WVU Wood Biomass Research - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

WVU Wood Biomass Research

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - Researchers from West Virginia University are exploring the economic and environmental impacts of wood biomass utilization in rural central Appalachia.

The Morgantown school says the team was recently awarded a nearly $350,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of a larger effort to spur production of bio energy and bio-based products.

The grant will fund the three-year project to assess the potential economic impact of increasing the use of woody biomass as a feedstock for liquid fuels. Researchers will focus their efforts on rural counties in southern West Virginia and bordering counties in Kentucky and Virginia.

Officials say the team will analyze the price and availability of woody biomass in the region and evaluate the environmental impacts of harvesting, transportation, material processing and production of liquid fuels.

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