Loyola’s STEP: Biodiesel program was featured on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight. The segment features professor Nancy Tuchman, recent Loyola graduate Zach Waickman and student David Miceli.
http://www.chicagolive.com/wttw/wttws_chicago_tonight_world_of/
STEP: Biodiesel has been made possible this year through a P3 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We have just completed phase one of our project and jetted off to Washington D.C. over the weekend to compete for phase two grant support.
Thanks to the hard work of Luke Beasley, an advanced biodiesel student, our proposal for a community outreach program promoting biodiesel was approved! STEP received one of just six phase two grants to continue our program and expand into the community. We are honored to have won this grant/award and are looking forward to the expansion of our program.
To learn more about the community outreach program, student projects, and biodiesel production please join us at our public forum an April 24.
Biodiesel Public Forum
April 24, 2008 3-5 PM (Lab tours to follow)
McCormick Lounge, Coffey Hall
Lakeshore Campus
P.S. Hello Heidi and Amy 
Welcome to the Spring 2008 STEP: Biodiesel public forum! Take a look around at the research projects the class has been working on this semester, and feel free to post your thoughts on the forum or the topic of biofuels here.
Classes end in two weeks…I know. Graduation is within a month…I know. Still no job, nowhere to live, and student loans have to be repaid…I know. Biodiesel is almost over…NOOO!!!
The semester is coming to an end but there is still a lot of exciting stuff to come out of the STEP: Biodiesel class. We are currently gathering a stockpile of waste vegitable oil to run an 80 gallon reaction at the end of the semester! This final production experiment will hopefully prove that our lab is capable of producing 80 gallons of biodiesel every week. At that rate if we were to produce biodiesel full time we could produce 4000 gallons of biodiesel every year. Wish us luck. 80 gallons is a whole lot of grease…smells delicious.
The student projects are all finishing up as well with some really interesting results. The entire semester’s research will be presented at the Biodiesel Public Forum. We will have a panel discussion with Alderman Joe Moore, Agriculurist Steve Sonka, and Atmospheric Chemist Steve Bertman. There is a reception to follow where STEP: Biodiesel students will present their projects from this semester. Please take some time out of your day on the 24th to join us.
Biodiesel Public Forum
April 24, 2008
3-5 PM
McCormick Lounge (Located in Coffey Hall)
Lakeshore Campus
Well, well, well. We have had quite the busy semester in the biodiesel lab thus far. As of this past week the STEP: Biodiesel students have been able to consistently produce 25 gallons of biodiesel every week or more! While our reactor and supplementary lab systems now allow us to produce 70 gallons per week, and as much as 140 gallons per week if produced full time, we are sticking with 25 gallons to test and experiment with new techniques.
Some of the new things that we are experimenting with in the lab are methanol recovery systems, acid purification of glycerin (one of our byproducts), dry washing of biodiesel, soap production from purified glycerin, composting with glycerin purification byproducts, additional quality assurance testing, and even production of electricity from human power! Wow, that is quite the list. Just thank your lucky stars that you’re not Shane, our Lab Manager overseeing all of these projects. Without his continued dedication to the advancement of the biodiesel lab and the success of the STEP students, this program would be just another academic endeavor. Instead, it is a hands on, get dirty, make mistakes, learn from doing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to apply our knowledge and skills to the advancement of a sustainable university. I would like to take a moment to thank Shane…*scattered applause*…that was quite the moment, don’t you agree?
I would also like to take this time to thank David Butcher of San Jose, California. David is currently assisting the STEP: Biodiesel program build an electricity producing exercise bike that he has developed over the past few decades. His simple design makes it easy for anybody interested in producing their own electricity to do just that. If you are interested in building your own electricity production bike or just want to learn more about David’s innovative design please visit: http://www.los-gatos.ca.us/davidbu/pedgen.html
With these advances to the STEP: Biodiesel lab we are hoping to reduce our electricity and water usage while increasing our production efficiency. To learn about all of the projects from this semester, and advances made to the biodiesel lab, please join us on April 24th for our Biodiesel Public Forum, details to come.
As Always: Pass Gas, Choose Biodiesel!
Spring Break ‘08!!! Whoo-hoo!!!
