Science
students see methane turned into power
 |
| Exploratory
Science students learn how methane gas is used to supply electricity
at Antioch Community High School. |
 Methane
gas, a natural product of animals and decomposition, can be used as a fuel
to make useful energy, as Exploratory Science students saw firsthand Friday
during a field trip December 10.
As part of their
Waste Digester Design lab, Karen Day and Tom Long’s students visited
a facility at Antioch High School which takes methane generated by a landfill
and burns it to drive turbines and make electricity. Mark Torresani from
RMI Inc., designers of the plant, conducted the tour.
The class also stopped
by the landfill, where the methane is cooled, filtered and condensed on
its way to the power plant.
Back at LCHS, students
are creating miniature versions of the process by designing and fabricating
waste digesters and gas collection systems. The project teaches how the
anaerobic digestion process works. Large-scale digesters, like the one at
ACHS, are being used more as a waste treatment alternative.
story and photo by Mark Thompson |
