Biomass Plant Efficiency Partnerships

Simon Fraser University's (SFU) School of Sustainable Energy Engineering (SEE) has partnered with Corix to enhance the efficiency of the Renewable Energy Centre biomass plant on Burnaby Mountain. This four-year research collaboration, funded through the Mitacs Accelerate program and Corix, aims to measure the quality of locally-sourced wood waste and improve the plant's performance to reduce emissions. The project, led by SEE professors Vahid Hosseini and Gordon McTaggart-Cowan, will leverage the expertise of SFU faculty and graduate students to develop more efficient technologies. Since connecting to the Renewable Energy Centre in 2020, SFU has significantly reduced its greenhouse gas emissions, with plans to reach a 50% reduction by 2025.

The research team will establish indicators for how changing characteristics of the biomass fuel impact the plant's performance. They will develop models that relate plant performance, emission, and pollutant dispersion to key fuel characteristics. Additionally, the team plans to design and build a simple test rig to provide rapid, low-cost assessments of the fuel, allowing plant operations to be optimized in near real-time based on the characteristics of the wood waste supply. This collaboration highlights SFU's leadership in sustainable energy solutions and its commitment to combating climate change.

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