Open Source Ecology - User contributions [en]

Paw paw

2013-02-27T22:30:13Z

AlexS:

[[Category:Food and Agriculture]]
'''Paw Paw'''

Asimina Triloba

[[File:640px-Asimina triloba3.jpg]]

'''Background'''

A relatively unknown fruit commercially, this is likely the largest fruit native to North America. Endemic to the eastern United States and a small part of Canada, it is a small woody tree that grows best in partial shade as an understory plant. The flowers, which blossom in May, tend to have a slightly disagreeable odor and attract flies, beetles and other insects. Genetically, it is in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annonaceae Annonaceae] Family, in which almost all of the other species are native to sub-tropical or tropical climates. The paw-paw is therefore a temperate variant of what would otherwise be a tropical fruit.

'''Growth and Reproduction'''

Like most other plants, Paw-paws can have cuttings and grafts taken. Paw Paws are a patch-forming plant, tending to give rise to small clonal colonies by means of adventitious shoots that grow outwards from the main root system. At least 2 separate plants are required for fruiting.

'''Fruit'''

[[File:Paw_Paw.jpg]]

The characteristic fruit of the paw-paw contains large, dark brown seeds, usually several per fruit. The fruit is described as having a unique taste, somewhat like a banana with a custard-like, or melon flavor. Most people find the taste very agreeable and delicious. The fruit ripen like tomatoes in the sense that they have ethylene-mediated ripening. They should be eaten fresh but can be stored in a plastic bag and refrigerated to keep their freshness for a period of time.

'''Biologically active compounds'''

Eating paw-paw seeds as well as unripe paw-paws should be avoided, because of its known emetic properties. However, the plant contains other compounds that form its own unique class of chemicals known as 'annonaceous acetogenins'. The insecticidal properties of the plant are known, revealing a possibility for its use as an organic pesticide. As well, there has been substantial research into the very real possibility of a. triloba extract to be used as an anti-cancer drug [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetogenins 1] [http://www.pawpawresearch.com/pawpaw-trials1.pdf 2] Acetogenins and other compounds for use as pesticide are concentrated in the twigs and small branches, avoid using the leaves as they contain much less active material. It should be noted that there is high variation between plant to plant and one tree may not have the same effectiveness as another.

'''Paw-paws at Factor E Farm'''

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwVA7Eo4xWA Marcin's Paw-Paw]

'''Recommendation'''

FeF Agriculture director should try to acquire more varieties to capitalize on the genetic resources of this unique, useful and tasty plant.

Paw paw

2013-02-27T22:24:15Z

AlexS: Created page with "'''Paw Paw''' Asimina Triloba File:640px-Asimina triloba3.jpg '''Background''' A relatively unknown fruit commercially, this is likely the largest fruit native to Nort..."

'''Paw Paw'''

Asimina Triloba

[[File:640px-Asimina triloba3.jpg]]

'''Background'''

A relatively unknown fruit commercially, this is likely the largest fruit native to North America. Endemic to the eastern United States and a small part of Canada, it is a small woody tree that grows best in partial shade as an understory plant. The flowers, which blossom in May, tend to have a slightly disagreeable odor and attract flies, beetles and other insects. Genetically, it is in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annonaceae Annonaceae] Family, in which almost all of the other species are native to sub-tropical or tropical climates. The paw-paw is therefore a temperate variant of what would otherwise be a tropical fruit.

'''Growth and Reproduction'''

Like most other plants, Paw-paws can have cuttings and grafts taken. Paw Paws are a patch-forming plant, tending to give rise to small clonal colonies by means of adventitious shoots that grow outwards from the main root system. At least 2 separate plants are required for fruiting.

'''Fruit'''

[[File:Paw_Paw.jpg]]

The characteristic fruit of the paw-paw contains large, dark brown seeds, usually several per fruit. The fruit is described as having a unique taste, somewhat like a banana with a custard-like, or melon flavor. Most people find the taste very agreeable and delicious. The fruit ripen like tomatoes in the sense that they have ethylene-mediated ripening. They should be eaten fresh but can be stored in a plastic bag and refrigerated to keep their freshness for a period of time.

'''Biologically active compounds'''

Eating paw-paw seeds as well as unripe paw-paws should be avoided, because of its known emetic properties. However, the plant contains other compounds that form its own unique class of chemicals known as 'annonaceous acetogenins'. The insecticidal properties of the plant are known, revealing a possibility for its use as an organic pesticide. As well, there has been substantial research into the very real possibility of a. triloba extract to be used as an anti-cancer drug [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetogenins 1] [http://www.pawpawresearch.com/pawpaw-trials1.pdf 2] Acetogenins and other compounds for use as pesticide are concentrated in the twigs and small branches, avoid using the leaves as they contain much less active material. It should be noted that there is high variation between plant to plant and one tree may not have the same effectiveness as another.

'''Paw-paws at Factor E Farm'''

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwVA7Eo4xWA Marcin's Paw-Paw]

'''Recommendation'''

FeF Agriculture director should try to acquire more varieties to capitalize on the genetic resources of this unique, useful and tasty plant.

