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Trash talk!

Environmental science students see firsthand the importance of stewardship

by Sara Walsh on April 24, 2008

The Environmental Science students spent Earth Day learning firsthand how our waste management and energy choices affect the earth.  Students had the privilege of taking part in a comprehensive field trip to various sites in the area.  The first leg of the trip was to northeast Nebraska to visit the Siouxland Ethanol plant.  This plant has only been in full operation just shy of one year.  The students were treated to a tour of plant operations by the plant supervisor and the chief maintenance man—both men brought excitement to the tour!  Prior to the trip the students had studied the process of ethanol production as well as its pros and cons.  During the visit they were able to see the machines in action.  Students were able to view and feel the difference between the wet mill and dry mill products of their respective processes.  There is a lot the goes on “behind the scenes” at an ethanol plant, including precise temperature changes, a chemistry lab for regulating each step, and an advanced computer system that monitors all processes.  Although the two men giving the tour said that they had each earned their Ph.Ds (Public High School Diplomas), they did recommend that students who wish to enter the field earn a college degree offered by one of the nearby community colleges.

 

The next stop was the nearby L.P Gill Landfill, the largest landfill in the area.  Our local trash eventually ends up in this landfill.  It has been in existence since 1981—the amount of trash that has been dumped here is astounding!  The mountains of trash are hundred of feet high and take up acres of land.  Although there is a giant fence around the area to catch ‘fly away’ debris, the nearby trees are still dotted with plastic sacks.  The tour guide also showed the class where they are preparing a new area of land for landfill use; he discussed the layers of materials that must be put down to ensure that leeching of harmful substances does not seep into the groundwater.  Roughly 900,000 pounds of garbage are handled at this landfill each day!

 

The ethanol plant and this nearby landfill are actually working together to create a cleaner environment.  As landfills age and wastes decompose, they release a great deal of methane gas, a greenhouse gas.  The methane gas is collected from the landfill and piped over to be used as a fuel source at the ethanol plant.  Students were able to see methane gas collectors in the old part of the landfill (age:  25 years), the building in which the methane gas was prepared for use, and the pipelines that transport it to the ethanol plant where it will be burned for energy.  Since the system is relatively new, they are still working out the fine tuning of it; currently about 25% of the ethanol plant’s energy needs are met by the methane gas.

 

The class then left the state to visit the Vermillion Solid Waste department.  Here the students viewed both the recycling center and “balefill.”  They viewed the numerous machines used to prepare wastes to be sent to facilities where they will be remade into new products.  They crush and bundle the recyclable materials into bales, weighing from hundreds of pounds for plastics to almost 2,000 pounds for paper.  The director of solid waste management discussed the best ways to prepare materials and stressed the importance of using recycled products.  She also cited since plastics are made with petroleum, their recycling demand has grown greatly with the increase in oil prices.  At this preparation center, they prepare various materials.  They even accept hardcover books; they chop off the covers in the “guillotine machine” then recycle the paper pages.

 

We then traveled to the balefill outside of town.  It was much smaller than the first landfill we visited, but they were able to compact a great deal of wastes into a small area because they bale it first.  If fact, they doubled the life expectancy of the landfill by using this new technology because it takes up less space.  The landfill is full of neat rows of bales stacked on one another, then covered with a “paper mache” like substance that speeds up breakdown and helps hold the bales together.  The director stated that about 40%-50% of the wastes thrown away in this landfill could be recycled if the users would take the time to dispose of them properly.  There is about 130,000 pounds of wasted deposited in this landfill each day!  The students noted how this landfill was much cleaner than the last one due to the fact that plastic bags and other trash couldn’t blow away!

 

Our last stop (and most the students’ favorite) was the power plant at Gavin’s Point Dam.  We were given an inside tour of the dam and its workings.  Students were able to see how the electricity is actually generated from the turbines spinning the electromagnets above.  They were impressed with the size and scope of all the equipment there as well as the hard work it would have taken to build this dam 60 years ago.  The guide told the students that the power plant supplies electricity to 80,000 homes.  Near the end of the tour the dam superintendent spoke to the students about future opportunities with the Corps of Engineers and on-the-job training at locations such as the dam.

 

The students were able to learn a great deal about where our wastes go and why it’s important to recycle.  They were also able to see two methods of electricity generation that don’t rely on foreign oil.  All in all, it was a very eventful and educational day!  To see all the pictures from the trip, click on the slideshow below!  It's long, but trust me--it's worth it!

 

 Environmental science field trip