiler by the end of this year, according to this article. The boiler will be a great tool in the university’s search for sustainable energy.
From Mizzou Weekly
Construction is underway on the 100 percent biomass-fueled boiler at MU’s power plant. When operational later this year, the boiler could shrink the plant’s coal usage by a wide margin.
The power plant might be considered the James Brown of the university. Churning up to 66 megawatts of electricity and 1.1 million pounds of steam each hour, it’s undoubtedly the hardest working facility on campus.
As coal-fired plants go, MU’s is more efficient than most. Because it produces thermal heat and electrical power at the same time, the plant burns a third less coal than power-only plants, resulting in about 100,000 fewer tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
The plant’s coal usage could decrease by 25 percent by the middle of this year, when the new boiler goes online. At first, it will burn mostly waste from wood milling operations. Campus Facilities’ Energy Management officials expect to eventually use up to 140,000 tons annually of sustainable biomass from various sources in Missouri: waste wood; corn cobs and stalks; prairie grasses, such as miscanthus and switchgrass; and fast-growing trees, such as willow and cottonwood. More…