NIU’s Mahdi Vaezi is investigating the feasibility of constructing an innovative, first-of-its-kind biomass pipeline.
The research project, supported by a $650,000 award over four years to NIU from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, could lay the groundwork for the world’s first biomass pipeline in the state of Maine, says Vaezi, a professor of Engineering Technology.
Simply put, biomass is renewable organic material that comes from plants and animals. It has been used to cook and stay warm since the dawn of humankind—think of a wood-burning stove or fireplace, for example.
Biomass continues to be an important fuel in many countries, especially for cooking and heating in developing countries, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The use of biomass fuels for transportation and for electricity generation is increasing in many developed countries as a means of avoiding carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel use.
Today’s biomass feedstocks can include dedicated energy crops, agricultural crop residues, forestry residues, algae, wood processing residues and the organic components of municipal and industrial waste. Benefits from the use of biomass energy include reducing dependence on foreign oil, supporting U.S. agricultural and forest-product industries and the potential to greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“Much of the world is dependent on fossil fuels, and everyone is looking for replacement options,” Vaezi said. “Yet we have vast sources of biomass that are wasted or underutilized.”
For more details, visit the NIU Newsroom.
