Local dairy cow piles
to generate additional
electricity for farmers
By Charlaine Davis
■ The Lumberiack
Humboldt State U
When life gives you cowpatties, make
electricity.
Humbolt State t’ engineering
Professor Peter Iehman and a group ol
four students are doing just that. If the
group's project is successful, local dniry
cows may soon be helping to power their
own farms.
The idea to build a working biogas
digester on a local farm grew out of
Lehman's developmental technology
class.
“We talked about the technology in
class and some of the students were
interested in pursuing the areas as the
sis work," Lehman said.
The project is still in the planning
stages, with decisions about materials
and final design vet to be made The pro
ject also needs some cooperation from
nature to get started.
“We are planning to start when
manure dries out," Lehman said "We
hope to have it built by the end of sum
mer."
Lehman said the goal of the pilot pro
ject is to get other dairies interested in
the idea.
“We want to show them that it's not a
mysterious technology. It's simple, easi
ly understood, easily serviced and it
works.” The idea of converting waste
into useable fuel may be new to
Humboldt County, but is common in
places like China and India
“It’s simple technology, not high tech,”
Iehman said, “We’re not talking com
puters and guided missiles.”
A digester starts with an airtight con
crete trough with a rubber top and a sep
tic tank. Add a pump to get manure into
the trough and a system to extract the
resulting gas and sludge, and that is a
simple digester.
Bacteria in the trough breaks the
manure down into two parts, biogas and
sludge The biogas consists of methane
and carbon dioxide, which can be burned
m the same way as natural gas. It can
lie used to heat buildings or water, or as
a f uel for lanterns and gas-powered elec
tncal generators.
Lehman said that most farms use elec
tricity for all of their energy needs,
including water and household heating.
Because fuel is burned to create electric
ity, U'hrnan said heating can be done
more efficiently by burning the fuel
directly.
f or John Mason, whose Areata dairy
farm will receive the trial-size digester,
the energy savings is a big incentive.
Mason estimated that the electricity to
See C0WPATT1ES. Page 15
SCIENCE & TECH
Out of this world
lof Kansas students
will help NASA formulate
human habitats in space.
Page 13
PERSONAL PROPERTY
Stolen textbooks
I ’ of Southern Florida officials suggest ways to thwart
theft and aid recovery, including multiple hidden identifica
tion markers.
Page 13
ENTREPRENEURS
Jeans for Africa
A U. of North Texas,
Denton student takes used
clothes home to Africa.
Page 15
Snakes alive
Reptilian interest sparks business ideas for brothers
By David Van Meter
■ The Shorthorn
U. of Texas, Arlington
An idea slithered into the mind of general studies senior Ty
Kubin while he was in the Life Science Building of U. of Texas,
Arlington, two years ago and he just couldn't shed it. The world
was in dire need of a snake den, a small, plastic shelter used
for reptiles, amphibians or fish
Ty, along with his brothers Troy, a business management
senior, and John, a tire store manager, hatched the den concept
into Executive Marketing International, which centers on dis
tributing an assortment of snake dens, aspen bedding and an
oasis for pet bedding and drinking.
EMI has matured from a $4,000-a-week business run out of
a house into a sizable warehouse firm that the brothers say
will boast $1 million in sales this year.
"We moved out of the house when we couldn’t get to the
kitchen,” Trov said
The company’s success stemmed from “looking at the prod
ucts out there and gaining knowledge of the product needed,
and from utilizing our resources,” Ty said.
Utilize they have. A prototype mold that should have cost
$3,000 was obtained for $700.
“We knew a friend on the inside who told us how to make
the mold and then we did it.” Ty said. Friends also helped them
get free advertising printed and build an aspen bagging
machine for $1,500 instead of $10,000.
Gaining product knowledge wasn't too difficult, considering
See SNAKES, Page 13
Working abroad provides different
perspectives of foreign countries
It’s not always easy
collecting the rent
By Lisa Seymour
■ Kansas Stale Collegian
Kansas State U.
For some students, the end of the
semester may mean tracking down an
ex-roommate who didn't pay a dime on
the bills.
Wade Whitmer, director of the Kansas
State Consumer Relations Board, said
recovering money is difficult, particular
ly when the defendant lives in another
county.
Usually students who live together
split the bills evenly. The roommates
pay a deposit for most services, but these
companies rarely let all roommates put
By Robyn Dagget
■ The Lumberjack
Northern Arizona U.
and Norma Hofmeister
■ Collegian
Tarrant County C.C
Living and working in a foreign
country is an idea that fascinates most
people, and overseas opportunities for
employment are readily available for
college students through various
agencies.
The Council on International
Educational Exchange helps students
find jobs in the United Kingdom,
Ireland, Costa Rica, New Zealand,
Jamaica and the Federal Republic of
Germany.
In each country, a national student
organization helpe students find jobs
and lodging. According to the
exchange, 5,000 students participated
in the program last year, and the aver
age search took three days.
Jobs range from the unskilled —
waitress, chambermaid, farmhand or
cook — to semi-skilled office work.
Students are allowed to work at any
job they can obtain.
Great Britian is a popular destina
tion for many students, according to
exchange literature. The “Work in
See WORK ABROAD, Pegs 15