Steve Lanou (SL), Peter Cooper (PC), Niamh Kelley (NK), Matt Zedler (MZ), Joe Roy-Mayhew (JRM), Katrina Ellison (KE), Katie Rowe (KR), Daniel Klein (DK), Frank Goldsmith (FG)
LOCATION QUESTION
- Four possible locations suggested:
- 1) Grounds garage (Access is a question for students and shuttles; would be great for facilities operation)
- 2) W92 garage space
- 3) NW14 storage space
- 4) Recycling yard trailer (Need water/sewage access; siting might be an issue; cost of trailer?; PV panels on trailer?)
- Need to discuss siting aspects with Kelly Brown (PC/SL)
- Need to contact Kurt Keville from Solar Decatholon to see about cost of trailer (???)
- Need to determine whether or not MBP could install processor in trailer (MZ)
- Need to follow up with Merrimac biodiesel to determine what they do about waste water (MZ)
- Should pursue formal CRSP Space Request through PC; include pros/cons of all four possible spots; make sure to highlight need for additional funding if located in recycling yard trailer (Skeleton report to DK/FG by Friday; final report submitted to PC/SL after spring break)
CONTRACTING MBP BIOENERGY
- Need to contact Jim Proulx and discuss contracting process with him (MZ - Message left)
- Need to compose letter asking for certain cost reductions in contract, such as training, chemical supply, maintenance, etc. (???)
- Four week install time from contracting (3 week lead time, 1 week construction)
- Lay-out floorplan for trailer siting
- PC will follow up with Facilities and discuss contracting process
SOLAR PANELS
- Need to determine whether we can have solar panels on site or will need to do "green energy" credit from other location at MIT
- Need to do solar analysis of recycling yard
STUDENT CORPORATION VERSUS MIT FACILITIES
- Need to set up Biodiesel@MIt as an ASA recognized student group (JRM)
- Need to determine best way to store grant money; check out account
- possibilities with following: Edgerton Centre - MZ / LFEE - SL / Faculty sponsor (Bob Armstrong) - FG/DK
- Free UVO, free student labor, free biodiesel to MIT to start ?
- Need to check out pumps that EHS has and possibly order new ones from Grainger (NK)
- Need to follow up with Alana and the recycling working group to discuss pick up / vehicle usage (NK)
DINING LOGISTICS
- Need to schedule meeting with Ward Ganger to discuss logistics, changing operating procedures, etc. (???)
CONCERT
- Preference for Sunday, April 22nd; use it for a kick-off for Earth Week
- Debra Sorocco is helping plan details
- Need to meet Thurs/Fri and follow up with spring weekend committee to discuss how to do this
- Need some help!!
***** END OF MEETING - ADDITIONAL POINTS TO BE DISCUSSED *****
AWARENESS
- Web site needs to be updated over spring break (Assign sections)
- Possible integration with public WIKI to allow documentation of process so far
- Consideration for how we can best use web site as tool
- TechShuttle advertisements (Paint them green...stickers)
- Assign some people to this task. Possibly recruit volunteers. Service UROP for summer?
EDUCATION
- Starting to consider how to write this up as a case study
- Consider how to integrate biodiesel processor with possible summer UROPS /?classes?
- ~ Develop more sustainable way to transport UVO (custom bicycle, electric carts)
- ~ Determine possibility of using local restaurant UVO
- ~ Finalize best way to cetify biodiesel
- ~ Blending test to determine if splash is best
- ~ Develop easy way to apply to use biodiesel
- Talk to MIT Museum
Minutes:
Reflection on Armstrong Meeting:
- Armstrong is very receptive and open to a student-led biodiesel system on campus, and would like to see it happen (especially, if didn’t need money from MIT).
- Perhaps, Professor Green would be a good faculty sponsor.
- Would like to see this as a Test Case Study for other universities, a community, or small business.
Words from Susan Hockfield:
- Sounds nice, talk to Larry Benedict.
Benedict:
- I like it and am willing to commit $3,500 as a seed fund for the project.
We should follow-up with Josh D...
Transportation Fair:
- Went well, talked to a lot of members of the MIT community (staff, few faculty, some students)
- Talked to Niamh of EHS, learned that the filling station has hit a couple delays, but should be moving forward, though not ready by July… which works for us as we aren’t planning shuttle use until after the test phase with grounds and cogen.
Students from Tokyo:
- Had a good meeting with the students Monday and talked about Biodiesel@MIT as well as forming a student group in general. Possible longer term collaboration with the students.
