University of Montana’s College of Technology building a better generator that uses biomass
| August 7, 2008 |  View for printing |
One would be forgiven for thinking the half-million dollar black trailer tucked behind the Missoula Technology and Development Center near Missoula International Airport was the original hauler from the classic television series “Knight Rider,” the one that housed KITT.
But instead of an automated Trans-Am, this unit houses a state of the art power generator. Without using diesel, the system combusts biomass—like ag waste or logging slash—and converts it into a hydrogen-rich gas that powers a 25-kilowatt generator. That’s enough to power 15 houses, says Brian Kerns, a project manager with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Biomass Research Development Initiative.
“Biomass in western Montana means trees,” says Kerns, who also teaches at the University of Montana’s College of Technology. Specifically, “waste stocks” for the country’s first “trailerized” biomass generator include pallets and donated waste wood from nearby pulp and post mills. “We just want to use waste,” he says.
By: Chad Harder
Full Story: http://www.missoulanews.com/index.cf ... A567BCC482C
No reader comments so far. Be the first to comment by clicking the button below.
Reprinted under the Fair Use doctrine of international copyright law. Full copyright retained by the original publication. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
