Coal to Boilers

The total coal flow indicates the total amount of coal currently being burned each hour in the two coal boilers. The coal flow varies as the university's energy demands change. For reference, coal is delivered to the power plant in semi-trucks and each truck contains 25 tons of coal.

The coal is burned in our two fluidized bed boilers. The coal is burned with limestone, reducing sulfur emissions more than 90%. The operators closely monitor boiler operations to maximize efficiency and minimize emissions.

The coal used by Iowa State comes from southern Illinois and western Colorado. The coal is shipped to Muscatine, Iowa by rail and barge. The two coals are blended at Muscatine and then loaded into trucks for delivery to the Power Plant. Those same trucks pick up corn, soybeans and other commodities to take back to southeast Iowa.