Category: Energy

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Events Promote Sustainability Awareness at Home and Far-Far Away

PlasticParadiseDirector, writer and actress Angela Sun will visit the Urbana-Champaign campus at 6 p.m. on Tues., Oct. 21 for a screening of her film “Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.”

The documentary records the plight of the natural ecosystem of Midway Atoll as it encounters the Great Pacific Gyre, a swirling garbage patch of plastic washed off of surrounding continents.

Named a National Wildlife Refuge in 1988, Midway’s reefs and sand islands form a habitat for millions of seabirds. The film traces Sun’s investigation of the damage produced by humans’ demand for plastic.

The event will be held in Room 149, National Soybean Research Center.

Co-sponsors for this free community/campus event are the Institute for Sustainablity, Energy, and the Environment (iSEE), and the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center.

Plastics in the environment have increasingly raised concerns from researchers, activists and policy makers. California-based Surfrider Foundation has named October “Rise Above Plastics” month, during which they promote consumer awareness against the tsunami of plastic in the human economy. A phenomenon of the second half of the 20th century, plastic production has supplanted the use of natural materials with the benefits of being light and strong. But those very properties mean they degrade very slowly and have alarmed many scientists for their increasing presence in the marine food chain. ISTC has several projects looking at the reuse and recycling of plastics to keep more of them out of landfills or the environment. Click here for a recent report on plastic to oil research at ISTC.

Sun’s visit is also an appropriate warm-up to “Campus Sustainability Day” recognized on the U of I campus and nationally the next day, Oct. 22. Between 1-4 p.m. in Illini Union Room 314B on Oct. 22, iSEE will sponsor a progress report of the university’s Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP). In 2010, U of I became a leader among U.S. universities by announcing ambitious climate goals, including carbon neutrality by 2050. Register here for the iCAP update.

Working teams developing revisions to the 2010 iCAP will review the campus’ progress on the plan and accept public comment on a proposed 2015 iCAP update.

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Springfield Newspaper Features People, Planet, Profit Approach at ISTC

ILTimesA lengthy article in the Springfield’s Illinois Times yesterday examined the practical, progressive approach to sustainable action  at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center. It is called the “Triple Bottom Line,” describing an approach to balance the interests of the planet, its people and a healthy economy — or, people, planet profits.

 

In the article, reporter Patrick Yeagle quotes ISTC Director Kevin O’Brien saying “We don’t want Illinois businesses to prioritize profit at the expense of the planet; that’s Texas,” O’Brien said. “Likewise, we don’t want them to forgo profit in the name of saving the planet; that’s California.”

 

The Times reviews some of the current research and technical assistance efforts of the Center including: making a variety of liquid fuels from plastics; supercapacitors from biochar; low-energy desalinization technology; combatting emerging pollutants; detecting water infrastructure leaks, and; shrinking waste streams to landfills.

 

To read the full article visit the Time’s website at http://illinoistimes.com/article-14158-science-to-solve-tomorrow%25E2%2580%2599s-problems.html

 

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Middle Schoolers Celebrate Clean Power on Earth Day

WindJeffersonOn Earth Day, April 22, Jefferson Middle School hosted a ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of their 3.5 kW h wind turbine project.

The clean energy project was funded by the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, ISTC, and high efficiency light bulb sales by the school’s Green Team.

The little turbine spun energetically during the morning ceremony, producing an estimated three percent of the school’s energy requirements. Members of the Green Team gathered around a commemorative plaque while a green ribbon was ceremonially cut.

Science teacher Jeff Freymuth (right) explained that the idea for collecting wind power came from a visit to a school in Springfield. “They had a wind turbine, why can’t we?” he recalled. The installation will be used in clean power course work for both the middle school and Centennial High next door, he said.

The 13.4 foot diameter rotor will produce an estimated 5550-11,300 kW h directly into the school’s power grid. Also pictured (left) is Jefferson Middle School Principal Angelica Franklin.

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Three Tips on the Road to a Great Governor’s Award Application

TrophyPath2If your organization has done a lot in the name of sustainability – from projects that save money and resources to initiatives that strengthen the people and communities you work for – what are you waiting for? The Governor’s Sustainability Award provides a great opportunity for you to pull all of your sustainability work together into a single document: Your award application!

