Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: A Green Chemistry Approach for Producing Non-Synthetic Pesticide in Under-Developed Regions
EPA Grant Number: SU836115Title: A Green Chemistry Approach for Producing Non-Synthetic Pesticide in Under-Developed Regions
Investigators: Seay, Jeffrey R.
Institution: University of Kentucky
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: September 1, 2015 through August 31, 2016
Project Amount: $14,994
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2015) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Challenge Area - Chemical Safety , P3 Awards , Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
The University of Kentucky Appropriate Technology and Sustainability (UKATS) Research Team has been involved in adapting technology for use in developing regions since 2011. The research proposed by the UKATS Team for this P3 Project builds on and extends the team’s experience in this field and leverages existing partnerships with NGOs in Cameroon and India, as well as a newly established partnership with Makerere University in Uganda.
The principle objective of this Phase I P3 project has been to develop an appropriate technology and green chemistry based, low-cost method for extracting a non-synthetic pesticide, also called wood vinegar, from the production of biochar in rural regions of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The target cost to construct the wood vinegar processing unit must be low so as to be attainable through microloan finance mechanisms, construction materials must be readily available in rural or remote regions and construction methods must be simple and easily explainable to people with little or no formal technical education. The purpose behind these constraints is to give accessibility to even the poorest of the target population.
This project has combined the principles of sustainability, appropriate technology and green chemistry with chemical, agricultural and biosystems, and mechanical engineering to develop a technology and process that will provide rural people in developing countries with the ability to produce wood vinegar in addition to their current production of biochar. To achieve this objective, four tasks were initially proposed for Phase I of this P3 project:
- Design and optimize a production method for collecting wood vinegar produced by pyrolysis of locally available biomass.
- Determine the composition of the wood vinegar and its variance as different biomasses are pyrolyzed.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
The UKATS team has successfully demonstrated the operation of our processor in Cameroon, India and Uganda. In addition, we have performed chemical analysis of wood vinegar sample produced in the United States, India and Uganda. Laboratory analysis was conducted with the wood vinegar to establish the composition of wood vinegars extracted from different biomass species. Pine, corn stover/maize, bamboo, banana peels, banana leaves, banana stems and eucalyptus were all analyzed using a gas chromatograph. The difference between the different plant species have been established. This is an important database for future study of the efficacy of wood vinegar as a pesticide. Finally, the UKATS Team has also established a YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcDyGpBKfePV34o-pbpEnQQ) to disseminate instructional videos for assembling and operating our processors. These videos are available in English, French and Hindi.
An unexpected additional outcome of this project was the discovery that the processor designed for wood vinegar production can also be used to produce fuel oil from the pyrolysis of municipal solid waste (MSW) derived plastic. This unexpected outcome from the Phase I P3 project resulted in a new avenue for our research work and greatly extended the potential applications for our UKATS Processor. Laboratory analysis for the plastic derived fuel oil was also conducted. This analysis showed that the fuel oil produced using the UKATS processor can be used as a substitute for kerosene in cook stoves and lamps and as a substitute for petrodiesel in any diesel engine.
Finally, a new research partnership was establish as a result of this research. The UKATS Team is now partnering with Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. This partnership has allowed the UKATS Team members to work with students from Makerere University, greatly extending the educational reach of our Phase I P3 Project.
Educational Outcomes
The Phase I P3 project has been utilized as a vehicle for sustainability education. This P3 Project has been incorporated in the Global Service Learning and Sustainability course taught by the PI. This course, previously taught in collaboration with ACREST in Cameroon, was offered as a study abroad course in collaboration with ODAM. This course, taught at the ODAM facility in India, had a lecture component focusing on sustainability, engineering and community development, and service learning. The students who participated in this course also built, tested and demonstrated the UKATS processor at the ODAM facility. Our partnership with Makerere University also has provided educational opportunities. Two UKATS team members had the opportunity to travel with the PI to Uganda where they gave a seminar on their project to Makerere students. The PI also gave a seminar on sustainability to the Makerere students. Furthermore, the UKATS group presented a processor to the University so that the Makerere students could participate in the project. The UKATS Team was also able to bring back wood vinegar and fuel oil samples produced in Uganda for analysis in the PIs lab at the University of Kentucky.
Finally, this project included K-12 students from two school systems in the area. These students worked side by side with the UKATS Team operating analytical equipment and participating in running the processor. This provided a unique educational opportunity not available to these students at their K-12 schools.
Conclusions:
Although pyrolysis of both biomass and waste plastic are known processes, the UKATS Team was able to develop a novel processor that allows this chemistry to be conducted in an underdeveloped region. The sustainable, appropriate technology based processor built and disseminated as a result of this Phase I P3 project has been successfully tested in Cameroon, India and Uganda. Together with our partner organizations, we have successfully demonstrated the ability to efficiently produce both biochar and wood vinegar, an effective non-synthetic pesticide, using the principles of appropriate technology and of green chemistry in developing regions. As an additional, unexpected finding of the P3 Project, the processor initially designed for the production of wood vinegar, has now been converted as a multipurpose platform for producing fuel oil from waste plastic. Therefore, the UKATS processor can now be part of a strategy for reducing municipal solid waste derived plastic in developing regions.
The deployment of this technology has garnered significant media attention (ThantiTV, 2015; Hindu, 2015; New Indian Express; 2015; NTV, 2016a; NTV, 2016b; Muhindo, 2016). This attention underscores the potential impact that this technology can have globally. Phase I of this P3 research project is only the beginning. The goal of the UKATS Team is for this processor to be available in developing communities across the globe for the benefit of people, prosperity, and the planet.
Journal Articles on this Report : 2 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other project views: | All 6 publications | 2 publications in selected types | All 2 journal articles |
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Joshi CA, Seay JR. An appropriate technology based solution to convert waste plastic into fuel oil in underdeveloped regions. Journal of Sustainable Development 2016;9(4):133-143. |
SU836115 (Final) |
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Seay JR, Jeyaraj E, Higgins JC, Joshi CA, Willett SF. Addressing cultural challenges in a global service learning project to reduce plastic waste in rural India. International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering 2016;11(1):19-31. |
SU836115 (Final) |
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Supplemental Keywords:
Wood vinegar, fuel oil, waste plastic, sustainability, biocharRelevant Websites:
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The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.