CI#6 – Overall Thoughts on Biofuels

Over this semester, I have researched four different biofuel technologies, namely algae, cellulosic ethanol, vegetable oil, and biodiesel. I’m really excited to see where all these different biofuels will lead into the next few years. I hope and believe that one of them will make a major breakthrough.

My favorite option is probably algae. It seemed to have the most promise and it is able to be grown and produced all over the world. Although the other technologies are currently used on a larger scale, they have a slight question of sustainability and some people are concerned over things like corn ethanol dipping into the food supply. Algae are also able to produce the most amount of fuel per amount harvested. Algae do not create new carbon because they take carbon out of the air and then release the same carbon back out. Hopefully more testing will be done to determine how the fuel economy is and how efficient the fuel is.

None of the options that were discussed are perfect, but neither is the petroleum that we are using now. With any new, or old, technology, there are going to be benefits and drawbacks. Deciding the best option is about looking at all the pros and cons and seeing which ones are the most favorable…or sometimes the just least unfavorable. In the coming years I am sure scientists, researchers, and engineers will be able to solve the problem of an energy source. If they don’t, we will just have to adapt to the new way of life. It will definitely be interesting to see where all of the technologies lead and how our energy dependence is impacted.

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Advocacy Project – Save the Loyalsock

For my advocacy project I chose to advocate to keep drilling and fracking out of Loyalsock State Forest. My family and I went there many times when I was a kid to visit my grandpa’s hunting cabin. It’s a beautiful forest and I would hate to see it and the people around it harmfully affected. I made a website to bring awareness to the issue and offer a place for people to sign petitions if they feel so moved!

http://madelineiffert.wix.com/savetheloyalsock

Posted in RCL 2nd semester | 1 Comment

PAS#7 – The Snowmaking Machine

For the last passion blog of the semester chronicling the interesting creations of my dad I was going to switch it up and talk about his triathlons and discipline in training. However on a Skype call I told him I needed one more blog and he immediately got really excited about the snowmaking machine. Since he is the Legendary Craig Iffert himself, I couldn’t argue.

I shared the stories of our ice rink that Craig makes each winter and the difficulties he has trying to get it into solid conditions for skating and how challenging it is when we don’t have snow. Craig is constantly researching things on the Internet to improve creations that he has made or to research ideas that he has to see if other people have already had them. It’s crazy because I always think all of the things he does are original ideas, and although they do usually stem from his own creativity, other people have thought of them before so he uses their information to improve his own ideas.

In the case with the ice rink, he found some snowmaking machines on Internet that were created by combining a power washer and a compressor as illustrated in this video. He only runs the snowmaker when the temperature is below freezing, and in many cases that only happens at night. One morning the next-door neighbor asked if we had lost power overnight and were running a generator.  My dad told him, “No, that was just our snowmaking machine.” The snow maker helped a little bit and was quite the talk of the neighborhood. “In truth, it was more of a slush making machine, but that was fine for our needs,” Craig said.

We have the rink, the boards, the bench, and the equipment. Now we are just waiting for Craig to build a home ice rink Zamboni.

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CI#5 – Biodiesel Fuel

How it Works

Biodiesel fuel is produced from the transesterification of animal fats, vegetable oils, and used restaurant grease (see CI#4 for more information on that!).  All of these substances have fat in them, and that is what makes the fuel.  Transesterification is a process in which the fat is purified and then mixed with an alcohol such as methanol or ethanol. A catalyst is present for this step, usually potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide. The alcohol and catalyst turn the fat into esters and glycerol which is the biodiesel fuel.

Who will use it?

Biodiesel is usually used for markets that require a cleaner-burning, biodegradable fuel. It can be used in cars as an alternative to diesel. Vehicles that already use a diesel gas tank can usually switch directly to biodiesel, or in some cases they may need to slightly modify their diesel engine.

Benefits

Biodiesel is relatively inexpensive to produce, therefore making it an economical choice. It is a cleaner-burning, non-toxic, biodegradable fuel that is renewable; it releases less air pollutants than petroleum. Biodiesel is also the safest fuel when it comes to storage and handing. It still provides high efficiency.

