U of Illinois students awarded BP grant to study biomass

Biomass Power & Thermal
By Matt Soberg August 22, 2011

A $5,000 research grant was awarded to undergraduate students from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign by British Petroleum. The purpose of the grant is for students to learn the engineering properties of biomass. The grant was obtained through Luis Rodriguez, a professor in the department of agricultural and biological engineering.

The students will be studying specific biomass properties including texture, density, moisture content and others. “Although we know engineering properties of many materials, we need to understand how to handle biomass in a practical manner to utilize it as energy,” Rodriguez said. It is necessary for the students to learn how biomass is harvested, stored and changed, he added.

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