File:Paw Paw.jpg

2013-02-27T21:57:58Z

AlexS: AlexS uploaded a new version of "File:Paw Paw.jpg"

Bisected asimina triloba fruit

File:Paw Paw.jpg

2013-02-27T21:56:56Z

AlexS: Bisected asimina triloba fruit

Bisected asimina triloba fruit

File:640px-Asimina triloba3.jpg

2013-02-27T21:37:12Z

AlexS: Common Paw-Paw (Asimina Triloba)

Common Paw-Paw (Asimina Triloba)

Biolab

2012-06-11T02:20:27Z

AlexS: /* Plant Tissue Culture */

==Equipment: Introduction==
Equipment for use in a biolab varies by the intended lab function. A microbiology lab will require at minimum an incubator, a sterile working area, and a pressure cooker for sterilisation. Ideally it would also have a centrifuge and appropriate glassware such as petri dishes and test tubes. A molecular biology (DNA/Protein) lab will require more equipment to handle, visualise and store DNA/Protein. A plant tissue culture lab would resemble a microbiology lab but would have artificial lighting installed in growth chambers.

Here are some examples of easily acquired/made items of equipment for a biotech lab, divided loosely by function. As many labs will require a baseline microbiology setup to function (for example, a DNA manipulation lab will require microbes to carry and safely store DNA), assume that a microbiology lab is the "minimum" lab.

==Microbiology Lab==
A lab that enables the safe growth, storage and handling of microbes, whether bacteria, yeast or other fungi, or single-celled algae, is a microbiology lab. Requirements include sterility, incubation, safe handling/storage, and safe disposal where relevant.

Functions of a microbiology lab include medical diagnostics by traditional culture of blood or skin samples, propagation of agriculturally important strains and species, scale-up of useful strains for fermentation or composting, nutritional fermentation of yeasts and bacteria for consumption, or as a foundation for molecular biology methods like DNA manipulation.

===Incubation===
An incubator can be produced using a simple thermostat and a heater, and a well-insulated compartment or container. A simple example is a polystyrene shipping box with a radiative infrared heating mat and a pet thermostat, which can easily and accurately maintain a 30C incubator.

===Sterilisation===
A pressure cooker can be used to sterilise heat-stable liquids, solids and equipment by maintaining full temperature and pressure for 20-25 minutes. To confirm sterilisation, chemical indicator tape that changes colour is normally used, although cultures of heat-stable spores could also be used as indicators; after sterilisation, the indicator culture is incubated and observed for growth, which would indicate a failed sterilisation. The usual spore culture used for this is ''Bacillus stearothermophilis'' though ''B.subtilis'' (below) spores would probably suffice.

For heat-stable equipment, wrapping in metal foil and baking at 200C for 1:20 hours is sufficient. Longer time periods at lower temperatures can be used also if 200C is beyond the reach of available equipment.

Where filters are available, filter sterilisation is an attractive means of sterilising heat-labile liquids such as antibiotic samples. Filters may consist of "candle" filters used for water sterilisation (although the strict requirements of a lab may call for double-filtration), or syringe-powered filter cartridges. It is ''possible'' (though never tested) that in-house-produced cellulose filters from kombucha could be used if properly treated and if suitable pressure is applied.

Finally, for heat-labile ingredients, tyndallisation can be used; over three successive days, steam is used to pasteurise the sample. Vegetative (growing) bacterial/yeast/fungal cells are killed during the steaming process, and as new cells germinate over the following two days they are also killed. This process is somewhat gentler than pressure cooking, but more labour intensive and prone to failure.

===Centrifugation===
A centrifuge is used to separate cells from a liquid culture, and for transferring cells from one culture sample to another, possibly with "rinsing" steps. The procedure is simple; cells are spun at a high speed so that they are ''pelleted'' against the bottom of the sample vial/tube, and the liquid they were suspended in can then be removed with a pipette. The pelleted cells can then be ''resuspended'' in a new liquid using agitation with a pipette or inverting/vortexing/flicking/spinning the tube.

[[DremelFuge]] is a 3D printed centrifuge rotor that can be fitted to a Dremel multitool or a drill, and is Open Source Hardware.

[[Blenderfuge]] is a centrifuge produced by drilling out a rotor for use on a domestic blender appliance or similar.

===Sterile Working Area===
A HEPA filter, perhaps repurposed from an automotive or vacuum cleaner or as part of a room air purifier, can be used to direct a sterile airflow onto a surface, providing a sterile working area. Within this area, sterilised samples will likely remain sterile with proper lab methods on the part of the operator.

A bunsen burner or camping burner with a strong blue flame can produce an area of effective sterility, both by cycling air that has been through the flame and by providing a local updraft that prevents downward contamination upon samples and petri dishes.

===Cultures===
Essential to a microbiology lab are microbes to be grown within. These could be native or wild species cultivated for study or development, medical samples (handle with care), or laboratory cultures provided by another lab. Laboratory strains deserve special note:

'''E.coli''' is the prototypical bacterium, and is ''the'' "model organism" of modern bioscience. Contrary to its bad reputation, most strains of ''E.coli'' are relatively harmless and can probably be found living quietly inside most mammals. ''E.coli'' lab strains are mostly derived from a lab strain called ''E.coli K12'', and are generally too incompetent to survive in the wild (or the gut, for that matter).