It’s a college staple…an entire week off of school in the middle of the semester to travel, relax, blow off steam, and forget about school all together. I don’t know who thought of this idea in the first place but thank you, anonymous stranger! In years past I have used this week off to visit high school friends at other colleges and to simply park my rumpus on the couch for an entire week. But this is my senior year. My last chance to go all out and create a spring break story to tell my children about. Then I remembered that I often get tired, I’m rather lazy, and a bottle of wine appeals to me more than shots at the bar. Thank goodness my friends are on the same wavelength as me.
A small group of very close friends and I headed just inside New York state to a ski resort called Peak n’ Peek where my Nana owns a condominium. We spent an amazing week by the fire playing board games, building a snowman named Mrs. Trasky, relaxing in the hot tub, cooking dinner together, and sledding down ski hills. The sledding is not the best idea after an ice storm. Heidi and a tree got quite intimate, but she’s just fine.
Unfortunately, the usual focus of spring break is what gets televised by MTV and the binge drinking that gets a special report on the nightly news. But there is a lot more to spring break that doesn’t get media attention and worried parents don’t talk about around the dinner table. Spring break is an opportunity for young adults to plan a trip, manage money, learn from mistakes, and grow socially. Of which I think social growth is the most important. There is so much importance placed on formal education and “book smarts.” But after college we, recent college graduates, are expected to be fully functioning members of society. How are we expected to do that without more focus being placed on social growth, social education, and learning how to communicate effectively with the rest of society? Spring break might have been a week of frolicking in the snow for me, but it was also a chance to grow, learn, and form lifelong friendships. Education, test scores, and landing good jobs are important but let’s not lose focus on the person as a whole.
I can’t count how many times a week I see somebody acting entirely selfishly and think to myself, “we’re living in a society, people.” So why not take a day, or even an hour, off from teaching from the book, and focus on who we are and how we get along.
It’s time to pick your pony: Clinton, Obama, or McCain. This year’s presidential race is already one for the history books. It is also time for the traditional national candidate to be put away in a history book and let a new kind of candidate step into the limelight. Normally I would say that America needs a president who can pass strong environmental policy, end the war, and strengthen the economy (I will be a working man soon enough).
However, today I am looking for that new kind of candidate. I want somebody that can not only deliver on important issues, but more importantly can truly lead by example. The presidential candidates of today have staffs of hundreds working to ensure that their message and their rhetoric are perfect. Every speech, every catch phrase, every hand gesture is pre-planned by some of the best political minds in America. I appreciate the effort, but I’d prefer something else. I’d prefer to see a candidate practice what they preach. If they are an environmentally conscious candidate then stop jetting around the country just to shake hands, stop sending out endless pamphlets printed on tons of paper, and start doing something positive. If the candidate wants to be socially oriented then stop traveling the country promising to send aid to foreign countries and help the poor, hungry, and homeless right here in America instead.
“If you think about it politicians have a binder of information at every single meeting, but they also have Blackberrys and computers they could use instead. If they just cut the paper waste in half the politicians would actually do something. Big ideas are fine, but these big ideas are shared on thousands of pieces of paper. These practices actually contribute to the problem.
I would like a candidate whose ideals don’t stop them from changing the world. It’s 2008 and we’re looking at 2009 with no real solutions. Instead of theorizing about solutions for the next decade why not look at real solutions for next year. There will always be a “then” but there is only one “now.” I want a candidate who does something with the “now.” Have a small plan that can be implemented now and continue to implement those big, longterm plans at the same time. We need to ask more of our leaders.” Heidi Simon, Class of ‘08, Political Science
The youth of America are screaming for change. We yearn for a new kind of candidate who can stand up to the Washington political machine and say, “We Want Change.”
There is nothing quite like the smell of biodiesel. Seriously, I have never come across a more distinct smell that refuses to part ways with clothing and skin. But this seemingly negative aspect of working with grease and biodiesel on a daily basis is actually one of my favorite parts. Picture this: I am walking to class with a friend who is on their way to a math class. We both walk into Damen Hall but part ways at the second floor. My friend is about to face an hour of frenzied note taking followed by hours spent deciphering the meaning of those notes. I continue up to the ninth floor (our lab is in 948, come by and check it out) and get to look forward to power tools, plumbing, and problem solving. I love it! The smell comes with the territory and reminds me of how lucky I am to be involved in a program like this.
