Institute on the Environment

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Browsing Institute on the Environment by Type "Presentation"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 64
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    Adding Value to Ethanol Production Byproducts Through Production of Biochar and Bio-oil
    (2010) Spokas, K.; Ruan, R.; Morrison, B.
    The goal of this project is to increase the value of distillers grain by sequestering carbon and producing additional renewable energy resources (bio-oil and syngas) through microwave assisted pyrolysis. More specifically, we will have an optimized process for capturing additional bio-energy, and at the same time producing a potential soil improvement agent from an existing byproduct. We will examine the potential increase in soil fertility and carbon storage of this produced biochar. The potential long-term outcomes of this research are the development and promotion of on-farm energy production using microwave assisted pyrolysis and distillers grain as a feedstock as well as improving the sustainability of corn production through returning carbon to the field.
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    Adding Value to Ethanol Production Byproducts Through Production of Biochar and Bio-oil
    (2011-11) Spokas, K.; Ruan, R.; Morrison, R.
    This study aims at increasing the value of distillers’ grain by sequestering carbon and producing additional renewable energy resources (bio-oil and syngas) through microwave assisted pyrolysis. Bio-oil can be further upgraded to drop-in transportation fuels. Biochars are tested for their potential as soil improvement agents.
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    Art, Story, and Infrastructure: A Model for Experiential Interconnection in Environmental Education
    (2011) Brigham, Jonee Kulman
    How can we make sustainability concepts and concerns personally relevant and meaningful? The focus on cultural sustainability in the 2010 edition of State of the World and the Institute on the Environment’s cross disciplinary efforts such as “River Life”, and “Dialogue Earth,” among many other trends, underscore the importance of integrating the tools of cultural development such as art and storytelling with scientific development toward effective sustainable outcomes and effective outreach of environmental information to broad audiences. The conveniences of infrastructure have allowed individual actions, such as water use choices, to be experientially disconnected from impacts to natural systems. However, by paying attention to infrastructure and integrating it into our concepts of the world, we can counter its invisibility and better appreciate its contributions while better understanding the implications of its over‐use. This project is gathering an interdisciplinary team of University faculty and outside partners around the topic of how to use place‐based interaction with infrastructure, interpreted through art, story, and science to create an experiential and informed sense of interconnection of our daily use of resources with the engineering and natural systems in which they interact. The project lays the essential groundwork needed to develop a replicable curriculum model based on a concurrent research process and demonstration project. The work of the project will be available for use and further development by the environmental education community, schools, and other researchers.
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    Biobased Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives
    (2010) Roerdink Lander, Monique; Zhang, Jiguang; Houtman, Carl J.; Severtson, Steven J.
    Pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) products have become ubiquitous in our homes and offices through address labels, stamps, sticky notes, and tapes. The majority of these PSAs are based on petroleum-derived acrylates. In 2006, more than 300 million dry pounds of acrylic adhesive was sold in the United States. Incorporation of biomass-derived resources as a substitute for acrylates will make a significant contribution in the development of sustainable products. We developed PSAs with high biomass-content using biomass-based macromonomers, which can copolymerize with standard adhesive acrylates and replace 40-60% of petroleum-based raw materials. The work described here is an example of a novel, yet pragmatic approach to develop sustainable PSA formulations by simple modifications of successful commercial products, while maintaining performance.
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    BIRD COLLISIONS ON CAMPUS
    (2011) Beard, Stephanie A.
    Hundreds of millions of birds die each year in the United States as a result of collisions with plate-glass. It is estimated to be the largest source of avian mortality associated with humans. As our population continues to grow by an expected three billion individuals, more structures will be built, and the threat will increase. Further, modern buildings are frequently designed with large expanses of glass, often for energy efficiency, which greatly increases their danger to birds. Birds are vital to human well-being. They provide a number of ecosystem services, so their loss is our loss. For example, birds are vital to seed dispersal and plant pollination. They also reduce the numbers of insect pests, saving on crop losses and lessening the need for pesticides. Birds strengthen the resiliency of ecosystems, and are a vital part of our culture—a source of pleasure, inspiration and beauty.
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    Can urban trees help protect our lakes and streams?
    (2011) Nidzgorski, Daniel A.; Hobbie, Sarah E.
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    Climate Tracking: Applications of a Novel Technique to Sustainability
    (2012-07-24) Barnes, Richard; Lehman, Clarence; Williams, Shelby; Frelich, Lee
    Climate
 change
 has 
profound 
implications 
for 
the
 sustainability 
of 
society 
and
 the
 environment, 
yet 
estimates 
of 
climate 
change 
cover 
times 
scales 
which 
make
 results 
difficult 
to 
verify, 
are 
often 
computationally 
expensive 
to 
make,
 and
 have 
uncertainties 
which 
are 
not 
easily 
communicated,
 especially 
outside
 the 
area
 of 
computational
 meteorology
 and 
mathematics.
 We 
present
 a
 method 
of 
quantifying 
climate 
change 
over
 the 
past 
century 
and
 into 
the 
near‐future
 which 
bypasses 
many 
of 
these 
problems.
 Using 
historical 
weather
 data 
and 
a 
surface‐fitting 
algorithm,
 we 
are 
able 
to 
extract 
"climate 
velocities", 
representing
 the
 surface
 speed
 and 
direction
 of
the 
climate 
for 
any 
location.
 Projections 
from
 these 
velocities 
can 
be 
used
 to 
extract
 possible 
future 
locations 
and
 direction‐of‐movement
 of 
biomes, 
biofuel 
hotspots, 
and
 agricultural
 productivity, 
with
 implications
 for
 conservation 
parkways, 
preemptive 
revegetation,
 agricultural 
policy.