Lab strains of ''E.coli'' are used in most labs to carry DNA constructs called ''Vectors'', which usually refers to circular DNA molecules called ''Plasmids''. It is as part of these plasmids that most transgenic systems are delivered into ''E.coli'' to be read from and processed, or as intermediate constructs on the way to being developed fully in another species. Because ''E.coli'' can be forced to stably maintain plasmids within the cell at high copy-numbers of plasmids per cell using antibiotics and encoded antibiotic resistance genes, it has been the main method of choice for storing DNA between uses.

However, the requirement for antibiotics in this use-case renders the use of such antibiotic-resistant plasmids unsuitable for community use; antibiotics are firstly too important to be squandered in this manner, and secondly are too expensive or difficult to produce locally for this purpose. Also, ''E.coli'' generally requires refrigeration at very low temperatures to remain stable, typically -80C in an institutional or commercial biolab. To meet this requirement in a community lab would require far too great an expense using a scale of engineering that is far from resilient.

'''B.subtilis''' is another model bacterium used in biotechnology and bioscience, though to a much lesser extent than ''E.coli''. ''B.subtilis'' offers significant advantages for community use in terms of ease of culture, handling and storage, and there are no known hazardous strains of ''B.subtilis'' (although it has some bad relatives that are easily mistaken for it: Anthrax and B.cereus numbering among them).

Because ''B.subtilis'' forms stable spores upon starvation, it does not require refrigeration. Delivery of plasmid DNA to ''B.subtilis'' is, in principal, easier than with ''E.coli'' because ''B.subtilis'' has a natural tendency to adopt and use compatible DNA present in the environment (i.e. it can genetically manipulate ''itself'' when conditions are suitable). However, the prevailing method of industrial manipulation also employs antibiotic selection. Alternatives could be developed that do not require antibiotic resistance.

''B.subtilis'' has not been as popular as a carrier for DNA because of perceived DNA stability issues; however, it is possible that these stability issues could be sidestepped by mindful design of DNA to omit sites that the ''B.subtilis'' topoisomerase recognises.

The primary lab strains of ''B.subtilis'' are derived from ''B.subtilis 168'' which, like ''E.coli K12'', are highly domesticated and are generally considered inviable outside the laboratory environment.

==Molecular Biology==
This section needs work.

===Central Dogma===
The Central dogma is the fundamental process through which life continues itself, whereby information stored in stable DNA is transcribed to flexible RNA that is translated into functional proteins. The molecules of life are linear polymers that are assembled along an almost universal (figuratively speaking) set of rules, so that a linear DNA sequence derives an exact protein polypeptide. With the knowledge of the language of life a DNA, RNA or protein sequence can more or less informs the sequence of related sequences. This knowledge is the basis of molecular biology.

====Systems biology and the omes====
All life on earth is cellular (occurs in cells) and by understanding the different levels of action occurring in cells a comprehensive picture of the physical processes of life can be described. Massive amounts of biological data has been gathered over recent decades due to improvements in molecular techniques and an increase in computational power and tools. New system wide information and approaches are creating a new understanding of life and allowing manipulation of the process on a rational level.

The ''genome'' is the entire genetic (DNA) sequence of an organism and since the mid 1990s organisms' complete genomes have been assembled by researchers. Now hundreds of organisms representative genomes have been assembled and are available to the scientific community. Well equipped universities and companies have the technology to sequence whole genomes on-site in a matter of weeks. The ''transcriptome'' is the complete set of RNA transcripts that exist in a cell. The RNA transcripts of an organism will change in response to environment and internal controls, making a transcriptome only representative of a specific external and internal cellular environment. The ''proteome'' is a complete set of proteins that exist in cell and is derived from the transcriptome and other levels of regulation. A proteome is also only representative of a cell as it exists in a specific external and internal environment. In multicellular organisms the genome is the same in all cells, while regulation of the transcriptome, proteome, and higher levels are what allow different cells to specialize and handle different functions.

A systems biology approach uses the complete descriptions of the actions of cells to understand how each level and their interactions contribute to specific metabolic processes and the continuation of life. A systems approach is key to extracting utility from (micro)organisms and increasing the efficiency with which it is possible. Rational manipulation of the "omes" and their regulation in a living cell can be used compel organisms to take on desirable actions and desist from undesirable action. The sharing of this information and the tools of manipulation has the potential to create better agricultural feedstocks and microorganismal microfactories.

===DNA===
====Genetic Engineering====
====PCR====
====Gel electrophoresis====
====DNA sequencing====

===RNA===
====RNA isolation====
====Reverse transcription====

===Proteins===
====Native versus heterologous expression====
====Purification====
=====HPLC/FPLC=====
====Assays====

==Plant Tissue Culture==
Theoretically, any plant tissue can give rise to an entire plant. In practice, cultivating plant tissue culture is dependent on variables such as type of plant, stage of plant growth, which tissue was selected, and what hormones and environmental chemicals are present.

It's very important to sterilize your plant tissue before cultivating it. MS0 medium is popular for cultivating plant tissue, it is a mixture of macronutrients, micronutrients and additives such as sucrose and agar.