In the two semesters that I have been working on the biodiesel project I have had the opportunity to tour the biodiesel lab at Western Michigan University (http://kzoobiofuels.org/Home.html); helped put together a documentary (http://www.luc.edu/biodiesel/Video_page.shtml); gathered algae from the Chicago River ; and learned how to build a reactor to pro
duce biodiesel.
Honestly, what other college course offers the opportunity to do all of these things, be completely hands-on, and provides an intellectual challenge? I have learned more from this unique interdisciplinary course than any other course during my college career. I was a learned communicator before this class but now I am also a bit of a chemist, a bit of an engineer, and an environmentalist. One course, one semester, one bio-fuel, and a whole world of opportunity.
The new biodiesel students are off and running themselves. Right now they are solidifying their project ideas for the semester. There are a lot of new, exciting ideas about how to use our fuel and closing the loop (making the entire process/program environmentally neutral). I can not wait to see what kinds of amazing projects, innovations, and ideas come out of this semester’s STEP: Biodiesel course.
Pass Gas. Choose Biodiesel.
The Step: Biodiesel program has just begun its second semester at Loyola Chicago. We got off to a great start last semester but we still have a lot of work to do. I thought I would let you know what to be looking for out of the biodiesel program this semester.
We will have our scaled-up reactor running this semester. The new, larger reactor is made of two 100 gallon tanks which will allow us to make up to eighty gallons of biodiesel every week. Biodiesel is a direct replacement for diesel fuel. However, biodiesel is not the answer to global energy concerns. It is a great way to recycle and reduce Loyola’s carbon footprint. Last semester biodiesel students powered two diesel cars with their fuel. This semester the new students are trying to reach out to the community. This year we are looking at the possibility of donating the bio-fuel to heat homes; charging the university’s electric golf carts; or continuing to power diesel cars/trucks on campus.
One of the most exciting aspects of this program is that the direction of the program is determined by the students. Each problem that came along last semester, which was pleasantly often, was brought to the students. The decision on how to use the biodiesel produced this semester, along with some new interesting problems I’m sure, is up to the new biodiesel class.
This is the only class at Loyola that is totally student driven. Last semester I got to pick out my own project. I was a little intimidated by projects such as emissions testing, algae production (to cultivate oils), and developing a working business plan. All of those projects turned out amazingly well and are described on our webpage (www.luc.edu/biodiesel). Luckily for me I could pick out a project that was more suited to me that still contributed a lot to the program. I, along with three other biodiesel students, worked on the communication and marketing project. It was our job to let the world, or at least most of LUC, what we were doing in STEP: Biodiesel. Instead of writing a paper on the theory behind a marketing plan we put ours into action.
By the end of the semester I discovered that writing papers for class is much easier, and actually working toward a common goal in a class is far more satisfying. My group was able to leave behind a webpage, four short documentaries, t-shirts, bumper stickers, a banner, presentation materials, and a comprehensive guide on how we did it all. This is the most exciting program at Loyola…in my eyes at least.
I thought I would leave you with something to think about: biodiesel reduces nearly all forms of air pollution compared to petroleum diesel. In particular, biodiesel reduces toxic contaminants and cancer-causing compounds, along with the soot associated with diesel exhaust.
Pass Gas, Choose Biodiesel!
Zach Waickman, a student in the STEP: Biodiesel course, will be posting here soon.
About STEP
Solutions to Environmental Problems: Biodiesel is an innovative approach to learning which incorporates all fields of study and concentrates it into one particular issue. The class is currently focusing on recycling waste vegetable oil from Loyola’s cafeterias to convert it into biodiesel.
STEP is funded in part with a grant awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “P3″ program (People, Prosperity and the Planet Student Design Competition for Sustainability). We are using our P3 award to advance six main objectives:
The class requires the cooperation of many different departments, resources, teachers and students in order to succeed in the world of alternative fuels. Here, all students are scientists, entrepreneurs, policy makers, communicators and teachers.
The class depends on the curiosity and efforts of students, and welcomes all of those interested in contributing to the research of alternative fuels.
For more information about the program, visit: www.luc.edu/biodiesel
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