Drawbacks

Glycerin is a main byproduct of the transesterification method. Currently biodiesel is more expense than petroleum diesel. It does not receive as high gas millage and power. Fuel that is 100% biodiesel does not work well in low temperatures, so this would reduce the locations and times that the fuel could be used.

Overall

I think that biodiesel sounds pretty promising. Once again, it’s nice to be able to take waste and turn it into something useful. It seems to be one of the cleaner options as well. As with most of the other alternative fuels, if they can just find a way to make it cheaper and more efficient, it would be golden.

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PAS#6 – Craig’s Creations

As I have said before, my dad loves building and creating things that will help make life simpler and more organized. There are many items around our house and yard that have been designed and constructed by Craig himself. He does his research on each idea he has, but in the end he is the one who customizes it to make it right for his needs.

Magazine Rack

Boccella's Magazine Rack

Boccella’s Magazine Rack

This project was a collaboration between my dad and our neighbor Mr. Boccella. Mr. Boccella had an idea for a magazine rack for his home. He designed it and wanted to create it himself, however he didn’t have the right tools for the job. My dad offered to help him since he has lots of woodworking and power tools in his shed. The two worked on it and created this final product. This magazine rack was created many years ago and is still proudly displayed in the Boccella household!

Memo Holder

Memo holder

Memo holder

As I was interviewing my dad for this blog was the first time I discovered this little creation of his. Craig made this memo holder in order to organize his notes and papers and have them easily available and readable on his desk in his home office upstairs. To make it, he took 2 pieces of plywood that he made from 5 veneers. (This is why plywood can be so strong; the veneers add layers that give it more strength.) In order to make it at a good angle to hold the notes he used a bevel to measure the angle the wood would slant at and then the angle to cut the slits. He used a table saw to cut the slits. Once that was cut, he attached a stand to the back.

Armoire

Up until about a year ago I had a nice white armoire in my room. When I was young I kept my large population of Barbies and other toys in the shelves. I always admired how nice it was. It was only a few years ago when my mom mentioned to me that my dad made it. I couldn’t believe it! I wasn’t doubting his skills as a wood worker, but it was so professionally done I would have never known! (It is now being used to hold dishes in our family shore house so unfortunately I couldn’t get a picture of it!)

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WIP#6 – Advocacy Website Critique

 

For this assignment I investigated and critiqued the Ku Klux Klan website. I thought this would be an easy website to critique because I do not agree at all with KKK activities. Again: I do NOT agree with the Ku Klux Klan or support them in any way. This is strictly from a critical point of view.  

http://www.kkk.com/

The site starts off with an American flag and a nice, innocent picture of a loving family that even exclaims, “Loving our family!” The page is trying to create a nice atmosphere that will entice people to join the Knights Party of the KKK. They then argue that there is a war against white people and that it is important for white people to reclaim their place. They claim that their Knight’s Party is a group of love; however that is a fallacy because you can’t be part of anything that involves the KKK without being hateful.

If you click on the bottom link, it takes you to the site where you can join the Knight’s Party of the Ku Klux Klan and also become a sponsor by donating money. They want sponsors to be people who are not eligible to join: “Official Supporters are individuals who support our ideals, beliefs, goals, and agenda. They may be men or women who either can’t become Klansmen or Klanswomen because they do not qualify (are not White Christians) or who do qualify but simply wish to be supporters at this time.” They don’t seem to care about equality at all, they only think of themselves.

After checking out the goals of the knights party I found that they believe: “The Knights Party is the last hope for America.” I surely hope that they are not the last hope for America.

Some people asked why they do not change their name, but they even insist on the page that they agree with the founding members and that it is a tactical device. It is slightly tactful that they keep the name because it will be of interest to people and get press, however it will most likely not (and hopefully not) attract more people to join them as they are clearly still a group who does not want equality for all and is actually discriminatory. They are hypocrites if they want white people to have rights and not other races.

 

 

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WIP#5 – Benefits of Green Roofs

Green roofs are sick…

Green roofs have numerous positive benefits and advantages over traditional roofs and should therefore be pursued more often in construction.