Resources: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/tisscult/microprop/microprop.html

==Animal Tissue Culture==
This section presents a potential health hazard and should be carefully considered. It also needs work.

==Reagents: Introduction==
After glassware and equipment, a lab requires reagents. This very broad heading comprises acids and alkalis, alcohols, dyes, polymers and enzymes. To a certain extent, there is a feedback effect whereby an existing lab can produce many of its own requirements in-house for continued work or for setting up a new lab. Also, many of these reagents may be considered outputs if desired by the community; alcohols, dyes, polymers and enzymes all have valuable uses in a community for sanitation, textiles, food production and waste degradation, among other things.

'''Acids''' and '''Alkali''' are needed for their own sake and to produce important salts by reaction with minerals and each other.
'''Alcohols''' are needed as sterilants and as precipitants for purifying proteins, enzymes, DNA, and other compounds.
'''Dyes''' are needed for diagnostic differentiation between bacterial species, and for staining DNA in molecular work.
'''Polymers''' are needed for producing bacterial growth plates, electrophoretic gels for DNA, and for sterilising heat-labile reagents.
'''Enzymes''' are needed to catalyse reactions such as PCR, to degrade contaminants, and perhaps as an end in themselves (as many industrially significant enzymes may be of use to local communities in green cleaning and food production).

Many chemical needs can be satisfied locally by intelligent substitution, whereas others may present a problem that will need to be addressed over time. Enzyme needs are a problem for which an immediate solution is foreseeable but will be expensive; transgenic strains of laboratory bacteria can be engineered to produce as much enzyme as required for a given application. Polymers may be extracted from locally sourced wild flora such as seaweeds and purified chemically (agars), or might be prepared in like manner to enzymes with transgenic strains of bacteria.

==Present Strengths==
Requirements for a local microbiology lab, which could be used for diagnostic purposes, are achievable today. Methods such as pressure-sterilisation, oven sterilisation and tyndallisation are required to produce sterile growth media for microbes, but can be learned easily once equipment is available. Rich growth media are easily produced using ingredients that can be locally produced or sourced; a simple diagnostic medium such as blood agar can be produced using byproducts from a meat processing facility or butcher.

==Present Limitations==
To produce enzymes and other limiting compounds locally, transgenic strains of laboratory-strain bacteria may need to be developed and protocols for easy extraction will need to be tested.

For example, for production of PCR enzymes for use in PCR diagnostics of locally relevant diseases, it should be feasible to produce the thermostable enzymes used in PCR using a laboratory-domesticated strain of either E.coli or B.subtilis. The enzyme can then be easily purified by boiling cells and filtering the result; the crude lysate will contain the enzyme, which should outlast contaminating enzymes under heat treatment.
However, it is not feasible to locally produce such a strain as required, because the gene needed to produce the thermostable enzyme is found in wild cultures of deep-sea, thermophilic bacteria which are practically impossible to locally culture. However, once produced, such a strain can be transferred with trivial ease between AT-biolabs and constitutes a landmark development in sustainable biotechnology.

==Existing Methods==
===Acids / Alkali / Feedstocks===
*Acetic Acid - Distillation or Recrystallisation from Vinegar/Kombucha - Acetate salts are used for a wide variety of protocols.
*Acetone - Can be produced via the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABE_process ABE Process] (or transgenic bacteria). Can also be distilled from acetates, for example calcium acetate formed from egg shells and acetic acid from vinegar.
*ATP - Adenosine Triphosphate. Molecular energy unit of most living cells. Could probably be extracted from living cells but is highly unstable owing to its high energy content. Required for many enzyme-catalysed reactions, such as the use of Ligase (below).
*Benzoic Acid may be distilled from the injury-induced resin of Styrax family trees. The resin may be 20% Benzoic Acid. It may alternately be chemically produced from benzyl alcohol, which can be extracted from essential oils or fruits, though likely not in the same quantity as Styrax resin.
*Calcium Carbonate - Egg Shells, DE, Sea Shells, Mineral Deposits
*Citric Acid - Fermentation of glucose by ''Aspergillus niger'' yields citric acid which can be recrystallised and [http://www.ehow.com/how_5195137_make-citric-acid.html purified].
*Formic Acid - Distillation from ant bodies - Can be used for making salts, also has output applications in beekeeping.
*Potassium Hydroxide - Purification from Lye from Hardwood Ash - Provides ~90% Potassium Hydroxide, but presents hazards.
*Sodium Carbonate - Can be produced in low quality from burned Kombu/Kelp but is also produced via the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solvay_process Solvay Process].
*Sodium Hydroxide - Produced from Calcium Hydroxide and Sodium Carbonate, both outputs of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solvay_process Solvay Process].

===Alcohols===
*Benzyl Alcohol - Can be extracted from fruit or some essential oils, though probably not in quantity.
*Butanol - Can be produced via the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABE_process ABE Process] (or transgenic bacteria).
*[[Ethanol]] - Produced during yeast fermentation or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABE_process ABE Process]. Can be distilled from fermentation medium, although high-grade ethanol will require more than a pot still.
*Methanol - Can be distilled from wood.