Financials
- Craig out of town the 20th (Retscreen) Sent proposal out to Citizen Daniel will look into property office for location of testing equipment. Meeting Thursday 3/15/07 at 12:30 in 56-402 with Education focus with Belcher Friday 2:45-3pm meeting in E40 with Professor Moniz Website: Katie, and Daniel will work with Katrina over/after spring break. Ecocollege announced Thursday 3/15/07 …. J we won J
** For those meeting with Professor Armstrong tomorrow (Andy, Franklin, and Sara, I believe?), meet in 66-201 (Walker Lounge) at 9:45 if you can, then go over as a group to Armstrong for the 10am meeting.**
Proposal thoughts /fixes:
- Spelling of implementation
- Franklin’s name
Education section update:
- Endorse is too strong, before we get the letter with signatures, so use we’ve contacted/ discussed with.
- Kristala, not C
- Remove: Colton, McRae, Toskoz, Moniz *If anyone has contacted and talked to these professors about Biodiesel@MIT, let us know… no one at the meeting heard back from these profs…
- Star Belcher
- Green is now full professor, and member of energy initiative
- Add Narendra Maheshri, Chem E Assistant Professor
Financials:
- Don’t think payback time is enough information, perhaps a graph of time versus money (ie starts at negative capital cost, dips down in transition phase, then goes up to zero dollars at time = payback period and increases to the positive in time after that. This could give information
Concerns:
- We need to look more into the analytics of testing, perhaps Daniel or Curt found more information on this front?
- We may want to clarify about the 9month transition phase, of how we would use the biodiesel in low risk applications such as grounds equipment or the co-gen plant. Perhaps, modify the financials so the first 9 months we don’t change anything for the fuel. This would create a loss of about $7,500 the first year (could add to initial cost when asking for funding), but it would lower the risk of the project. This first 9 months would also give us time to work finding the best way to incorporate the biodiesel process into a class such as 10.28 or 10.29, where the lab project could be: Find a cheap, efficient, and effective way to test each batch of biodiesel fuel. This could fit into the existing lab setup (at least for 10.29). Longer down the road perhaps this could form a base of a biofuels center at MIT...
Funding:
- Look into Citizens Energy / send out funding letter (Matt A)
Faculty:
- Andy talked to Narendra Maheshri (10 assist. Prof) about Biodiesel and he was interested in biofuels, thought that could be a good lab project that would fit better with 10.28or 10.29 than with ICE (Integrated Chemical Engineering senior design lab). Could possibly want to get more involved with Biodiesel@MIT.
Meeting Minutes (Sorry for the haste, need to get these out before skipping
town tomorrow.) MAIN THING - UPDATE PROPOSAL...
- Update credits
- Update training cost
- Use RETScreen to continue refining
- Update proposal (Matt A)
- -Check in to see discounts? (Matt Z)
- Glicksman: 1) Regulatory hurdles in terms of producing fuel; 2) Need to get approval from Rob Armstrong (Meeting in 2 weeks)
- Letter of endorsement
- Vandiver: Talk about Edgerton Centre
- Tao: Purdue biofuels professor; possible processing units
- Coldan: Need to make sure all stuff is good first (Meet Armstrong first)
- Banzaert (Josh)
- Everyone should use generic letter to seek private funding
- Nat'l Biodiesel Board, Willie Nelson (Josh)
- Institute Initiatives
- Tech article Friday
- Dining; need to follow up with table tents (Katrina)
- March 9: Energy Conference poster session
- March 13: Transportation fair (11-2:30)
- March 13: Univ. of Tokyo (4:30-5:30)
- April?: Earth Day follow-up
- Need to set meeting time - W7PM
- Peter Cooper; need faculty sponsor
- Need to emphasize the lack of liability required
- Faculty letter
- Katrina - Coordinate proposal rewrite
- Curt, Daniel - Lab section
- Joe - Add in the questions, including location
- Faculty Club numbers, charts in general
- Updates by WED
- Letter to Armstrong - Next WED
- Katrina
- Andy has updated financials and will further refine them for Wednesday's meeting.
- Matt has put together a task list (attached - please send feedback) with options for the Facilities meeting Wednesday [[ANDY, please print this on the back of the Financials handout and prepare about 15 copies. Let me know if you need me to do this.]]
- Joe has revised presentation and will send it out (think the computer ran out of batteries early) to get feedback.
- Franklin is still looking for people to send out faculty support letters.
- Sara, Nasly, and Katrina helped to finalise the presentation for this Wednesday's presentation.
- Katrina has updated the web site with the GE Ecochallenge link and the latest version of the proposal. Probably need to update contact list sometime.
