To address this problem, Hemant teamed up with classmates in 2009 to launch CALLMAT, a multipurpose pollutant removing mat.

The team has envisioned a technology that will use immobilized calixarenes to remove toxic metal ions and pollutants from water. Easily suspended in collection tanks of water requiring treatment, CALLMAT will prove a cost-effective way to increase the supply of clean water to households and farmers.

CALLMAT is more than a project for me. When I am back to my hometown, I see so many children and laborers affected by heavy metal poisoning. And that is what gives me a kick to do something about it.

I would like to work with farmers at the root level as a part of my goal to find greener solutions to today’s environmental problems. I am sure that the combination of my scientific approach and their vast practical knowledge will show synergism and bring out fruitful results.

Goals:

1. To provide clean water to the villagers so as to upraise the standard of living and the prevailing health conditions.
2. To provide clean water for irrigation to farmers so as to prevent accumulation of toxic pollutants at higher trophic levels.
3. To prevent the disposal of hazardous metal ions and other toxic compounds from small scale industries into water resources and later penetration into ground water.
4. To produce energy from waste pollutants removed from water by developing microbial fuel cells

Now, picture this: Trucks releasing cleaner emissions and making fuel as they drive. Our proposed solution involves the growth of algae, of which oil is extracted for biodiesel production. Each truck would have an “algae panel” attached to its top, comparable in size to a solar panel and filled with water and algae.

It would be connected to the trucks exhaust system, so the emissions would pass through the panel before entering the atmosphere.

The carbon dioxide emitted from the trucks helps the algae grow, while the algae filters out the nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons. As the panel fills up with algae, systems would be set up at gas stations to drain out portions of the algae, leaving room for new growth. The biodiesel produced from the algae would be used to fuel the trucks.

Goals:

• Research algae types, trucking requirements and emission levels to determine design of system
• Test strains of algae for rate of growth, ability to feed off of CO2 and nitrous oxide emissions and oil content. Determine best strain to use.
• Construct a working prototype and test system. Make modifications.
• Apply for patent.

Here is a sample of algae that we have worked to grow.

We plan to create methane from an anaerobic digester and then take the gas and convert it into methanol.  This methanol is an important part of the biodiesel production process and is currently obtained from processes using natural gas, which are inherently harmful to the environment.

Our project would take the manure from the farm and capture the methane released (which is a green house gas with more potency than carbon dioxide) and minimize the amount of natural gas required for the project.

This process would allow the biodiesel to be produced by more natural byproducts and without the need of more gas drilling.

This venture will demonstrate to the community that we can reduce our dependence on oil just by leveraging potential energy sources that are generally wasted and ignored. It will also produce higher grade fertilizer in the digestion process and remove the excess green house gas (methane) from the air while producing a necessary component of a clean fuel.

Success will be measured by the net amount of methanol created by the process. This not only represents the amount of green house gas that was stopped from going into the air, but also the amount of natural gas conserved by the process. We aim for the steady production of a gallon of methanol gas produced every week, but without further research it will be impossible to tell our lower and upper limits.

Goals:

• Design and construct an anaerobic digestion process
• Design and construct a methane-to-methanol conversion process
• Purify methanol to high qualities (90%)
• Use methanol in current biodiesel process

After talking to others in the village, Amandeep realized that most villagers used firewood and the ones who could afford it, used liquefied petroleum gas. Neither of these options was good – the former depleted forest resources and the latter caused pollution.

On doing some more research, Amandeep discovered that the reason bio-gas cooking is time consuming is because of the high carbon dioxide content. He also discovered that calcium oxide can neutralize the carbon dioxide to form calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate in turn can be used to neutralize the effects of acid rain.

Having established the chemical process, Amandeep is now focused on developing capacity to implement his bio-gas purification process so that people like his aunt can have an affordable, efficient and clean way to cook.

Goals:

• Purify at least 10,000 liters of Bio-Bas
• Add CaCO3 to at least 10 hectare of agricultural land
• Set up one more Bio-Gas plant in my village
• Employ 20 farmers on a part time basis

Solar cookers are used to cook cleanly and inexpensively when the sun is shining. Fuel efficient stoves (“rocket stoves”) are made out of organic materials and use only a few pieces of wood to cook when the sun isn’t shining. Haybaskets are insulated woven baskets used to retain heat and finish cooking a meal when the sun goes away or to conserve firewood.

I did a school science project on solar cooking last year and learned how it can help women in developing countries who have to spend long hours collecting firewood and don’t have time to work or get an education.

After I finished my project I met a priest from Uganda who lives here in Ohio; he told me about life in his village and I told him how solar cookers could help. I started this project to help the people in Obia-Zeu have an alternative to walking long distances, to cutting down all their trees and to cooking over smoky fires.

Me, on day 4 of the solar cooking workshop in Uganda. For more photos see: www.imageevent.com/uganda. You can lalso ink to my wiki site.

The ABP is a student-run project doing independent research into creating biodiesel fuel from algae. We are a team of about thirty high-school students from twenty-three school districts across Connecticut spending time outside of school and on weekends doing original research and experimentation.

With the world’s supply of fossil fuels dwindling and global warming hovering over us, a practical solution is required today. We believe that algal biodiesel is the solution. Algae is a domestic, non-food crop with a much higher oil yield than other alternative fuel feedstock, and is easily cultivated on fallow land. Biodiesel is a renewable fuel that emits far less pollution than petrochemicals and can be used with existing infrastruct ure.