===Polymers===
*Cellulose - Glucose polymer, most common biological compound on earth but usually highly impure. Easily produced as pure polymer by Kombucha fermentation, ''potentially'' useful as alternative to agarose DNA gels.
*Agar - Extracted from some seaweeds. In principal possible to produce via transgenic bacteria/yeast in-house. Useful for food production as an output.
*Agarose - Highly purified galactose polymer from Agar, requiring solvent or enzyme treatment to produce. Also in principal possible to produce with transgenic bacteria/yeast in-house. Supersedes need for agar if produced as pure agarose for lab or culinary applications.
*Gelatine - Easily boiled from bones and collagenous animal matter. Has limited uses in the lab due to being readily digested by many bacteria during growth.
*Alginates - Boiled as with Agar from certain species of seaweed/alga. Has food applications and can be processed to form a powder that, when dissolved in water, forms a gel upon exposure to calcium. Useful for encapsulating cells for ease of extraction from fermentations. Also has culinary applications and can be used to produce a "spray on bandage" to rapidly stanch bleeding as a medical application.
*DNA Monomers - Generally called "NTPs". Extracted industrially from salmon sperm DNA. Necessary for PCR and some other DNA manipulation reactions to produce or extend DNA.

===Dyes===
Dyes actually pose a strong problem for community biolabs. Although many natural dyes can be easily prepared from indigenous species or by fermentation of transgenic strains, most dyes used in a modern lab for essential techniques like DNA visualisation are synthetic and/or present a mutagenic hazard. Substitution with natural stains and dyes may be a matter of trial and error.
*Indigo ''may'' have potential lab applications and can be grown easily or fermented by transgenic cultures. Also used as a clothing dye.
*Iodine can be extracted from Kelp/Kombu using Sulfuric Acids, and probably other acids more easily attained such as Acetic acid. Iodine is used in the gram staining method that helps identify microbes in medical samples.
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawsone Lawsone] from Henna could be used as a protein stain.
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematoxylin Hematoxylin] is extracted from log heartwood. It is used for a medically important staining procedure. As a biosynthesised dye, it could in principal be fermented by transgenic bacteria.
*Carmine/Cochineal is a traditional foodstuff dye produced from scale insects, and ''may'' have biolab applications.
*Turmeric is a traditional foodstuff and clothing dye and ''may'' have laboratory dye applications.

===Enzymes===
Many degradative enzymes can be produced by fermentation of saprophyte species such as B.subtilis, which possesses a host of useful enzymes for breaking down dead plant matter. These enzymes can be used for degrading waste and quickening composting or disposing of awkward wastes such as rancidified oils.

In a biolab, enzymes are the molecular machinery that perform many essential tasks such as copying, modifying and pasting DNA into desired sites, degrading contaminants, binding and purifying specific desired components of mixed samples, or cell-free production of proteins for advanced medical applications.

The below enzymes mostly do not come with instructions or suggestions for sources; the probable route to production in a community lab would be to acquire transgenic strains of B.subtilis or E.coli producing the desired enzyme, from which the enzyme can be extracted after a scaled-to-order fermentation. These strains generally do not exist in a form that is suitable or available to the community lab, but will surely be designed in coming years and disseminated where possible and required.

Essential Lab Enzymes:
*Restriction Enzymes - The more the merrier. Less necessary where synthesised DNA is available on demand..i.e. not in a community biolab, yet.
*DNA Polymerase(s) - Generally heat-stable enzymes extracted originally from deep sea bacteria, now produced from transgenic E.coli. Essential for the PCR reaction, easily produced and purified from lab strains such as E.coli or B.subtilis provided the correct genes are available in-house.
*Ligase - Used to "paste" DNA together, can be extracted in some form from probably any living cell but is generally extracted specially from transgenic E.coli. Could be produced in house from natural species with some difficulty, probably easier to produce with transgenic, tailor-made strains.
*Exonucleases - For degrading RNA or DNA, and for modern DNA cloning methods such as the Gibson method.
*Cellulase - For degrading cellulose, whether for biofuel production (probably inefficient to use enzyme for this) or to prepare plant cells for further manipulations.

Mostly culinary outputs:
*Invertase - Produced by Bacilli such as B.subtilis. Catalyses Sucrose -> Glucose + Fructose.
*Lipase - May assist in purification procedures. Can be used to degrade fats and remove fatty deposits. Can also be used to produce biofuel from oils/fats.


[[CATEGORY:Biotech]]

Polyethylene from Ethanol

2012-05-19T07:40:17Z

AlexS:

{{Category=Bioplastics}}
{{OrigLang}}
{{GVCS Header}}

==Introduction: Polyethylene==
Polyethylene (PE) is a polymer of long chains of the monomer [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene ethylene] (IUPAC name "''ethene''"). It is one of the world’s most common plastics, with a wide range of uses and over 60 million tons produced worldwide every year. Several different categories exist, based on density and branching. Common types are high-density PE ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDPE HDPE]; plastic # 2) and low-density PE ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-density_polyethylene LDPE]; plastic # 4). Polyethylene is not biodegradable, therefore significant environmental issues are associated with its use. Recycling of PE is relatively straightforward. When disposables are involved, every effort should be made to replace PE with biodegradable alternatives. However, resistance to biodegradation can also be a desired effect for some applications. For example, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomembranes geomembranes] are often made of HDPE and are widely used as liners for fish ponds, constructed wetlands and biogas digesters. Its resistance to degradation also warrants its use in the natural gas industry in transporting natural gas underground in high density PE pipes. Excellent chemical resistance of PE allows for widespread use in storage applications. PE is also useful as a material for digital fabrication. It can be used in the [[RepRap]] 3D printer.

