Torrefied biomass to run a locomotive

May 24, 2012 – Researchers at the University of Minnesota, in
partnership with Sustainable Rail International, are working on
retrofitting a steam locomotive to run on torrified biomass.

In an article published in Biomass Power & Thermal, the project – the Coalition for Sustainable Rail (CSR) – will retrofit a locomotive that was built in 1937 to run on biomass, which would hopefully increase its horsepower. According to the president of CSR, Davidson Ward, the switch will be able to provide higher horsepower at higher speeds.

The aim is to break the world record for steam locomotive speed to showcase the viability of the technology and encourage further research.

For more information, please see the complete article on Biomass Power & Thermal.