Project Goals
 Improving shellfish habitat while securing local Bio-mass production.
 Using a renewable farm product for bio fuel , insuring sustainably and reliability
 Although first step in project is program specific this can lead to long term research and
ability to produce and use bio-fuel on evergreen campus
 The next steps are multi-student and multi-departmental projects
Bio fuels are the future of sustainable energy. With millions of cars on the road the
demand for bio fuels will just increases as the price of gasoline goes up. People will look for a
cheaper alternative. Currently several bio fuels are in research phase. I am going to focus my
research on butanol production.
Butanol has several advantages over other bio fuels including ethanol. It can be put
directly into your gas tank without modifying the vehicle. Ethanol was chosen due to the lower
cost of production and butanol was ignored due to the cost associated with anaerobic
digestion.
Tulane University has discovered aerobic bacteria called Tu-103. David Mullen of
Tulane University t has agreed to provide me with a sample. This will allow me to test aerobic
digestion of TU-103 on kelp. Aerobic bacterial digestion should cost less and incorporating an
inexpensive farm product I can lower the production cost of butanol significantly.
Kelp production has been done in Asia for the last half century. Kelp farms are a
proven technology that can provide enough biomass to make butanol a possibility without
impacting food production. This makes the whole system more sustainable.
Bringing Butanol to the masses involves several key points first I need a place to grow
kelp. Second I need logistical support to bring kelp to the digester. Third I will need to market
butanol.
As with any major project it starts with a small step. Kelp production alongside shellfish
is a proven method of farming. I need to show our local shellfish farmers that bull kelp can
benefit their shellfish farms.
Bull kelp has the potential to reduce local ocean acidification. Ocean acidification is
eating away at the clams and oyster our local farms really on for a living. If Kelp can be grown
and protect shellfish farms from ocean acidification then our local farmers will grow all the
biomass I will need to put into a major butanol production digester.
I need to quantify how much water quality is change by a single kelp plant. I have
chosen bull kelp as my experimental kelp due to it being our local verity. I will put nine plants
in Isolation and log the PH change alongside alkalinity and daily water samples. Each plant
needs its own bubblier and water cycler. Also I need to refrigerate the water to 10 degrees
Celsius to allow for intimation of the ocean.
Description
Acrylic Tubing 10’’x3/4’x8’
water proofing
500 ft. tubing ½ inch
Refrigeration
Coupling and vales misc.
Lumber misc.
Water pumps
Misc. 40%
Qty
9
1
1
1
1
1
9
1
Cost
$384.00
$34.98
$300.00
$250.00
$400.00
$500.00
$94.00
Budget
Sub-total
$3456.00
$34.98
$300.00
$250.00
$400.00
$500.00
$846.00
$2314.00
Total $8100.00