==Polyethylene from ethanol two step conversion==
[[File:Ethanol2Ethene.jpg|right|250px]]Ethene is a very simple two-carbon organic molecule (C2H4) that does not have to be derived from petroleum. In fact, it can easily be [http://www.google.com/patents?id=SWg4AAAAEBAJ&dq=4134926 produced from ethanol] in a dehydration reaction. This has been known for many decades, but was not cost-competitive at low oil prices. Recently, a Brazilan-Japanese joint venture announced the "Green Polyethylene Project", with sugarcane as the feedstock. Commercial-scale introduction of this "BIO-polyethylene" is planned for 2011. We welcome PE to the club of bioplastics and believe that small-scale production from ethanol can be made practical.

Dehydration of ethanol seems fairly simple to do with an [http://www.chemguide.co.uk/organicprops/alcohols/dehydration.html aluminum oxide catalyst]. This method is well suited to small batches and could be easily scaled up to larger batch sizes. It sounds fairly easy to test out. They don't mention the required temperature but it has to be lower than the ignition point of ethanol(~362°C). If we want food-independent ethylene production, especially for larger scale use, we could go from carbon dioxide and water to syngas (a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen) and then finally to ethylene [http://spot.colorado.edu/~meyertr/rwgs/rwgs.html]. This [https://share.sandia.gov/news/resources/releases/2007/sunshine.html] may be useful for producing the syngas.using a fluid bed reactor or recently in a microreactor. The production of a distillation chamber capable of lowering pressure may also benefit the aluminum refining process. Aluminum is a favored catalyst for ethanol dehydration to ethylene but additional compounds such as transition metals increase yield and selectivity while other zeolite catalysts have also been described (Chen et al.).

Polymerization of ethylene is an exothermic reaction with multiple generations of catalysts. Phosphoric acid is the earliest catalyst under high pressure and temperature. Zeolite initially of silicates and then other matrices made the second generation of catalysts and still operated under elevated pressures and temperature. The third and currently evolving class of catalysts are known as Ziegler-Natta catalyst use an activator molecule of the (Al)C2H5n organoaluminum cocatalyst or methylaluminoxane and a titanium catalyst (TiCl3 or TiCl4 etc).

There are a number of steps involved in polyethylene production from a biotic feedstock; selection of a feedstock, construction of open source fermentors, purification equipment, and fluid bed reactors, along with methods of measuring yield and quality of each step will be require bringing a diverse background of knowledge together.

==Status Brief==
Almost all PE today is derived from petroleum. In a very energy-intensive process, a petroleum feedstock is cracked at high temperatures. After distillation and purification in large, capital-intensive facilities, ethylene is produced. This is then polymerized to polyethylene, a process that again involves high temperatures, high pressures and often toxic organic solvents. Clearly not an ideal situation.

An OSE project to replace this process with a constructive route from organic feedstocks rather than degradative oil based processes is currently in the research and development phase. The process is being developed [[Extreme Manufacturing]] system and according to OSE guidelines. A literature review on [[Polyethylene from Ethanol/Research Development]] details the major steps of the process, technologies employed, and applicable details to an OSE standard. Scrum project management will be a used if a team comes together or an individual wants to take on a project.
Current blockages: Help with technical review and people with experience in the field is needed. Expertise in fluid mechanics is needed for the reactor design. Graphic design or CAD of the system would be a big benefit. Interested autodidacts. Sourcing info.
Completed work: system process reviewed, OSE concept, SEBD preliminary, catalysts reviewed, 1st generation catalysts proposed,

==Documentation Brief==

A thorough review of the process of creating polyethylene from ethanol is underway on [[Polyethylene from Ethanol/Research Development]]. Scaled catalyst protocols are underway. An examination of the processes full product ecology is needed. Assistance is needed summarize unreviewed literature and provide summaries of important information. A thorough review of the operation of an FBR applied to the proposed design.

==System Engineering Breakdown Diagram==

[[File:Polyethylene_SEBD1.png | center | 300 pixels]]

== Process design ==

Producing polyethylene from locally produced base materials and open source hardware will require the production of high purity molecules and machines capable of conversion at high efficiency and selectivity. The project can be broken down the three aims of producing high quality ethanol, ethylene, and polyethylene. The tasks need to be further divided into catalyst selection, hardware components, and substrate requirements to be worked on separately as part of the scrum process. Task 2, the dehydration of ethanol to ethylene, will be the first goal of the project as it has the largest value margin between substrate and product and the catalyst requirements are within the scope of OSE's currently proposed product ecology.

