Hamilton seniors Zachary Hesse and David Gordon presented the findings of their Emerson Grant Research Project, "A Life Cycle Assessment Comparison of Biodiesel vs. Diesel Use at Hamilton College," to an audience of students, faculty and staff on Feb. 23. Hesse and Gordon, whose interest in the topic was sparked by a class in Industrial Ecology, used a technique called "life cycle assessment" to evaluate the environmental effects of using biodiesel at Hamilton as opposed to traditional petroleum diesel. Their presentation argued that biodiesel use is not only feasible at Hamilton, but that it would be cheaper and more environmentally friendly than petroleum diesel use.
Professor Michael McCormick of the Biology department, who taught Hesse and Gordon in his Industrial Ecology class and advised them on this project, introduced the students and commended them on their hard work doing this independent research.
Zachary Hesse '05, a religious studies major from Jenkintown, Pa., began the presentation by talking about the benefits of biodiesel as an alternative to fossil fuels, which are currently the source for 85% of the energy used in the United States. Not only are fossil fuels a non-renewable resource that is becoming harder to find and extract and a danger to our environment, but we also get half of our oil from overseas, benefitting foreign oil moguls and not our domestic economy, Hesse said. Biodiesel, which is created from vegetable oils, has the benefits of being renewable, clean and environmentally friendly, and produced by domestic farmers. There are also government tax incentives to use biodiesel that make it economically attractive. Biodiesel fuel is being used currently by over 400 institutions in the United States including colleges and universities, NASA, and the military. Using biodiesel at Hamilton, Hesse said, could extend the image of the school as environmentally friendly and progressive.
There are also some obstacles to switching to biodiesel, Hesse acknowledged. Using biodiesel in most engines voids their warranties, and the initial switch to biodiesel from petroleum can cause sediment buildup in engines. Pure biodiesel also does not perform well at very cold temperatures, as it becomes gelatinous. Biodiesel also has 8% less energy by volume than petroleum fuels.
David Gordon '05, a government major and geology minor from New York, N.Y., continued the presentation by explaining the analytical tool he and Hesse used in their research, called a "life cycle assessment," or LCA. An LCA is a way of measuring the flow of energy and materials throughout the use of a product or service, and quantifying the burden this process places on the environment. Gordon stressed that an LCA is a "comprehensive, quantitative and objective" method of creating an impact assessment for the entire lifespan of a particular process or product. He explained how an LCA works and gave a simplified model example.
Gordon then described what he and Hesse did to create life cycle assessments of biodiesel and petroleum diesel use at Hamilton. The assessment took into account the inputs and outputs associated with each fuel's extraction, refinement, transportation, storage, use, and the eventual wastes. Using a computer program called Simapro 6, Hesse and Gordon were able to consider the effects of 270 raw material inputs, 420 processes, and 180 emissions. Their analysis showed that biodiesel use was less harmful to the environment in the areas of abiotic depletion, ozone depletion, human toxicity, water toxicity and terrestrial toxicity. Biodiesel also has a negative effect on global warming that counteracts the effect of petroleum diesel use. Biodiesel placed a greater burden on the environment in the areas of smog, acidification, and eutrophication. Gordon said that there are innovations being made with new biodiesels which will eventually make the smog and eutrophication effects less significant.
In conclusion, Hesse and Gordon found that biodiesel use at Hamilton would be more environmentally friendly overall. They then explored the possibility of creating biodiesel in house at Hamilton by recycling the 750 gallons of used vegetable oil that is discarded by our food service company Bon Appetit every year. After weighing all the costs and risks of this program, they decided that it was not the best plan for the college at this time, though it may be useful to experiment with it on a small scale. Instead, Hesse and Gordon recommend that Hamilton begin to buy biodiesel from a supplier called NOCO Energy in Tonawanda, N.Y. Hamilton's Physical Plant department has been testing a small sample supply of their fuel and has found that it works well.
Hesse and Gordon believe that biodiesel and biodiesel mixes could be used year round at Hamilton in jitneys, building heating systems, and Physical Plant vehicles, all of which currently use petroleum diesel. The biodiesel purchased from NOCO could even be supplemented by on-site biodiesel production. In all, because of tax incentives, using biodiesel would be more cost effective than the current petroleum diesel use.
After their presentation, Hesse and Gordon took questions about their research from the audience, and said that they will be turning this presentation into a formal feasibility study to be presented to the administration of the College.
Their research was funded through the Emerson Grant Foundation, created in 1997 to provide students with significant opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty members, independently researching an area of interest. Hesse and Gordon did this research project over the summer of 2004.
--by Caroline R. O'Shea '07
