4 I Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010 Penn State researches canola as energy source By Alyssa Bender COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Beyond East Halls, beyond Beaver Stadium and even beyond the Snider Agricultural 'Arena, Doug Schaufler spends time in the basement level of a bam on Farm 10 pressing canola seed into oil. The pressing is part of a now year-and-a-half long research effort that allows canola grown on 56 acres of Penn State farmland to be converted into cooking oil and bio-diesel, said Schaufler, Farm Operations and Services senior project associate. The ultimate goal of the project is to create and produce a form of canola oil that can be used in on campus dining hall fryers. Director of Residence Dining Lisa Wandel said it's possible that three-fourths of the university’s oil needs could be satisfied with on-campus production by next year. Schaufler said he hopes that, over the course of the fall, enough Local state park to open $7.5 million nature lodge Courtesy of dncr.state.pa.us Bald Eagle State Park’s $7.5 million nature lodge will attract guests with its new technology, satellite television and internet access. This contest is open to Penn State students enrolled at University Park. Staff members of Collegian publications and their immediate families are not eligible to enter this contest. No purchase is necessary to enter. Contest entnes will be accepted until Nov. 19. 2010, at 5 P.M. Drawing day is Dec. 1. 2010. Only one entry per person is allowed. (Or per person, per day, depending on the contest.) Entries must be submitted on the entry forms published in The Daily Coliegian. No copies. All entries become the property of The Daily Collegian, Winners will be notified by phone or e-mail information provided on the entry forms. Winners will have until Dec. 5, 2010, to claim the pnze. Failure to respond means 'he winner will forfeit the prize and Collegian may decide to award the prize to another entrant. Acceptance of the prize means the winner will allow Collegian to use the winner's name, likeness and winning entry for publication or for promotional purposes. oil can be produced to start inte grating campus-produced oil in the dining commons. But he said they’ll need to collect funds for equipment in order to move for ward. “I would love to say that in a year we’d have something like this ready,” Wandel said. That is no small task; Penn State campuses use 26,500 gallons of fryer oil every year, Wandel said. Some of the leftover oil used in the dining commons is then col lected by the researchers, who add methanol and sodium hydrox ide to convert it into bio diesel fuel, which is used to power two tractors built to run on vegetable oil, Schaufler said. While Penn State-grown canola oil is not currently used in the din ing halls, about 50 gallons of canola oil can be produced each day in the current facility, Schaufler said. So far the oil has only been test ed on small fryers, but the dining halls use much more heavy-duty MONDAY jGHT C Wings NIGHT TBALL $9.99 IRISH ENTREES $2 Coors Lt Pints ■ ' <MmO $3 MlllS Of Guinness Import Pints 'IN THE b _ 25% Off s2BacardlMi^s FULL MEMJ SERVED UNTIL IAM • 24 BEERS ON TAP • Alw TUESDAY $5 DELUXE BURGERS PUB QUIZ TOURNAMENT starting at 10pm $2 Blue Mood Pints Ml Day) $3 U Call It's <iopn>i2aml $3 Craft Pints ‘f9jN*npm> .. (Iopat*l2ami LOCAL oil fryers at significantly higher temperatures. Higher tempera tures could force the oil to break down or catch fire because of the methanol, Wandel said. The oil seed press needs to be relocated to a facility approved by state officials before the oil can be used on campus. “They need to find a facility on campus they could do this in. We don't have the money currently to build that facility,” Wandel said. However, after the initial start up costs, the production and recy cling of canola oil on campus could actually save the university money in the long run due to a decrease in the overall cost of transportation, she said. Penn State Eco-Action public relations officer Chris Tutolo (sophomore journalism) said he thinks the project is valuable to pursue as a source of renewable energy. ‘lt’s a step forward that will hopefully be an example for other universities,” he said. To e-mail reporter: ambsB74@psu.edu By Nathan Pipenberg COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER A nearby state park will cele brate the opening of a $7.5 mil lion nature lodge complete with satellite television and internet access today, marking the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (DCNR) first foray into high-tech accommoda tions. But the local chapter of the Sierra Club views the project as economically unfeasible and too extravagant. DCNR Press Secretary 7 Christine Novak said the inn will help Bald Eagle State Park (BESP) attract guests who wouldn’t normally stay over at the campgrounds and cabins because of limited access to technology. Room reservations start at $9O for a single bed and max'out at $205 for most weekends, BESP Manager John Ferrera said. Rates increase during holiday WEDNESDAY LOADED FRIES DJ DANCE PARTY AT 10PM $2 Yttengling PWRStAIMri $3 Victory Hop Devil Pints tlßpni IIW $2 Well Drinks Re: ‘ler Collegian A machine In Farm 10 presses canola seed into oil that might someday be used in on-campus dining hall fryers. weekends, he said. In addition to the $7.5 million construction costs, DCNR is pay ing for a full-time innkeeper and four additional staff members, Ferrera said. The two-story, 16-room inn fea tures lakefront views and ameni ties like refrigerators, microwaves and Blu-Ray DVD players. The inn is decorated with an avian theme each room is named after a different species of bird and features prints by John Audubon on the walls. Novak said the park provides ideal bird-watching opportuni ties, and the inn enhances the experience with feeders and rain gardens. The inn was constructed using the latest in green building stan dards, including geothermal heating and cooling, low flush toi lets and locally-built recycled fur niture, Novak said. But not all environmental advocates view the technology THURSDAY 1/2 PRICE NACHOS LUCKY YOU With DJ starting at 10pm BOMB NIGHT $5 Car Bombs ' (Mpm-nam) $3 16 oz. LIT'S (10pm-12am) $2 Miller Lite Pints iaidwi 8M.27 The Daily Collegian upgrade favorably, including Gary Thombloom, president of the Sierra Club Moshannon Group. “We’re afraid that this is [DCNR’sI way of opening the door for this type of development in more state parks," Thombloom said. Thornbloom conceded that he was sure the inn would be “very nice, since it’s built for high-end clientele." But, he said, the state govern ment shouldn't be involved in such expensive projects espe cially not on state park land. “Why not let the private sector build something like this in an adjacent community?" he said. But Ferrera said park visitors requested that a natural lodge like the BESP inn be built. Novak said DCNR has been proposing projects like this for several years, and considered different locations beforehand. To e-mail reporter: ndpso4s@psu.edu Kildare’s
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