University of Iowa now burning 'opportunity fuel' in power plant

When a powerful cell of storms blew through Eastern Iowa on Sept. 19, homes were damaged, neighborhoods went dark and dozens of trees – including a cluster at the Macbride Nature Recreation Area – were destroyed.

University of Iowa Recreational Services, which leases the recreation area from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for educational and athletic programs, was left with the daunting task of cleaning up the timber wreckage.

“As we started working, we realized we didn't have the resources to remove them in a safe manner,” said Rob Dubay, an associate director and program coordinator for UI Recreational Services.

So he contacted UI facilities management, which was more than happy to help. Because what was seen as a loss and now a mess for Recreational Services was – in the eyes of the UI Office of Sustainability – an opportunity.

“It's what they call opportunity fuel,” Dubay said.

As part of the UI's biomass fuel project, the trees were collected, mulched and turned into a blended fuel that now can be used in the UI's main power plant.

Officials said the project is helping the UI meet one of its 2020 sustainability goals of achieving 40 percent renewable energy consumption on campus by replacing coal with blended fuel in its boilers.

The UI recently made strides in that effort by enabling its boilers to burn a blend of coal and wood chips collected both through planned harvesting of dead and dying trees and through events such as the September storm, said Ferman Milster, principal engineer of renewable for UI facilities management.

“This is the first time that our UI landscape services folks participated in the (biomass fuel) project,” Milster said. “They do this work all the time, but this was the first time we could turn around and use it for fuel in our boilers.”

The UI began burning the coal-wood chip blend for the first time this month after years spent planning. The process involves gathering the trees, mulching them and shipping them to a facility in Muscatine, where they are stored and mixed with coal before coming back in blended fuel form, Milster said.

“We have all the tests and modifications done, and we will do it continuously now,” Milster said.

The UI has more harvesting projects planned for the future, but Milster said he also hopes to build on the opportunity-fuel options.

“There will be more opportunities coming,” Milster said, citing the recent spread of the tree-killing Emerald ash borer in Eastern Iowa.  “We want to get our name out there and work with folks to work deals.”

Wood chip-producing opportunities such as storm events and beetle infestations might not produce a large amount of material, according to Milster. But, he said, it's a way to reuse material that might otherwise be wasted while reducing the UI's dependence on coal.

“It's a way for us to use existing assets to create more renewable energy,” he said.

The UI also is exploring the option of growing its own energy crops in the future, such as miscanthus grass. Most of the biomass efforts both cost and save money, Milster said.

“So we are trying to do it on a revenue neutral basis,” he said. “Some of the costs would be associated with reaping it, storing it and using it.

"But we are not buying as much coal, so it evens out.”

Before the September storm, UI Recreational Services already had contacted the Office of Sustainability to discuss partnering on biomass opportunities at the Macbride Nature Recreation Area, said Liz Christiansen, director of the sustainability office.

“A week later this terrible storm came through,” Christiansen said. “And now we are using wood chips in both of our solid fuel boilers.”

The UI spends millions of dollars on coal every year, she said, and this biomass fuel effort redirects some of those dollars locally.

“We know that we can substantially achieve our 40 percent renewable energy target using locally-available fuels,” Christiansen said, adding that the collaboration between UI departments on the biomass fuel project shows, “We are building a culture of sustainability on campus."