**NEXT MEETING: Mon, Jan 22 - 7PM - 16-168*
Hope your IAPs are going well. We had a brief Biodiesel meeting this evening to update everyone on what's going on with the different presentations and proposals. Here's a brief summary including what we need to be doing the next few weeks. Please make sure you get involved as we are going to be needing a lot of support to push this forward
GE Ecomagination Proposal
- Visit http://www.ecocollegechallenge.com/ to vote for our proposal
- MZ: Follow up with Spotlight, Tech, TechTalk
- JRM: Email campus dining advertising lady with ideas
- KE: Update web site (Please add any new members to the team, including those who worked on the GE Ecomagination proposal, and link to the newest versions of the proposal and presentation from the main page)
- Everyone else: Advertise to specific departments, friends, etc.
Biodiesel Presentation / Pre-Faculty Screening
Next meeting
- We will be having a meeting at 7PM on Monday in 16-168. Please let us know if this a problem.
Looking forward to hearing back from everyone! If a task has no name assigned to it, that means you can take it...
CHECKLIST SUMMARY
(No order yet)- Update financials (next week)
- Secure faculty support (next 2 weeks)
- Buy-in from transportation (approval, written statement)
- Location, support
- Permits, final approval, costs - get from Niamh
- Supply of vegetable oil (Negotiate charge - 70 cents a gallon)
- Pumps from EHS
- Scheduling
- Contract MBP (3 weeks)
- What do we need to negotiate
- Installing processor
- Hiring and training (what can MBP provide) students
- Testing
- Certification
- Contracting with locations
QUESTONS FOR MBP
(Please email MZ by tomorrow at noon with additions)- Training - what do they provide, how much does it cost, how often?
- >KOH - amount used per batch
- Magnesium silicate - do we need a permit?
- Insurance cost
- Filtration on the processor?
- Pretreating of biodiesel to remove water?
- Running processor
- Cost of filtering
Look for Matt A's email on the google document proposal, and update it any way you can!
Meeting Summary
- Where we are headed
- Issues to address
- Updates since last meeting
A. Where we are headed:
Our aim is to submit a business plan to 1st level administration (ie supporters of our project, Steve, Amanda, Peter, Niamh) by the end of the term -ie the first deadline to get things in is next Friday, December 15th. This will allow them to look it over during the winter break weeks. We would then give a semi-formal presentation (~20-30 minutes of the proposal) during the first or second week of IAP. This will allow us to identify holes that need to be patched in order for the proposal to float to the next level. During this time, Steve and Amanda will also brainstorm on how it would be best to proceed. Some options include passing it up through Facilities, perhaps to Jim Wallace or Bill Anderson, or the Provost/Phil Clay, or perhaps the Energy initiative through Leon (?Glicksman?).
We will be using google documents to create the proposal. This is a virtual desktop which anyone can access and use (no gmail required). This will allow everyone to access and update the same document (even in real time -> you can see others typing if working on the same document). Matt A. will send out more information on accessing this, and will provide the template for the proposal. Please, please, please update anywhere you feel you can (and before the 15th!! :) )
B. Areas that we need to address in the proposal that are sticking points at the moment:1. Scaling up the process
- Supply/demand and storage issues,
- option of supplementing B20 bought wholesale from MIT (instead of replacing it)
It may be possible for MIT to purchase B5 wholesale and we could just add our B100 to this mix getting a variety of Bx's (as long as not over B20). Also, it should be noted that going above B20 is a possibility (especially in the summer) for the future, so that can be a stretch goal.
2. WVO collection-
How should this be done? Need info for both options
- Student collection: older MIT vehicle? MIT electric vehicle they can't ride legally in Cambride? Bike with trailer?
- Grounds pickup @~$35/hour
3. Management
- Who will run the overall system -- necessary for long term
stability
- Student group / corporation, how would this interact with facilities? What professor / staff would provide longevity?
- Facilities umbrella... they pay costs and maintenance, they get benefits?
4. Educational aspects:
There are new taskforces on energy and education and there
is looking to be a bridge between them, which we could help build.
We should think of the sky as being the limit to suggestions
for educational opportunities with this project; we don't have to make the
connections /set this up now, we just have to identify the possibilities.
Propose classes, lab classes, UROPs, theses, ect...
- Perhaps 5.11x, 5.310, 10.2x ,5.07, others?
C. Updates from the last meeting
Curt:
- 2,000 gallons of WVO -> ~500 gal pure glycerol
- PH >7
- Drain disposable, so not a liability
- Would like to talk to Randy Preston of the Cogen plant to see possibility of Glycerol for mixing with number 6 oil to burn also to talk about B100 burning, perhaps even WVO. Get his concerns and thoughts.
- Free Fatty acids, amount unknown, perhaps could compost or use in soap, or feed stock.