 

Because sustainability encompasses the triple bottom line – People, Planet, Profit – it can be tough to wrap one’s brain around all that should be included in your application. Our How To Apply page and FAQ’s will help you in that process, but we know that’s a lot to read! Here are three tips to help you cut to the chase, and get started on your application (due May 22).

 

1. Start driving. Get key people on board.

Governor’s Award Applications are typically a team effort, but there is often a single person or small team that drives the process forward. The application drivers can be anyone – from top management to employees who volunteer time on a Green Team. If you’re reading this, you may be the driver!

 

Send a note out to co-workers letting them know you’re preparing a Gov.’s Award application. Here are some key people to get on board early (positions vary by organization):

  • Top Management
  • Facilities/Operations Manager
  • Plant Manager
  • Sustainability Officer/Green Team Lead
  • PR Officer

 

2. Read these two things.

Narrative Guidelines –You have up to six single-spaced pages to describe your sustainability accomplishments. These guidelines tell you how.

 

Metrics Form Instructions – Download the Metrics Form (Microsoft Excel format) and read the Instructions tab.

 

3. Check out the sample applications.

The sample applications, available HERE, display best practices from past winners’ applications. Note that a good application typically includes a variety of projects touching on multiple impacts or aspects of sustainability. The project descriptions will also include some detail on how they were conceived and who was involved. We want to hear how your organization went from idea to implementation.

 

 

BONUS TIP: Consider normalizing your data.

Normalized data is reported on a relevant per-unit basis. One of our 2013 award winners, Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, tracked their water use in this way before and after implementing water conservation measures in their wash bay. Instead of simply reporting total gallons of water consumed, they reported gallons per vehicle-hour, providing us with a water-use measure that can be compared across years, regardless of how many trips the buses make.  This type of measurement, a normalized metric, is extremely helpful for evaluating your progress – the true impact of a sustainability project.

 

Check out the Illinois Manufacturer Inc. sample application for more normalization examples and talk to your team about what per-unit measures you might use in your application.

 

If you still have questions about the process, contact John Mulrow for more information via e-mail at jmulrow@illinois.edu or call him at 630.586.9168.

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Engineer Explains the Promise of the Other Hydrogen Fuel

AmmoniaEngineJunhua Jiang, Senior Research Engineer at ISTC is featured in two Lightning Talk presentations from 2011 now available on the Prairie Research Institute’s YouTube channel.
In one talk, Jiang deals with his work on improving electrochemical nanostructured microelectrodes for sensing nitrogen. He describes his work increasing nitrogen sensor sensitivity and using biochar nanostructures in the electrodes.
In a second talk he describes the promise of using ammonia as a transportation fuel using direct ammonia fuel cells. Jiang describes the promise of a ammonia economy, providing an inexpensive, sustainable liquid fuel that can use existing infrastructure and emits no carbon dioxide.
Also, click here for more information about the 2014 Prairie Lightning Symposium.

#prairielightning

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UI Projects in Haiti Subject of Jan. 28 Meeting

ISTC will host a meeting of faculty and staff from 2-3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28 to discuss projects in Haiti.

 

Staff at ISTC have participated for several years in an effort to establish bio-diesel production facility in northeast Haiti. Other campus efforts are also underway and this is an opportunity to share information and potential collaborations.

 

Please contact Nancy Holm (naholm@illinois.edu) if you are interested in attending. The meeting will be at the IL Sustainable Technology Center, One E. Hazelwood Dr., Champaign.

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Haiti’s First Bio-fuel Project Gets New Boost

Joe Pickowitz spent part of the winter break working on a first — Haiti’s first bio-fuel production facility.

 

It has been a multi-year collaborative effort between the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) and a non-profit organization, Jatropha Pepinyè, which has focused on an indigenous source of diesel fuel as a foundation for building a stable Haitian economy.

