The University of Missouri (MU) in Columbia, Mo. is being commended for its commitment to energy reduction and sustainability through the installation of a new biomass boiler. The university and its construction team recently completed a $75 million project to install a new 100 percent biomass-fired boiler, which is expected to reduce fossil fuel use by 25 percent, significantly increase the use of locally available fuel, and expand opportunities for the university to continue its ongoing research of alternate fuels.
Since 2005, MU’s college of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (CAFNR) and the MU extension have been dedicated to helping the school’s power plant find the most cost-effective biomass fuel sources. Viable alternatives have included burning corn cobs, switch grass, woody biomass from mill waste, and discarded pallets blended with coal.