USDA Awards $49 Million for Biomass Energy Projects in 14 States

From the USDA ...

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on June 11 its selection of 23 biomass energy projects in 14 states that will receive $49 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funds will help create markets for small-diameter and low-value trees removed during forest restoration activities.

The wood will be used to fire boilers for heating systems in schools and other facilities, to provide heat for a cement plant, as fuel for biomass power systems and combined heat and power systems (also known as cogeneration systems), and as a source of firewood and pellets for wood stoves. It will also be co-fired with coal in a coal power plant in Colorado, while Oregon will evaluate the value of in-woods, portable pyrolysis units that would convert biomass into a biobased oil. Biomass pyrolysis involves heating wood to high temperatures in the absence of oxygen, causing the organic compounds in the wood to break down.

See the full USDA press release