Pyrolysis Capstone Project Wins Big at Design Day
CHEE student Jamie Holmstrom led Team 24011 in the construction of a small-scale pyrolysis plant.
The Bly Family Award for Innovation in Energy Production, Supply or Use First Prize was awarded to Team 24011 at the 2024 Craig M. Berge Design Day, where members of Team 24011 were awarded $2,000 for their project, Plastic Recycling, Carbon Capture and Disaster Relief Through Pyrolysis.
The project was led by CHEE senior Jamie Holmstrom and focused on the construction of a small-scale pyrolysis plant that turns plastic waste into fuel.
"We have emissions of toxic gas that need to be stabilized, so we had to create an extremely thorough job safety assessment, and we had to work with multiple departments and administrations to get that approved,” Holmstrom said.
The pyrolysis process involves heating plastic to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Safety concerns left the team in a fourth-month lull – awaiting approval from university units to prototype their design. "There was a lot of red tape to cut,” said Daniel Hutton, chemical engineering lead for Team 24011.
“Our project is designed to provide disaster relief to island nations where fuel is scarce, so we are recycling plastic and turning it into a crude, diesel-like fuel that can be used by generators,” said Hutton, who will join the Stanford University chemical engineering doctoral program in the fall.
Learn more about Team 24011 and other Design Day awardees here.