The Environmental Triangle
The
Daniel Boone High School’s Green Team is firmly committed to establishing a
culture of environmental stewardship through its research and public education
commitments. The Team’s research is best
symbolized by their emblem depicting a triangle on which the three vertices
represent the three primary areas of the Team’s research. Each of the vertices is identified by their
titles located on the opposite side of the triangle: Algae Biodiesel, Biogas
Digester, and Hydroponics. These systems
work in conjunction with each other thereby minimizing the carbon footprint of
the other.
The apex project is the Algae Biodiesel Bioreactor Group. This division of the Green Team grew algae in the laboratory, extracted the algae lipid oil from the algae, and made biodiesel fuel from the lipid oil. The algae biomass remaining after the lipid oil is extracted can either be used as a highly nutritious animal feed or can be fed to the Biogas Digester system.
The Biogas Digester digests organic biomass through anaerobic bacterial decay. The byproducts of this digester include methane; carbon dioxide; and a highly nutritious, all natural, fertilizer. The system automatically sequesters the carbon dioxide by scrubbing it through a water medium while storing the methane for use as a fuel. The water containing the sequestered carbon dioxide is then transferred to the Algae Bioreactors where it promotes the growth of the algae. The resulting fertilizer is then transferred to the hydroponics bio reactors providing a nonchemical based fertilizer to the plants growing in the hydroponics system.
The Hydroponics System utilizes the fertilizer to increase plant yield and to speed up the growth process. Once the plants have completed their growth cycle, their biomass can be added to the biogas digester thereby contributing indirectly to the Algae Bioreactors.
The system produces both food and fuel while simultaneously reducing the harmful impact of traditional farming practices and fuel extraction processes. The net result is that the needs of human beings can be partially supplemented by a system that contributes no net negative impact on the environment.
The apex project is the Algae Biodiesel Bioreactor Group. This division of the Green Team grew algae in the laboratory, extracted the algae lipid oil from the algae, and made biodiesel fuel from the lipid oil. The algae biomass remaining after the lipid oil is extracted can either be used as a highly nutritious animal feed or can be fed to the Biogas Digester system.
The Biogas Digester digests organic biomass through anaerobic bacterial decay. The byproducts of this digester include methane; carbon dioxide; and a highly nutritious, all natural, fertilizer. The system automatically sequesters the carbon dioxide by scrubbing it through a water medium while storing the methane for use as a fuel. The water containing the sequestered carbon dioxide is then transferred to the Algae Bioreactors where it promotes the growth of the algae. The resulting fertilizer is then transferred to the hydroponics bio reactors providing a nonchemical based fertilizer to the plants growing in the hydroponics system.
The Hydroponics System utilizes the fertilizer to increase plant yield and to speed up the growth process. Once the plants have completed their growth cycle, their biomass can be added to the biogas digester thereby contributing indirectly to the Algae Bioreactors.
The system produces both food and fuel while simultaneously reducing the harmful impact of traditional farming practices and fuel extraction processes. The net result is that the needs of human beings can be partially supplemented by a system that contributes no net negative impact on the environment.