Scott:
- Norman Magnison (Facilities)
- Diesel equipment (snow removal weary of biodiesel as cold weather issues)
- Overall enthusiastic for biodiesel, will to use it from us.
- Concern: Storage, where could it be? Replace rubber valves, filter.
Daniel:
- ASTM Tests: 14 of them, more detail sent to list from him.
- Flash point, need flash tester which EHS has, so could be done on campus.
- Kinematic viscosity - should be cheap and easy to test on campus
- Water + sediment, need centrifuge, easy to test on campus
- Copper corrosion -> need analytical chemistry, probably could be done on campus.
- Glycerine, infrared test (gcn)can be done on campus
- Others more difficult/$$$
- MBP suggests testing process every 5,000 gallons, so about 1/year.
- Sloan Automotive lab may also have testing tools.
- Will look into overall testing costs and tests we could do on campus.
Andy and Chad:
- Electricity use of processor
- 14 kwhr/batch (70 gal) based on rough electricity costs
- 12 kwhr/batch (70 gal) based on more detailed, conservative estimate of energy needs for pumps and heater. (.17 kwhr/gal)
Scott met with Larry Broody of Transportation and was informed of the following:
- Tech shuttles will use 30,000 gals/year and they have no problem using B20 biodiesel as they are currently planning on doing so.
- They will have 6 diesel shuttles by July running on biodiesel
- They will switch to E85 in the future also.
- They were concerned about our biodiesel in the cold, would we have additives. Andy and Scott are going to look into what is used commercially, if any, as supposedly the B20 mix is cold weather performing.
- Also concerned about glycol build up and storage.
- Suggested starting using our fuel in facility owned vehicles and machines which use about 150 gal/month; however, he said if we did start with the shuttles it could be beneficial as they have all sorts of mechanics on hand to fix a problem if it did arise.
- Concerned about project continuity as has headaches with the student-started shuttle track system. He desires EHS/Facilities involvement/management/responsibility/oversight.
We also further discussed the undergraduate research / lab tie in feasibility. Perhaps having a biodiesel module in 5.310 or 10.29 especially with reguards to analytical chemistry. Of note was possibility of having students test fuel (in the certifiable parameters) to give education while certifying the fuel more regularly. It was mentioned that professors often ask for suggestions for good lab projects, so introducing a new topic is feasible.
The question of scaling up our system was discussed, especially with regard to diesel for mixing. Early on testing phases we can use the 55 gallon drums currently used in grounds and mix with B100 for grounds equipment. However, 30,000 gallons of fuel is the equivalent of 6,000 B100 and 24,000 gallons diesel, so we could feasibly supply MIT's needs. This would bring in the problems of reliability - fuel there when it's needed. Could we vary B% so some weeks we have B15 (ie low B100 yield) and others B20? Otherwise, if we stayed at a smaller scale how would we get the diesel to be mixed and where to store it?
Daniel will look into what equipment is needed for certification. Curt will look into burning glycerine in the Cogen or Sailing pavilion.
topMeeting Summary
- Next meeting: Monday 11/20 7:30-8:30 (7 for EcoImagination) Location TBA
- For next time:
By Friday please email Katrina and Joe (kmel@mit.edu, zepster@mit.edu) a memo with what you have found out so far on the task you've been working on. The collection shall be posted Friday, allowing a preliminary business plan for next Monday's meeting. - What has been happening: Updates from Katrina, Daniel, Andy, and Matt with general discussion thoughts from the meeting.
A. Next Meeting
Monday 11/20 7:30-8:30 (7 for EcoImagination) Location TBA To discuss what information we need to continue. Overview of preliminary business plan. Breakdown each step of the overall system into more specific questions that need to be answered to continue.
B. For next timeBy Friday please email Katrina and Joe (kmel at mit.edu, zepster at mit.edu) a memo with what you have found out so far on the task you've been working on. A quick summary of what you are looking into, what you have found out, and what you have questions on would be great. The collection shall be posted Friday, allowing a preliminary business plan for next Monday's meeting.
C. What has been happening:Updates from Katrina, Matt Z., Daniel, and Andy with general discussion thoughts from the meeting.
Katrina has posted the preliminary website and it's located at: http://web.mit.edu/mit_energy/programs/campusenergy/biodiesel/ Any comments, suggestions or content is welcome. Katrina's email is kmel at mit.edu
Matt Z. is looking for a group of people looking to put together a quick proposal and video for the GE Ecoimagination Challenge. The thought is to piggyback upon the biodiesel processor, and MIT's plan to put in a filling station on campus to submit a plan for a solar, biodiesel fueling station. We have most of the economic and environmental data readily available so it would be putting it together. The deadline for submission is Dec. 2, so this will be a quick, but rewarding project. Contact Matt at mzedler at mit.edu for more details. There will be a meeting for this 11/20 at 7pm location TBA.