1. Production of ethanol on-site from sorghum utilizing yeast fermentation.
A. Selection of yeast and/or bacterial strains that are optimal for sorghum fermentation and finding their optimal conditions.
B. Construction of fermentation equipment.
C. Construction of distillation equipment capable of operating under vacuum, which could possibly be attached to fermentation chamber.
D. Method for measuring alcohol purity.
Measuring specific gravity is means of getting a rough estimating ethanol yield and with internal improvements can achieve higher accuracy. Measurements against as internal standard and a pure ethanol standard can improve hydrometers accuracy.

2. Dehydration of ethanol using a catalyst and fluid bed reactor.
A. Selecting a catalyst. AlO3 can be utilized as an initial catalyst after production by the aluminium extractor. A base wash with KOH or NaOH can be used to increase the specificity of catalyst. Improvements to the catalyst can be incrementally made as OSE technology becomes available.
B. Constructing a reactor chamber capable of mixing the catalyst and substrates under optimal conditions. Reactor chamber must allow control over temperature, pressure, addition and removal of catalyst, control of feedrate and interaction time of substrate, and separation of production and should incorporate features that allow easy reconfiguration and recycling of catalysts, solvents, and unconverted substrate.
C. A fractionation column will be used to remove byproducts, unreacted substrate, and inert gas, producing high purity ethylene suitable for polymerization.
C. Measurement of ethylene yield and purity using spectroscopic methods.

3. Polymerization of polyethylene from ethylene using transition metal catalyst and fluid bed reactor.
A. Selection of a catalyst for polymerization.
B. Optimal configuration of reactor for polyethylene polymerization.
C. Measurement of PE yield and purity.
D. Ability to pass newly formed polyethylene to an extruder or storing as pellets for future extrusion.
E. Investigate production of other polymers such as polyethylene vinyl acetate (for greenhouse materials).

4.Extrusion to final product
A. Identify most desirable products for OSE product ecology and research optimal extrusion processes. Materials for greenhouses or windows are a high priority as mentioned by Marcin and this application could be the first aim. Identify ways to maximize translucence, increase UV resistance and filtering, and maximize material use with strength and durability (film versus panels)
B. Value adding processes such as tensile polymer incorporation or shaping into useful products.

===Design Rationale===
The design rationale for the OSE agroecological approach is based upon OSE standards. The process design is meant to produce a needed product ecology using local feedstocks. By starting with high purity substrate and selective catalysts purification steps can be minimized and the process conducted on a small scale. A fluid bed reactor is a key piece of hardware that is used by the industry due to its superior performance. An OSE reactor is designed to be reconfigurable to a number of processes and be of appropriate scale.

Starting with commodity ethanol will allow OSE to apply itself to an area where the open source information and demonstration is lacking. Reactor and catalysts are selected based upon demonstrated and easily available chemicals and could open a new sector to open source entrepnuers. Demonstration of a few base applications thermomolding and greenhouse glazing will allow incremental development. Production of feedstock will be conducted as part of an integrated plant at FeF and fermentation and purification technology built to utilize it.

Tools including catalysts and process control should be developed to be multipurpose and modular. Development of multiple uses at once will maintain that focus. The [[aluminosilicate chemistry]] learned from this process may allow other products.

===Conceptual Design===

===Specifications===
Ability to produce high and low density polymers. Later ability to incorporate comonomers.

===Design===

===Construction of fluid bed reactor===

===Ethylene polymerization catalyst preparation===

===Sourcing of substrates, catalysts, and materials===

===Safety Concerns===

Both ethanol and ethene are flammable, so be careful to ensure against vapor ignition. Initial runs should be done in small batch sizes to ensure greater safety. Ethanol is toxic to the liver but poisoning symptoms should be obvious. Ethylene gas is highly flammable and should be kept away from any source of sparks or static electricity. Technicians running this process should wear a lab coat, eye protection and gloves.

Induction Furnace/Bill of Materials

2011-11-21T22:48:01Z

AlexS: Created page with "Tools required: *Pipe-bending apparatus *Pliers *Soldering Iron *Oscilloscope [highly recommended] *PCB etching equipment Components: *Copper pipe (coil) *Wire (transformer) ..."

Tools required:

*Pipe-bending apparatus
*Pliers
*Soldering Iron
*Oscilloscope [highly recommended]
*PCB etching equipment

Components:

*Copper pipe (coil)
*Wire (transformer)
*Transformer coil
*Various capacitors
*Various resistors
*Power supply
*Control system (Arduino)
*Integrated circuits
** Op-amp
** PLL chip
** Gate driver
*Cooling system
** Pump
** Cooling tank

Bioplastics

2011-11-02T02:41:56Z

AlexS:

{{Template:Category=Bioplastics}}

[[Image:474S012a-i2.0.jpg]]

Bioplastics are the perfect addition to an integrated farm and forestry operation. An effective open-source method of producing bioplastics will allow communities to be self-sufficient in the raw materials for many modern comforts. Bioplastics promise to replace the many useful products we currently extract from oil.

Combined with [[Plastic Extrusion & Molding|plastic extrusion and molding]] machines such as [[RepRap]], bioplastics enable a local manufacturing process that starts with food waste or soil and creates computer and phone casings, car and machine parts, toys and tools, screws and sculptures.

