Food to Energy: A K12/University Partnership to Develop a Resource Recovery Program

Jan DeWaters; Stefan J. Grimberg

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Conference: 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access
Location: Virtual Conference
Publication Date: July 26, 2021
Start Date: July 26, 2021
End Date: July 19, 2022
Conference Session: Energy Conversion and Conservation Division Technical Session 3: Education Track
Tagged Division: Energy Conversion and Conservation
Page Count: 14
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--37199
Permanent URL: https://strategy.asee.org/37199
Download Count: 358

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Paper Authors

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Jan DeWaters P.E. Clarkson University

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Jan DeWaters is an Associate Professor in the Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering at Clarkson University, in Potsdam, New York. She teaches introductory courses on energy issues and energy systems, and is part of the development team for Clarkson’s First Year Engineering/Interdisciplinary course. Her current research interests include the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based effective learning practices in STEM education, environmental education, and energy education.

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biography

Stefan J. Grimberg Clarkson University

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Stefan J. Grimberg completed his PhD in 1995 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since that time he has been a faculty member of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Clarkson University. He received his Diplom in Chemical Engineering from the Technical University of Munich, Germany (1987) and his Masters in Environmental Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1989). Dr. Grimberg’s research focuses on delineating the role of microorganisms on contaminant transport in atmospheric and aqueous systems. Most recently he and his students are investigating the most efficient process to convert farm waste into biogas using anaerobic digestion.

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Abstract

Americans discard 40 million tons of food waste (FW) annually, contributing significantly to gaseous emissions, leachate generation, and diminished landfill capacity. While composting FW recovers valuable fertilizer, anaerobic digesters (ADs) also produce biogas, which can be used as an energy resource to replace fossil fuels.

An on-going, multi-faceted university/K12 partnership, now in its third year, integrates a school-wide FW recovery program with classroom and extracurricular education in resource recovery (RR). Pre- and post-consumer FW from the high school (HS) and middle school (MS) cafeterias at a nearby K12 school district is treated at an AD system, as part of an on-going University research project investigating the benefits of supplementing dairy farm AD feed with FW to increase energy production. The supplemental FW can improve process economics, but only if the waste is free of inorganic contaminants. Our experience with college students demonstrates the difficulties of creating a ‘clean’ post-consumer FW stream because of long-ingrained, improper waste disposal habits. Successfully diverting FW requires a cultural shift, which is most likely to happen by engaging younger people in proper FW separation practices. Long-term behavioral change originates in early experience; we hypothesize that students who learn source separation, participate in RR, and see the beneficial outcomes at an early age will develop and retain good FW disposal habits.

A team of university students enrolled in a credit-bearing project course mentor MS and HS students to organize the cafeteria FW program. Simultaneously, under faculty guidance, these students develop and teach interactive, hands-on educational modules related to waste disposal and RR. So far we have developed seven different single- and multi-day lessons, and have worked with MS and HS environmental clubs and ten HS science classes (environmental science, earth science, and chemistry). Results from a relatively simple, anonymous pre-post survey indicate significant improvements in students’ self-assessed knowledge about energy and resource recovery, a demonstrated increase in their understanding of anaerobic digestion and its capacity for producing energy from organic waste. Students are also more willing to talk to their families about proper waste disposal practices and encourage them to reduce FW.

The program has garnered enthusiasm among school and community members. Our paper will present additional details about the content and outcomes from the past two years of this on-going project.

Citation
Format

DeWaters, J., & Grimberg, S. J. (2021, July), Food to Energy: A K12/University Partnership to Develop a Resource Recovery Program Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference. 10.18260/1-2--37199

TY - CPAPER
AB - Americans discard 40 million tons of food waste (FW) annually, contributing significantly to gaseous emissions, leachate generation, and diminished landfill capacity. While composting FW recovers valuable fertilizer, anaerobic digesters (ADs) also produce biogas, which can be used as an energy resource to replace fossil fuels.

An on-going, multi-faceted university/K12 partnership, now in its third year, integrates a school-wide FW recovery program with classroom and extracurricular education in resource recovery (RR). Pre- and post-consumer FW from the high school (HS) and middle school (MS) cafeterias at a nearby K12 school district is treated at an AD system, as part of an on-going University research project investigating the benefits of supplementing dairy farm AD feed with FW to increase energy production. The supplemental FW can improve process economics, but only if the waste is free of inorganic contaminants.
Our experience with college students demonstrates the difficulties of creating a ‘clean’ post-consumer FW stream because of long-ingrained, improper waste disposal habits. Successfully diverting FW requires a cultural shift, which is most likely to happen by engaging younger people in proper FW separation practices. Long-term behavioral change originates in early experience; we hypothesize that students who learn source separation, participate in RR, and see the beneficial outcomes at an early age will develop and retain good FW disposal habits.

A team of university students enrolled in a credit-bearing project course mentor MS and HS students to organize the cafeteria FW program. Simultaneously, under faculty guidance, these students develop and teach interactive, hands-on educational modules related to waste disposal and RR. So far we have developed seven different single- and multi-day lessons, and have worked with MS and HS environmental clubs and ten HS science classes (environmental science, earth science, and chemistry). Results from a relatively simple, anonymous pre-post survey indicate significant improvements in students’ self-assessed knowledge about energy and resource recovery, a demonstrated increase in their understanding of anaerobic digestion and its capacity for producing energy from organic waste. Students are also more willing to talk to their families about proper waste disposal practices and encourage them to reduce FW.

The program has garnered enthusiasm among school and community members. Our paper will present additional details about the content and outcomes from the past two years of this on-going project.
AU - Jan DeWaters P.E.
AU - Stefan J. Grimberg
CY - Virtual Conference
DA - 2021/07/26
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Food to Energy: A K12/University Partnership to Develop a Resource Recovery Program
UR - https://strategy.asee.org/37199
DO - 10.18260/1-2--37199
ER -