COD students contribute to Naperville Green Fuels Project
College of DuPage chemistry faculty and students are part of a consortium of contributors to the new Green Fuels Depot in Naperville.
Packer Engineering in Naperville, Argonne National Laboratory, the city of Naperville and COD have been working together on the Green Fuels Depot. From this collaboration, Packer has designed a gasifier called the Stalk Stoker that will turn grass, leaves, branches and similar products into syngas, a mixture that then can be converted into ethanol, electricity or hydrogen.
Primary funding comes through the U.S. Department of Energy, with the full support of U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert. Argonne is contributing its expertise to this energy conversion process that will fuel a number of Naperville's city vehicles.
During the past three years, College of DuPage students have worked alongside scientists to gain valuable experience as part of this innovative project that could have a global impact.
“Students are receiving hands-on involvement with a prototype device that could potentially lead to world-wide application,” said Richard Jarman, professor of Chemistry at College of DuPage. “They are gaining valuable experience working with this equipment and understanding the theories of green technology.”
While pursuing funding several years ago, Packer approached College of DuPage in order to add a key educational component to the project. Since then, COD students have been involved in a variety of ways, including the production of a manual to accompany the gasifier, the design and assembly of a hydrogen-powered remote-control car, and design and construction of a mock auger to study feed of Naperville's biomass.
Rob Gibson of Warrenville worked as an intern at Packer during the summer of 2011. An Electro-Mechanical Technology major who previously earned two bachelor's degrees, Gibson enjoyed seeing firsthand the various aspects of the project.
“I always wanted to work in a gasification or bio-reactor setting,” he said. “I see a great need for our country to no longer be dependent on imported energy, and that's one of the reasons why I did this.”
The city of Naperville hopes to implement the first gasifier later this fall. Jarman said it's important for the College to be part of a project that's on the leading edge of green fuel technology.
“At some time in the not-too-distant future, green energy is going to be a very important industry,” he said. “This general area of biomass to energy conversion has massive possibilities.”
For more information on COD's Chemistry program, call (630) 942-8331.