Newswise — Don't throw that French fry grease out, put it in your trucks! This is the message Clarkson engineering students are sharing with members of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe (SRMT). The University's student chapter of Engineers Without Borders " USA (EWB-USA) is putting knowledge acquired in the classroom to work on a real-world project helping design and construct a biodiesel plant on the Akwesasne reservation.
Funding for the project comes in part from an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant, an EWB "USA Project Grant and from Clarkson University's SPEED program (Student Projects for Engineering Experience and Design).
Clarkson students completed a feasibility study last fall and worked with the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe to design a biodiesel production system that will turn used vegetable oil, which the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino currently pays to dispose of, into alternative fuel. The biodiesel will be used to operate the SRMT's solid waste facility generators and maintenance vehicles. "We incorporated the heating value of both petroleum fuel and biodiesel to determine how much fuel will be required each month," remarked EWB-USA student chapter president Samuel M. Gorton. "Assuming 95% efficiency from the casino's used cooking oil, the biodiesel plant we are designing will produce more than enough fuel to meet the waste facility's needs." "We plan to use 100% biodiesel (B100) fuel in the warmer months, however, since diesel truck manufacturers recommend using only 20% biodiesel (B20) in cold weather, the waste facility will switch to a 20/80 fuel combination during the winter," remarked Laura J. Weber, Solid Waste Program Director with the SRMT Environmental Division. Weber, who is coordinating the project for the tribe, is a Native American. She is a graduate of Clarkson's School of Engineering..A film being produced with the cooperation of EWB-USA and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) will document the project. Initial footage of students completing their initial site assessment at Akwesasne and in a Clarkson laboratory analyzing used vegetable oil from the casino was shot February 7 " 9. Additional filming will occur throughout the course of the project. When finished, the documentary will be broadly distributed to classrooms to encourage middle-school girls and minorities to consider engineering as a profession.
The St. Regis Mohawk Reservation, referred to as Akwesasne by the Mohawk people, spans two countries, one state and two provinces. Roughly 14,640 acres of the territory are found in New York State, while another 11,000 acres of the territory are in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The reservation straddles the border between the U.S. and Canada along the St. Lawrence Seaway. The SRMT offers a comprehensive range of programs and services that help to strengthen the community through economic development opportunities. At the same time, the tribe's environmental division seeks to protect the natural environment and promote sustainability. "Converting used cooking oil from our restaurants into biodiesel will help our community reduce the consumption of fossil fuels, thereby reducing pollution and move the tribe one step closer to our goal of sustainability," remarked Charles Kader, assistant director of Public Information for the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe.
Engineers Without Borders " USA is a non-profit humanitarian organization established to partner with developing communities worldwide in order to improve their quality of life. This partnership involves the implementation of sustainable engineering projects, while involving and training internationally responsible engineers and engineering students. "This important project will reduce the Akwesasne community's consumption of fossil fuel and contribute to a cleaner environment, while promoting the tribe's progress toward economic sustainability," stated Dr. Amy K. Zander, professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Associate Dean for Academic Programs at Clarkson. "This is also an excellent opportunity for Clarkson engineering students to gain cultural awareness and hands-on engineering experience." Zander serves as faculty advisor to Clarkson's EWB student chapter.
The 21 members of Clarkson's EWB-USA student chapter will work together with tribal members to construct the biodiesel production system, test its operation, and instruct the tribe on appropriate operation and maintenance. Student chapter members are: Samuel M. Gorton (President), Christopher L. Wood (Vice President), Margot L. Epstein (Secretary), Ann M. Colt (Treasurer), Jason A. Kenyon, Jared P. Moore, Alison E. Rielly, Michael J. Rockefeller, Brent W. Pomeroy, Victoria H. Boyd, Jessica R. Dzara, Christopher P. Wells, Robert C. Allen, Michael A. Jahne, Andrew W. Vackel, Hunter K. Preston, Melissa S. Kipp, Ryan M. Franz, Leonard S. Brown, Christopher J. Knox, and Keith D. Savino.
Visit SRMT's Environmental Division Web site to view additional photographs of the biodiesel project at: http://srmtenv.org.
PHOTO CAPTION: Members of Clarkson University's Student Chapter of Engineers Without Borders analyze used vegetable oil from the restaurants at the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino. Clarkson Professor Amy K. Zander (Standing right) is the chapter's advisor. Laura J. Weber, St. Regis Mohawk Tribe Solid Waste Program Director (Standing left), is coordinating the tribe project. The students are working with the SRMT to develop a biodiesel processing plant to convert the used cooking oil into alternative fuel. The plant will produce biodiesel to operate the generators and waste collection vehicles at the reservation's solid waste facility.
RSS