Daniel has been looking into the blending and two major concerns have arisen, cold weather and storage. Biodiesel gels as low temperatures and so to blend it with diesel to make a B20 blend it would have to be heated in some capacity. This could be in a heated enclosure, ie the building where processed, or could utilize how the processor operates around 115F so out coming biodiesel would already be heated. Combined with this is storage: processing 5,000 gallons a year ~ 100 gallons per week, which is ~500 gallons B20 per week. Granted early on the system won't be running at this capacity, but we should have a plan for it to do so. So the question of blending becomes important, in do we store B100 to save room, and blend at a later point, when is this, and how? A thought going around was to mimic what is currently done with the grounds equipment. Currently they use ?3? 55 gallon drums which they fill with diesel and fill up equipment at the grounds garage. We could pre-fill these drums to an 11 gallon mark, ie 1/5, with biodiesel and then they could be further filled with the diesel.
Additionally Daniel mentioned that Civil Engineering and Urban Studies/Planning has a student group that works with the Transportation department, and he will be contacting them to look into how receptive transportation would be to using student processed biodiesel, and what kind of phase in system would they want to try.
Andy began familiarizing himself with the commercial processors especially the FuelMeister and MBP. The most important feature for the processor would be to produce ASTM certified fuel -Steve Peters was looking more into more details on what this entails. It is unfeasible to test each batch, so there was general consensus that a certifiable process should be sufficient. Most likely students would operate the processor.
The question was raised about what biodiesel research was currently being done on campus. General thought was not nearly as much as more agriculturally centered schools, though interest was increasing. Also 3-4 people in Daniel's lab and one in Heywood's lab were known to be working on biodiesel/biofuels. Hannah is drafting a letter for Wednesday to go to Professors to find out what biodiesel related projects they are/plan to be working on, or could see working on with a biodiesel processor on campus. There was also mention of an undergraduate teaching lab -perhaps lecturers rather than professors would be interested - as the biodiesel process incorporates fairly simple reactions, mass and energy balances, and mechanical logistics.
Awesome job everyone, and just a reminder that there's an MIT Campus Energy Idea Generator Event tonight 6:45-9 Room 32-141 for anyone interested attending to look at other projects or promote Biodiesel@MIT.
topJosh has started contacting WVO sources. He has heard back from Bon Appetit which uses Canola Oil, and confirmed our figures of 100-200 gallons/month. MacGregor dining is not projected to add to this amount.
Matt D. has started looking into the transport, finding prices for drums, cradles, hoists, pumps ect. However, EHS has most of this equipment which we may beable to borrow/lease/buy.
Steven P. has sent an update of fuel information: "I investigated the fuel certification issues, and I haven't found any Federal certification requirements if we produce Biodiesel for our own use. There are standards (ASTM D 6751 in US and EN 14214 internationally) for biodiesel, but Massachusetts has not adopted them. I think the paperwork referred to by that New Hampshire company is tax-related.
I've also attached a paper that discusses special considerations for a processor of waste cooking oil." This article is attached.
Note for business plan: don't use the term waste in waste vegetable oil. We are not considering it a waste, but rather a recycled good as waste has to be handled differently than other materials. Just a technicality.
Storing WVO/biodiesel in grounds garage shouldn't be a problem as it has diesel permiting.
Andy Peterson is going to look at details for various processors. Additional aspects to look into include methanol reclamation units, and magnitude of waste stream
Also, just a reminder there is a forum setup for campus sustainability initiatives that we can use. If you have questions you think should be addressed just post them under the Biodiesel, MIT section. The web address is http://greencampus.forumer.com. You can register without spam mail.
topTeam 4:
Discussed sustainability of system. First order of business is determining environmental benefit / detriment of biodiesel. Hannah Zhou will be leading this taskforce, with staff assistance from Niamh Kelly (EHS).
Team 5:Advertising was discussed, with a focus on web site creation and on-campus advertising to recruit further participants. Katrina Ellison will be leading this taskforce.
Team 6:The business plan is the end deliverable of the whole product. Amy Ludlum will be leading this taskforce, but SHE NEEDS ASSISTANCE FROM EXPERIENCED BUSINESS PLAN WRITERS.
We will be meeting from 7:30-8:30PM on MONDAY with a (hopefully) larger group to split up some tasks and get people moving on these taskforces. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE ATTEND THE OPEN MEETING:
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