Ecotech Response 3 – Jack L, Sarah S, Marc D
Project Title: University uses 1,250 gallons of bad mayonnaise for power.
Brief Description: Michigan State University utilizes their recycling technology to turn 1,250 gallons of bad mayo into power for campus.
Visuals:
Questions and Answers:
What are the key questions/issues the project is addressing? (i.e. concept)
The key issue being addressed in this project is waste management. The university was going to have to throw away 1500 gallons of mayonnaise which would have been a huge waste, but instead they managed to find a way to give it some use.
Why are these important questions/issues?
Waste management is an important issue because our ability to manage waste and recycle materials will be a massive factor in whether or not we are able to keep the planet’s ecosystem intact.
How does the projects address the questions/issues? In their words, what does the project add to human culture? How does it contribute to human meaning? community? ecosystems?
They don’t talk about what the project adds to human culture, however they say that it “… was a perfect situation to turn what could have been a catastrophe into something positive for the university.” More technology like this would help the world save its ecosystem.
Which ecological issues does the project raise/solve?
Michigan State brought up the ecological issue of clean power. The university showed that using old food (such as mayonnaise) for a power source actually works really well even if it is a little time-consuming The article also brings up the issue of giving leftovers for power instead to the homeless and hungry.
Does the project respond superficially (it just raises the issue for us to think about) vs deeply (it pushes us to engage with the issue and/or take action).
We believe that the project responds superficially because the issue of excess mayonnaise is not a immediate/ intensifying threat, rather than a smart alternative to a condiment malfunction. This issue raises a question of fuel alternatives rather than force us to take any immediate action.
What design decisions were used to support the project intention? Does the design fit the concept?
The anaerobic digester is the main design aspect of this project, without it there would be no way to salvage the bad mayonnaise. The design unexpectedly fits the concept perfectly. The bad mayonnaise was an unsuspected resource for the campus to use in it’s already design Anaerobic Digester Tank.
What kind of technology does the project use? Does the technology support the intent or does it create tension with the intent?
The way an anaerobic digester works is this: a large tank is used to house food waste and other biodegradable material. Inside this tank, bacteria convert organic waste into methane gas through the process of anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion is a collection of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste or to produce fuels.
The gases that are left are converted into mechanical energy through a heated combustion system and then that mechanical energy activates a generator to power electrical energy to the south side of their campus. In this case, the mayo is the main biodegradable component for this fuel. In essence, “for a brief time some buildings on the south side of campus ran on mayo power.”
Quotes:
- “To comprehend the ecology of a river and the human systems that impact it requires ecological intelligence emerging across the conventional boundaries of disciplines.” – The Intelligence of Ecological Design
- “And in this economic system, perpetual growth is pursuit relentlessly by promoting excessive consumption, and a throw-away economy, that is energy and resource intensive, generating waste and pollution, and depleting the Earth’s natural resources.”-The Systems View of Life
- “Networks are the basic patterns of organization of all living systems, ecosystems are understood in terms of food webs…that is, networks of organisms…there are also social networks, that are networks of communications, so wherever we see life, we see networks. The network is a pattern that is common to all life. “ -The Systems View of Life
This is relevant because within the anaerobic digester there is a system of microorganisms that are working together to eventually create electricity, which in turn powers our social network. It’s all connected.
- “The other challenge is posed by the end of the era of cheap, portable fossil fuels. Unusually astute leadership will be required to avoid the possible catastrophe that scientists such as Wilson, Rees, and Lovelock see ahead.” -A Hippocratic Oath for Designers
This connects to the reading because that story was about an different solution to power so maybe further down the road we could find other solutions to fossil fuels.
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