 

Pickowitz and ISTC teamed up with Jatropha Pepinyè [a nonprofit Haitian business – which is administrated by Partners for People and Place (PPP) – a 501c(3) nonprofit] and Esperance et Vie [a Haitian nonprofit, nongovernmental organization] to help implement a biodiesel pilot plant and start farm growth of a native feedstock, Jatropha, in 2008.

 

Picowitz, an environmental engineer at ISTC, has served as a technical expert for the group, traveling to Haiti a number of times to help build the infrastructure for a continuous biofuel production process.

 

Jatropha Pepinyè has planted a sufficient supply of native Jatropha curcasa trees and have nurtured them to maturity. The beans from the tree have among the highest concentrations of bio-oils among plant varieties. They can be grown easily in marginal soil and they are not a food crop, in fact animals will not eat them due to toxic compounds they contain. Currently the project has about 150 acres planted with Jatropha. The project also contributes to the re-vegetation of deforested landscapes.

 

The goal for this trip was to add a pretreatment unit to crush the beans for maximum fluid extraction.

 

The pilot plant can make a 40-gallon batch of biodiesel in about two days.  However, once the Haitians are able to make consistent quality batches, Pickowitz predicts that they could scale up to 200-gallon batches in the same two-day time frame as well as add more holding containers so that the next batch of biodiesel can be prepped during the two-day reaction time of the current batch.

 

In the impoverished country of Haiti, people often have a hard time getting essential items needed for living and working, especially food and fuel.  The Haitian people currently use about 71 percent wood/charcoal and 29 percent petroleum/hydroelectric (65 percent of which is diesel) for fuel according to Kathleen Robbins, co-founder of Jatropha Pepinyè. However, 98 percent of Haiti is deforested so wood and charcoal soon will not be an option.

 

Most homes in Haiti that have electricity are powered by a diesel generator because Haiti has no power grid.  Because 100 percent of Haiti’s petroleum is imported and with the rising price of crude oil around the world, it will be even harder for the Haitian people to maintain even the poorest standards of living. This project will reduce Haiti’s dependence on foreign oil and create jobs.

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Protect Your Pipes During Polar Vortex

 

As the polar vortex prepared to plunge temperatures south of zero degrees Saturday, the Champaign News Gazette busted a myth about frozen water pipes.

 

Pipes don’t burst when ice expands inside the pipe, according to ISTC Senior Research Architect Bill Rose. Research at the Indoor Climate Research and Training program has demonstrated that ice forms along the length of a pipe, making water pressure soar. As the blockage grows, so does the water pressure, according to Rose. It is the water pressure that leads to a pipe’s failure.

 

The research suggests practical tips on preventing, and coping with frozen pipes.

 

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2014-01-04/take-steps-avoid-pipes-bursting.html

 

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Homes Needed for Indoor Air Quality Research

Air quality inside our homes is one of the leading areas of concern by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Garages, where we store our cars, often also house all types of solvents, paints and other chemicals, are of particular interest to researchers.

 

The Indoor Climate Research and Training program is conducting an ASHRAE-funded study on how to reduce the negative impact of attached garages on the air quality in our living spaces.

 

Homes in Champaign Country with attached garages are needed for this study.  The testing will last 3-4 weeks and will involve multiple home visits by researchers.

 

For more information regarding the study, please follow the link to the ICRT web site: http://www.indoorclimate.istc.illinois.edu/news.cfm

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ISTC Supercapacitor Research Gets Most Online Buzz

“Highly ordered macroporous woody biochar with ultra-high carbon content as supercapacitor electrodes” by ISTC researchers Junhua Jiang, Lei Zhang, Xinying Wang, Nancy Holm, Kishore Rajagopalan, and colleagues at the University of South Carolina had the highest altmetric scores from altmetric.com for the Electrochimica Acta for the past six months. This is particularly noteworthy since the articles was published online in November.

 

The article by lead author, Senior Researcher Jiang, received an altmetric score of 43 for the period. The next most popular article received a score of eight.

 

The Illinois Hazardous Waste Research Fund and the HeteroFoaM Center (an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Basic Research) supported this study.

 

For more on biochar supercapacitors, visit http://www.dailyillini.com/news/campus/article_5d819c9c-45b8-11e3-8549-001a4bcf6878.html