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    Coffee to biodiesel: A quest for green energy
    (2016) Ramitha, D.M.; Rupasinghe, Y.P.; Fischer, Abbey
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    Development of a Solar Smoleniec/Stirling Hybrid Thermo-Mechanical Generator
    (2010) Goldberg, Louise F.
    The Thermo-Mechanical Generator was invented in 1967 and is an ingeniously simple and elegant heat engine operating on a Stirling thermodynamic cycle that can yield cogenerated electrical and thermal energy from moderately hot heat sources (200-500°C). A new version of this heat engine has been invented that is capable of operating off concentrated solar energy provided by inexpensive, acrylic Fresnel lenses. A key innovation in the technology is the use of a digital thermodynamic Smoleniec/Stirling cycle to optimize the performance of the heat engine in real time. A state space analysis of the engine has been completed that demonstrates that the invention can operate successfully. So far, the analysis has predicted an output electrical power of 1.9 kW when operating between hot and cold temperature limits of 500 C and 20 C respectively. Under these conditions the engine operates at a frequency of 87 Hz.
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    Does sustainable school design matter?
    (2012-02-27) Turner, Elizabeth
    There is a growing trend toward building “green schools” which promote the environmental, but also economic and social, sustainability of the communities they support through design strategies such as green roofs and geothermal heating, but also programmatic components like urban farming and student-run cafes. In many cases, the educational goals of the academic institution drive innovative and sustainable construction practices which serve as a “living laboratory” for students. This research begins with case studies of sustainable learning environments, from pre-K facilities to Universities, with particular attention paid to sustainable design strategies and student engagement in the design process. The project then analyzes the specific priorities of Great River Montessori Junior/Senior High in St. Paul and proposes a “sustainable” design based on the school’s interpretation of Maria Montessori’s educational philosophy and input from students, faculty and staff. The next step will be an evidence-based research project, which will examine the possibilities for schools to maximize potential for students to learn about sustainable systems through the design, construction, and maintenance of learning environments.
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    Educowtion
    (2019) Knoble, Abigail
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    Efficient charge transfer from excited state dye molecules into nanoparticles as a model for dye sensitized solar cells
    (2011-11) Hue, Ryan; Vatassery, Rajan; Hinke, Jon; Mann, Kent; Blank, David; Gladfelter, Wayne
    We deconstruct the DSSC and focus on the sensitization mechanism to extract a thorough understanding of the charge separation process. Our study of the dye's interactions with the nanoparticles provides details about the attachment, the surface environment and the ability for the dyes to inject electrons in competition with loss mechanisms.
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    Efficient Inorganic-Bonded Wood Panels for Construction Applications
    (2010) Aro, Matthew
    We have combined the unique properties of chemically-bonded inorganic binders with wood feedstock to develop fire-, moisture-, decay-, and mildew-resistant prototype composite panels for construction applications. The inorganic binders are magnesium-based and require significantly less energy to produce than the traditional petroleum-based resins found in most wood-based construction panels. The manufacture of the composite panels requires no heat, and the wood feedstock does not need to be dried. Thus, the manufacturing process requires much less energy and releases minimal VOCs when compared to traditional wood-based panels. Further, the inorganic binders do not contain formaldehyde, unlike most traditional resins. We envision this product as an improved and energy-efficient replacement for plywood, particleboard, and high- and medium-density fiberboard in several applications, including laminating platforms and substrates for laminate flooring and/or engineered wood flooring; laminating platforms for kitchen and bathroom countertops; and bottom panels for sink bases. We are gauging industry interest in these and other applications and are continuing with further development.
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    ENERGY GIANTS: The United States, China and Renewable Energy Development
    (2011) Lewein, Jenna
    My interest in the actions being taken by the US and China towards renewable energy production is inspired by my two majors. I am a Sustainability Studies minor who is also in a dual degree program at the University of Minnesota. This has allowed me to work toward a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Languages and Literature and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, Policy and Management. I went into this research project with the goal of finding out what challenges the US and China face with the growing concerns about climate change in the energy sector and what they are currently doing about it. There is still a lot I am curious about, but this project has helped me gain a broader sense of where the US and China stand.
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    Engineering a Multi-species Fermentation Platform for Biofuel Production
    (2011-11) Babson, David; Yeom, Soo-Jin; Schmidt-Dannert, Claudia
    Biodiesel production is an emerging renewable fuel technology. By using microbial consortia, the biosynthetic pathway can be divided-up among multiple microbial populations to create more efficient production processes. The mixed populations are controlled by synthetic interspecies communication circuits, and the consortia metabolism can be engineered to optimize available biomass utilization.
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    Evaluating Wood Energy Opportunity Zones: Integrating Social and Biophysical Project Planning
    (2011-11) Becker, Dennis R.
    A forest-based bioeconomy may simultaneously address national security concerns and climate change and promote economic development while facilitating forest health treatments and wildfire risk reduction. This research accelerates wood energy development using information on the social, financial, and environmental aspects of facility siting to identify “opportunity zones” adjacent to national forests.
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    Getting To Yes? Collaborative Landscape Design & Planning in Search of Broadly-Acceptable ‘Biofuel Landscapes’ for the Upper Midwest
    (2011-11) Jordan, N.; Bolstad, P.; Lapp, C.; Pitt, D.; Schively Slotterback, C.; Meschke, L.
    Producing agriculture bioenergy from perennial crops could have many 'spin-off' benefits for resource conservation and rural communities. But the devil is in the details: which benefits matter most and who will pay for them? We are searching for bioenergy production systems that have broad support from farmers, environmentalists and landowners.