Spring Break
Researchers convert water to ethanol
Kimberly Cox
Issue date: 10/30/07 Section: NEWS
Kevin Stevens with the environmental sciences department will help process the wastewater of Denton's ethanol plant, when it comes online in May.
However, his research starts much earlier. Stevens said as soon as TetraPoint Fuels, a company out of Flower Mound, has samples of the wastewater the plant will produce, he and other faculty members will work to create a marsh environment to process the wastewater.
"We're going to be looking at different ways to process it," Stevens said. "We do have some ideas of vegetation."
The plant will produce ethanol, yeast and wastewater. Tim Geiger, president of TetraPoint Fuels, said the plant will process liquid waste products from the beverage industry. In other words, it processes bottles of coke, sports drinks and other beverages.
"Instead of dumping it down a drain or a landfill, we will collect the waste and turn it into ethanol," Geiger said.
The process begins by fermenting the liquids into a "nasty-tasting beer." The taste doesn't matter, Geiger said, just the highest level of alcohol. The water and the yeast are separated from the alcohol. The company will sell the yeast for fertilizers and the wastewater is where Stevens comes in.
When considering places to build their plant, Geiger said they chose Denton not only because it was business friendly, but it also has two universities.
The biological sciences department has a 400-acre aquatic sciences lab. Stevens said the company plans on having a prototype of the plant running in a couple of weeks. The company will then give the department samples of the kind of wastewater the plant will produce, he said.
"First we have to find out what grows in the water," he said. It will take a while, he said. "We're dealing with biological systems, and they don't always do what you want them to."
Stevens will look at types of lilies, floating plants and other aquatic plants that will use the water to produce pure, balanced water, he said.
"We're trying to pick two, three, four species from each of those types," he said.
However, his research starts much earlier. Stevens said as soon as TetraPoint Fuels, a company out of Flower Mound, has samples of the wastewater the plant will produce, he and other faculty members will work to create a marsh environment to process the wastewater.
"We're going to be looking at different ways to process it," Stevens said. "We do have some ideas of vegetation."
The plant will produce ethanol, yeast and wastewater. Tim Geiger, president of TetraPoint Fuels, said the plant will process liquid waste products from the beverage industry. In other words, it processes bottles of coke, sports drinks and other beverages.
"Instead of dumping it down a drain or a landfill, we will collect the waste and turn it into ethanol," Geiger said.
The process begins by fermenting the liquids into a "nasty-tasting beer." The taste doesn't matter, Geiger said, just the highest level of alcohol. The water and the yeast are separated from the alcohol. The company will sell the yeast for fertilizers and the wastewater is where Stevens comes in.
When considering places to build their plant, Geiger said they chose Denton not only because it was business friendly, but it also has two universities.
The biological sciences department has a 400-acre aquatic sciences lab. Stevens said the company plans on having a prototype of the plant running in a couple of weeks. The company will then give the department samples of the kind of wastewater the plant will produce, he said.
"First we have to find out what grows in the water," he said. It will take a while, he said. "We're dealing with biological systems, and they don't always do what you want them to."
Stevens will look at types of lilies, floating plants and other aquatic plants that will use the water to produce pure, balanced water, he said.
"We're trying to pick two, three, four species from each of those types," he said.
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