History of UR Biodiesel:
Fall 2006, Spring 2007
Fall 2007, Spring 2008
Fall 2008
Spring 2009
Fall 2009
Fall 2006, Spring 2007
In the fall of 2006, four undergraduate students came together and UR Biodiesel was born at the University of Rochester. The plan, which was completely student-driven, was to use the waste vegetable oil River Campus dining centers to create biodiesel, which could then be used in one of the campus buses. The UR Biodiesel team worked during the fall of 2006 and spring of 2007 to create a business plan for the Charles and Janet Forbes Entrepreneurial Competition. At that time, the team consisted of Chris Babcock (’07), Dave Borrelli (’09), Dan Fink (’09), and Eric Weissmann (’10). After winning second place in that competition (check out the presentation and business plan), as well as receiving strong vocal support from the judges, the team set out to make UR Biodiesel a reality.
Fall 2007, Spring 2008
The team spent much of the fall 2007 and spring 2008 semester working to gain support from the University. At this point Chris had graduated, and Dan, Dave and Eric met with University administrators frequently to win their support. While most administrators agreed to the proposal in theory, it was very difficult to move to the next step. After a very successful meeting with Dean Kevin Parker in November 2007, the project started to pick up. The team met with Richard Pifer, Associate Vice President for University Facilities and Services, who agreed to work with us to build a facility to house our processor. After continuing to flesh out some details, in April 2008 we took a trip to Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania with Jeff Foster, Director of River Campus Facilities and University Properties, and Eris Oleksyn, Trades Supervisor and Area Manager for Facilities. Dickinson College already has an operational biodiesel facility that is similar to the one we were looking to construct. Eris Oleksyn later became UR Biodiesel’s primary contact in Facilities and coordinated the day-to-day construction and progress at the UR Biodiesel site.
In April and May of 2008, and even into June and July over the phone, the team worked with Eris to come up with the ideal site for the UR Biodiesel facility, as well as to consider what would be necessary to make it happen. Finally, in July 2008 on a conference call with Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Kevin Parker and Ovide Corriveau, Senior Operations Officer of the College, UR Biodiesel was given the final go-ahead.
Fall 2008
Most of the fall of 2008 was spent constructing the UR Biodiesel facility. Eris handled most of this, though the team was busy working on other aspects of the project, such as designing the processor, coming up with a plan for publicity, figuring out a plan for the bus, developing a system and schedule for delivery of waste vegetable oil, working with Professor Ebenhack in Chemical Engineering to allow students in certain courses to work on UR Biodisel for credit, as well as a variety of other side projects. In the fall 2008 semester, Hannah Baker (’10), Katie Maloney (’10) and Annalise Kjolhede (’10) began helping the team in a variety of ways, while receiving academic credit through the Chemical Engineering 278: Energy Alternatives Lab course. Connecting UR Biodiesel to academic courses is an essential component to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the program.
Spring 2009
Early in the spring 2009 semester, construction on the UR Biodiesel facility was completed. During the apring of 2009, the team focused on ordering parts for, designing, and building the biodiesel processor. This was among the most educational aspects of the entire project, but also among the most difficult. The ever-growing biodiesel team worked on running tests in the lab on the waste vegetable oil, especially as compared to natural vegetable oil. The team is finalized the waste vegetable oil delivery system with Dining, conducted a design competition for the bus and installed that design, developed a schedule for operation of the processor, created a schedule for the bus itself including when it will be filled with biodiesel, and planned the kick-off ceremony. As a result of all this work and more, the spring 2009 semester ended with a fully operational processor, facility, and UR Biodiesel Bus.
Fall 2009
The fall of 2009 saw many developments of UR Biodiesel. The team worked to establish UR Biodiesel as an official committee under the Students' Association-recognized club Engineers for a Sustainable World to ensure its long-term sustainability as an organization. A number of new sponsors jumped on board to support UR Biodiesel. More than 30 students got involved in one way or another, from working a regular shift in the lab to writing a proposal to build a solar panel on the roof of the facility to power the lights. The first ever lab manager was appointed, and numerous students received academic credit for their work on UR Biodiesel.