Green roofs are a relatively new technology that don’t get a lot of press. I personally believe that they are one of the coolest ideas ever and deserve to be shared. As a future engineer, I hope to possibly work with this type of technology. Green roofs are a great tool for helping sustainability in the construction industry. It is a relevant issue to address because they are becoming more popular and have awesome advantages. Green roofs offer so many benefits to the one installing them on the building and to those around. This technology increases efficiency, enhances beauty, and reduces weather effects. These payoffs are beneficial to everyone: the owner of the building, the viewer, and the environment. By implementing these roofs into our cities and neighborhoods, we could make the places cleaner and more beautiful. Some misconceptions are that they are too expensive to make an impact or that they can only be installed in some places due to weather.

Posted in WIP 2nd semester | Tagged , | 2 Comments

CI#4 – Vegetable Cooking Oil as Fuel

How it works

In order for a vehicle to run on vegetable cooking oil, the owner must have a diesel fuel tank. If the person does not, he or she must install a diesel fuel tank into their car. Once this is in place, it’s time to worry about the actual oil. Vegetable oil is much more viscous than regular gasoline or diesel so it clogs the engine a lot more. In order to solve this problem, the vegetable oil is usually mixed with conventional fuels and put in a two tank system that uses petroleum to start and shut down the engine and the other tank to run on vegetable oil once the engine is heated up. For those using used cooking oil from fryers at restaurants, the oil must first go through a series of filtration. This gets out food particles and other contaminants that could potentially clog the fuel lines. Other than the first few steps, vegetable oil is combusted in a similar way to petroleum.

Who will use it?

Currently some vehicles are already using this type of fuel. They have retrofitted their fuel tanks and connect with a local restaurant to get the used vegetable oil from. The supply has a limit though because restaurants do not produce as much cooking oil waste as to adequately provide fuel to many vehicles.

Benefits

By using vegetable oil as fuel, the waste that restaurants produce would be reduced since their waste is now becoming energy. In testing conducted by consumer reports, it was found that cooking oil produced less smog-causing NOx and particulates (soot) than regular diesel.

Drawbacks

In order for a vehicle to run on vegetable oil, it must be retrofitted with a diesel fuel tank which then causes less trunk space in the vehicle. It is more expensive than diesel and other fuels as of now, so it’s not the best choice for the wallet. In the comparison with regular diesel, cooking oil only recorded 42 miles per gallon while diesel recorded almost 49 miles per gallon. This is a significant difference and shows that vegetable oil is not quite up to standard yet.

Overall

I find this the most intriguing because it takes something used and makes it useful.  So far it doesn’t seem like that plausible of an option due to supply and also the fact that usually it is mixed with a large amount of other fuel. I still think that it is worth looking into more, but it will probably just stay for car tinkering junkies.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/fuel-consumption/vegetable-oil-fuel1.htm

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/05/diesel-vs-biodiesel-vs-vegetable-oil/index.htm

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PAS#5 – The iCozy

Evolution of Apple Products: iPod…iPhone…iPad…iCozy.

Wait what’s an iCozy?

iCozy n: custom-made sleeve (‘Cozy’) to fit your personal i-Product or other electronic device that needs protection, created by Craig Iffert

iCozy

iCozy

How did it start?

It all began when Craig got his iPhone and was looking at the cases in a store called 5Below. They had the normal rubber ones but he wanted something that covered the front and back to protect the phone when it was in his pocket. His revelation came when he noticed that JoAnn Fabrics had 8.5×11 foam sheets. When he saw these, he had the idea to create his own sleeve that protected all sides of the phone but that wasn’t bulky and could fit easily in the front pocket. He purchased a few foam sheets and got some soft cotton fabric as well.

How is it made?

Craig tried a few different ways before he perfected iCozy. Using the sewing machine, he fabricated the first one using his basic sewing skills that he learned from his mother. My dad said that a sewing machine is just like any other tool,  a ban saw or table saw, that you need to learn to use properly. The first 5-6 creations were not aesthetically pleasing; they were functional but very messy looking since all the threads showed. After trying a few different techniques, he discovered a trick: insert the foam inside the fabric cozy so you can’t see it. The internal sleeve holds the foam that is sewed in inside out and folded together so everything is contained inside. This is “when the magic happens.” He then slowly works the seams on the inside to make the iCozy right side out. It keeps it looking clean from the outside.

Perfection adj: tight enough so foam doesn’t slip out, but loose enough for one finger to push the phone out of the iCozy

Once he got it just right, he made a pattern out of cardboard to help with the width of the stitching to make it snug. Now he can make more if he needs them. Just like how Henry Ford only allowed his Model Ts to come in black, Craig’s iCozies only come in black.

