(Fabra. 13, 2007) — Menene ya fara da ban sha’awa da “Idan fa?” yana haɓaka aikin lab ɗin ɗalibi, darussan kimiyyar muhalli–da kuma masu aikin lawnmower na Kwalejin Manchester, motar kulawa, da masu hura ganye.
Me zai faru idan kwalejin ta canza abin da aka yi amfani da man soya kayan lambu daga sabis na cin abinci na Chartwell zuwa biodiesel, ya yi mamakin Jeff Osborne, mataimakin farfesa a fannin ilmin sunadarai. Masanin kimiyyar ya lura cewa "Ma'anar shan kayan sharar gida, irin su man kayan lambu, da canza shi zuwa wani abu mai amfani shine abin da nake so."
Chartwell ya yi farin cikin samar da kuɗin da kuma rabuwa da maikonsa don ilimi, da kuma kula da muhalli da albarkatun mai na kwalejin.
Osborne ya sami tsare-tsare na "Appleseed reactor" akan intanet. Sunan shine don ruhun reactor: cewa mutane su yada kalmar sake yin amfani da su kamar yadda Johnny ya yi appleseed dinsa kuma ya yi nasu sa-kai, cin zarafin biodiesel.
Tsarin abu ne mai sauƙi: Osborne da mai binciken ɗalibi suna haɗa methanol da lye (sodium hydroxide) tare da man kayan lambu a cikin tukunyar ruwa mai gallon 80 na sa'o'i uku, sannan a zuga cakuda a cikin tankin rabuwa. A cikin tanki, biodiesel ya tashi zuwa sama da glycerol, wanda ke samuwa a lokacin daukar ciki, ya nutse zuwa kasa tare da wasu samfurori kuma an cire shi. Sa'an nan kuma, biodiesel din ana wanke shi da ruwa, yana mai da shi launin zuma-kuma ba ya jin wari kamar dizal. Suna samar da mai don haka lafiya dabba mai son sani zai iya hadiye ɗanɗano ko biyu ba tare da lahani ba. Man fetur kuma yana da matukar wahala a iya kunna wuta da ashana. Kuma biodiesel a zahiri na iya tsaftace adibas daga cikin tankin mai.
Manchester tana amfani da na'urorinta na biodiesel a cikin masu yankan lawn, masu busa ganye, da wasu motoci. Man Fetur ba ya buƙatar canji ga kayan aiki, in ji makanikin harabar Cornelius “Corny” Troyer. Injin da ke aiki a kan diesel zai yi amfani da biodiesel, shi ma, duk da cewa ya yi saurin lura cewa akwai kalubalen yanayin sanyi kuma Manchester ta yi nisa da sarrafa dukkan motocinta da man mai.
An fara gudanar da gwajin ne shekara guda da ta wuce, lokacin da daliban Zama na Janairu a ajin Kimiyya na Kimiyyar sinadarai na Osborne suka fara zuba gwajinsu a cikin injin. Troyer har yanzu yana da kyau sneaky yayin da yake kula da samar da biodiesel mai na Manchester College kayan aiki. Ba ya gaya wa masu aikin injin cewa suna sarrafa biodiesel don haka ba za su samar da ra'ayi da suka rigaya ba game da mai ko kuma yadda ya shafi injinan su. Karfe biyar na safe zai isa wurin aiki, don haka babu wanda ya ga man da yake zuba a cikin tankunan. Ya zuwa yanzu, na iya koka, ko da yake mai yankan Carl Strike ya tabbata yana busa soyayyen faransa yayin da yake zagayawa cikin kantin harabar.
Amanda Patch, ƙwararriyar ilimin kimiyyar ilmin halitta daga Otterbein, Ind., tana taimaka wa Osborne kuma ta taimaka wajen nuna aikin a abin da ɗalibai suka ce yana ɗaya daga cikin mafi kyawun tarurrukan da aka taɓa yi, tare da ƙwallon wuta, babban mai yanka a kan mataki, shugabar sanye da takalma, fashewar abubuwa, da masu kashe gobara a shirye.
Patch tana da makarantar likitanci a nan gaba. "Ina yin haka saboda dole ne in mayar wa Manchester ko ta yaya kuma wannan babbar hanya ce ta yin hakan yayin da nake koyo game da ilmin sinadarai da hanyoyin magance makamashi daban-daban," in ji ta.
Menene a ciki don kwalejin? Tunatarwa akai-akai akan yuwuwar biodiesel ga ɗalibai, malamai, da ma'aikata yayin da suke ganin yankan ganye da busa a harabar. Kyakkyawan horarwa a kimiyyar muhalli ga ɗaliban da ke shiga canjin mai-zuwa dizal. Harabar tsaftar muhalli da ƙarancin shara.
Tare da taimako daga ɗalibanta, Sashen Biology da Chemistry na kwalejin na iya samar da kusan galan 100 na biodiesel na wata-wata. (Kowace rukuni na galan 50.) Don samar da buƙatun kwalejin na galan 1,750 a shekara zai buƙaci kayan aiki da yawa da kuma canjin kuɗi/ma'aikata daga dakin gwaje-gwaje zuwa sashin kulawa.
Kuma, ba shakka, akwai lissafi: Kwalejin tana kashe $2.60 zuwa $2.80 ga galan don dizal (wasu an riga an kera biodiesel, bayanin kula na Troyer). The biodiesel farashin 80 cents a galan don yin a cikin dakin gwaje-gwaje a lokacin makaranta shekara, domin iyakar fitarwa na 900 galan-wanda ke da yuwuwar tanadi $1,800 ga kwalejin.
"Biodiesel ba shine amsar ba," in ji Osborne, wanda ya yi saurin lura cewa masana kimiyya ba sa shiga harkar mai. "Amma dole ne mu yi wani abu na daban don taimakawa kare muhalli."
Don ƙarin koyo game da sunadarai a Kwalejin Manchester, ziyarci http://www.manchester.edu/.
–Jeri S. Kornegay darektan Media da Hulda da Jama’a ne a Kwalejin Manchester, makarantar Cocin ’yan’uwa da ke Arewacin Manchester, Ind.