We have seen the effect of a failing oil supply on the world economy; biodiesel can replace reliance on oil and replace fossil fuels with clean, renewable energy. Biodiesel is a practical alternative energy that can fundamentally alter the energy industry and its impact on the environment of tomorrow.

Goals:

• 

  Create a process that will capture at least 50% of the oil from algal biomass with energy cost not exceeding amount of energy extracted

• Enact complete process for cultivating algae, harvesting it, extracting oil, and turning oil into biodiesel
• Make our product usable in a diesel motor and compliant with ASTM standards for biodiesel
• Refine and optimize product until it is equal to or more eco-friendly than other sources of biodiesel

Algae Tanks

]]> http://genvcampaigns.org/2009/04/13/venture-algal-biodiesel-project/feed/ 11 http://genvcampaigns.org/2009/04/13/venture-turn-it-off/ http://genvcampaigns.org/2009/04/13/venture-turn-it-off/#comments Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:44:59 +0000 Charles Tsai http://genvcampaigns.org/?p=314 Sagar Naupada, 19, India - While we walk out of a room having a 60W bulb without switching it off, the power wastage snow balls to approximately 22,000W per year. If this is the case of a single bulb what about the other appliances in our house hold.

My idea is to develop a electronic system which automatically turns ‘off’ and ‘on’ the appliances in a room. It works with cheap circuitry. What it does is very simple, it counts the number of persons entering a room then for the presence of a single person the lights in the room turn on. Then when a person comes out of the room the system deducts the number from the previously counted value. When the value becomes zero i.e. when no person is present in the room the light and appliances turn off automatically. This project finds itself useful not only in homes but also in schools,colleges etc.

Though this system is a complicated substitute to a simple turning off of the switches but it is essential because power consumption is a major factor contributing to the pollution, particularly in a nation where large amount of power is generated using fossil fuels. A unit prevented from wastage is equal to 1.5 units generated.

Goals:

• Develop and test the gadget
• Install the gadget in a room of our college and test under different conditions
• Install gadget all over campus
• Request companies visiting campus to take interest in power conservation and encourage them to adopt Turn It Off

Circuit of system that automatically turns lights on/off.

In search for an alternative that would answer the environmental problems caused by Palm Fronds burning and arrest the rising cost of construction materials, I with my adviser came up with a research on Palm Fronds Cement Bonded Blocks on October 2007. This technology utilizes Palm Fronds as substitute for sand in making construction blocks.

To help answer these problems, the Palm Frond Cement Bonded Blocks will be introduced to the residents of the province and train them on the skills needed in the fabrication of the said blocks and educate the residents on the environmental and health hazards caused by improper burning of this agricultural residue.

The Palm Fronds Cement Bonded Blocks was tested using the Universal Testing Machine conducted at the Department of Public Works and Highways. Results show that the bonded blocks passed the requirements set by the American Cement Institute.

The use of this agricultural residue in the construction Industry would be useful in reducing environmental problems and financial cost in housing.

Goals:

• To educate residents on health and environmental hazards caused by improper palm fronds burning
• To train participants on skills needed in making palm fronds blocks
• To create business opportunities around agricultural wastes
• To educate community on current environmental issues

The photo reflects the problem of palm fronds burning, a waste residue from Palm oil plants used in Kalakat Making.

This project idea centers mainly on setting up of ecological sanitation toilets for the collection of manure. The toilet uses the principle of anaerobic respiration where the collection vault is tightly fit to exempt any water or moisture from mixing with the waste.

Every time that the toilet is used wood-ash is spread as a treatment. This is used to ensure dryness and make the area not conducive for any micro-organisms. EM (Effective Micro-organism) can then be added as a further treatment. When the vault is full it is tightly sealed and left for 6 months while the other is opened for use. There is another vault for collection of urine which is mixed with water in the ratio of 5:1. The urine can be used ONLY on Fruit tree roots to improve the “greenness” of the leaves, and also kill certain pests.

A) Local toilet, B) Eco-toilet, C) Kitchen garden, D) Side view of eco-toilet

To provide a solution, we came up with an idea of using tractor batteries as an energy source to light 9-12W CFLs. At night, the tractors are not used and they can be used to light CFLs.

One-twelfth of the battery is consumed to use 1 CFL for 4 hours. The tractor’s battery then gets recharged during day time when it runs on the fields or is used for other agricultural purposes. Thus, the net is that we are not consuming any additional power to light up the CFLs on the days that the tractor is used.

We implemented this idea successfully in 17 homes in our village and this was of great help to the students. The whole setup cost was INR 135 (for wires, DC CFL and circuit board).

The advantages of our “eco-switch” system are:

1. Reduction of pollution by using CFLs instead of bulbs and lanterns: 240,000 liters of CO2 per month and 2,450,000 kJ of heat per month.
2. Improvement in academic performance of students.
3. Better health for users by reducing Asthma, ENT and Eye problems.
4. Cost Savings for farmers and rural students, and for the Government.
5. Increased lifespan of tractor battery.

Tractor-Factor was launched by Shailesh Upadhyay and Ujala Shanker (both natives of Uttar Pradesh) who are currently studying at VIT University. Shailesh, founder of the idea, initiated its implementation to address the issue of power crisis in his village. He faced many hardships while studying at night: due to frequent power cuts and the pollution caused by toxic lanterns, which were used as alternatives. As they say, “Necessity is the mother of Invention” and this experience inspired him to device a solution. Their team also comprises a very active ally, Mrs. Sandhya Pentareddy.