How many are there?

Craig has one for home and a backup one for travel. Whenever his phone is not in his phone holster, he has it in an iCozy to protect if from scratches. Overall he has made about 20 of them–the first 5-6 being prototypes. Craig usually makes them in small batches of about 5 so that way there are extras in case he loses one. Has currently has 3 left. He even gave one each to our two neighbors and another one to his co-worker. He doesn’t think they actually use them, but he likes it as a conversation starter, just like his bikes.

Are they only for iPhones?

No, they are for all electronic devices. In fact, the first Cozy was made for his digital camera. It was really short, stubby, and bulky (this was before the foam inside technology was created). When Craig got his iPhone, he redesigned it with the iCozy technique to make it skinnier and nicer. Then I got a digital camera and he used the new iCozy technique to make me a nice Cozy for it. Over Thanksgiving break the iCozy took a new turn when he sewed one for my grandma’s iPad.

Thinking about going into business?

Craig does not plan to go into business. He doesn’t really have the time or desire to. The purpose of making the iCozy was just for his personal necessity and creativity rather than for anyone or anything else. He has considered sharing a tutorial on his YouTube channel but decided that he doesn’t have the time.

And the BURNING question….

Can I buy my own iCozy?

Nope sorry. But if you really really wanted one,  I could probably pull some strings.

Posted in PAS: The Legendary Craig Iffert | 3 Comments

CI#3 – Cellulosic Ethanol Technology

How it works

The process of creating ethanol begins with cellulosic feedstock or biomass, which is comprised of lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, and other substances. This biomass can come from just about any plant, but usually switchgrass, trees, and corn stalks are used. There are sugars, in the cellulose and hemicellulose. This feedstock first goes through a hydrolysis pretreatment process of which there are several different techniques available. Normally, the cellulosic biomass is added to hot sulfuric acid so that it gets broken down in order to free the hemicellulose so it can be decomposed into sugar.

Once the first step is complete, a second stage hydrolysis takes place. The cellulose is washed clean of the acid and then placed in enzymes called cellulases which convert cellulose into glucose. Next, the glucose and other sugars are fermented and then separated so that the alcohol floats to the top and the impurities settle to the bottom.

Finally, the alcohol, in this case ethanol, is taken to be gasified so it can be used in vehicles and other things.

Who will use it?

As of now, most cellulosic ethanol is produced in the Midwest. This is because they have lots of farms with to draw the cellulosic biomass from. Shipping it outside of the Midwest is expensive. Cellulosic ethanol is already being used commercially as fuel known as E85. Some vehicles use this, however it is not very common yet. It is not possible for the fuel to be 100% ethanol because laws dictate that any fuel alcohol must be diluted to 95.5%. However, because in the U.S. there are a wide variety of temperatures, it is diluted further to 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline as to allow for easy start up in colder weather.

Benefits

Cellulosic ethanol will help reduce the amount of fossil fuels needed to create power and fuels for our vehicles. Some people are concerned that using corn to create ethanol will cause problems with the food industry. Cellulosic ethanol is an alternative because it is typically made from biomass such as wood, not corn. This is beneficial because it can use waste rather than food to make fuel. This makes cellulosic ethanol convenient and readily available and almost limitless in the amount that can be produced. Also, the crops usually farmed for cellulose need less fertilizer and water than corn. The technique described above yields the most ethanol from plants than the other methods. Cellulosic ethanol releases less greenhouse gas than gasoline and corn ethanol.

Drawbacks

The production of ethanol still requires outside energy sources to be produced. This usually involves the use of fossil fuels, so that needs to be considered when taking into account how sustainable it is and how much pollution it causes. Also, the burning of cellulosic ethanol releases many toxins and is still very polluting. Cellulosic ethanol is still very expensive so it is not very popular at the moment. There is also fear that certain countries who would convert to ethanol fuel would then destroy rainforests to obtain cellulosic biomass.

Overall

It seems like it has the potential pretty good option. It still needs work to make it more efficient to get all of the sugars in the cellulosic biomass to ferment. Researchers also need to determine the impact it has on the environment.

 

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-tech/energy-production/cellulosic-ethanol1.htm

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