'''Cellophane''' is reformulated cellulose (wood), produced via an acid and base dunk of sawdust. This may be used in glazing. Car bodies may be made; the original car bodies for Ford were soybean-derived bioplastics.

'''Polylactic acid''' can be made by fermenting starch.

'''Polyethelene''' can be fabricated from ethylene (which can be relatively easily produced from ethanol).

Mycelium can be placed in a mold with grain husks, wheat straw or any of a wide variety of other biomass (with different end product results) and be made into a variety of useful products, including a durable closed cell foam substitute. See: [http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/car-parts-from-mushrooms], [http://www.ecovativedesign.com/] [http://dmampo.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/mushroom-based-car-parts/](these refer to the same product and company). Work need to be done open-sourcing this process - what mycelium are used? Where can we get spores? What can we make? We may be able to obtain some and identify it under a microscope (wary of nto infringing patents of course; maybe a similar but lower performing mycelium that is not patented could suit our purposes for building insulation etc.)

Talk:Howard Log

2011-10-31T04:32:03Z

AlexS:

"Effective today, I have terminated my Dedicated Project Visit due to irreconcilable differences over Hab Lab construction."

What sort of differences? This doesn't bode well..

:The Construction Manager had designed a bricklaying pattern (and placement on the concrete supports) that was easy to follow and would avoid structural flaws that would result from bricklaying that was insufficiently overlapped. The Construction Manager's advice was ignored, resulting in numerous vertical seams between courses that were fully aligned. With only a few (four or five) courses on the retaining wall partially laid, several bricks completely cracked through, but dire warnings about this were ignored and corrective action (rebuilding the wall properly) was refused, despite citation of masonry books that were referenced in the design phase. The coursework is seriously structurally deficient, and given that the walls are now loadbearing (it was originally going to be just the columns, but that was changed weeks ago), that makes the entire building construction hazardously perilous. I was essentially providing mere general labor to the construction, but I saw the Construction Manager's messages on the subject, did my best to speak up and caution about the changes, but despite numerous statements and an assurance the mis-laid bricks would be fixed, ultimately they changed their minds and refused. I consider any further work I did toward the structurally deficient construction tantamount to contributing to a potentially criminally negligent situation that could serious injure or even kill people who would attempt to reside in the Hab Lab.
:I refuse to contribute toward this, even if there's no real chance I would face criminal charges myself, on ethical principle. I fully intend to continue working with the Open Source Ecology mission, as a documentor most likely working offsite. I do agree with the overall vision, but feel the Hab Lab and fabrication shop projects are being carried out in a dangerously reckless fashion at this point and feel obligated to refuse to continue further on them, so long as basic rules of structural integrity safety are actively dismissed. --[[User:Howard V. Agnew|Howard V. Agnew]] 18:41, 28 October 2011 (CEST)

I checked the video of the wall build in progress - so basically the bricks are being laid like this, but should be laid like this?

[[Image:bricks3.PNG]]

Hopefully best practices are followed during the hablab construction, as there are vast amounts of material out there on how to do it properly. To fix this problem, maybe you could lay more courses of bricks using the alternate pattern alongside the existing wall. I'm not a structural engineer though. I just hope you guys know what you're doing. - Alex

::As I said, I have removed myself from the project. I couldn't in good conscience contribute to this when there's a very real probability it will result in serious injury to residents when it falls down, if not manslaughter. See also [http://forum.opensourceecology.org/discussion/comment/2381#Comment_2381] and associated photos.
::The only solution is to tear the wall down, throw out the bricks that are bad, and rebuild it in a safe and sound fashion, but Marcin has openly refused to even consider doing this (he was warned by myself and the Construction Manager, told it needed to be rebuild and his response has been "No" and that there is to be no further discussion). --[[User:Howard V. Agnew|Howard V. Agnew]] 17:48, 29 October 2011 (CEST)

I have to admit it's pretty concerning to hear. I think I speak for everyone, albeit crudely when I say - don't fuck it up guys, the world is watching.

== brick pattern ==

i was thinking would a half basket weave pattern be good? --[[User:Dorkmo|Dorkmo]] 22:55, 29 October 2011 (CEST)

: Not sure, but the Construction Manager suggested Flemish pattern, as the way he had demonstrated it makes it much more tolerant to the unfortunately wide variations in brick width (the CEBs are fixed in two dimensions, but vary in a third by a significant amount). Right now, they aren't following any pattern at all. Marcin wants pure header courses which are exceptionally dangerous, especially when there's no precision laying to ensure adequate overlap and avoid vertical seam alignments between consecutive courses. --[[User:Howard V. Agnew|Howard V. Agnew]] 14:47, 30 October 2011 (CET)

::oh cool i just googled that flemish thing and it looks sorta like what i was imagining with the basket thing.

Talk:Howard Log

2011-10-29T11:20:06Z

AlexS:

File:Bricks3.PNG

2011-10-29T11:11:04Z

AlexS: ceb layout

ceb layout

Talk:Howard Log

2011-10-28T06:39:17Z

AlexS: irreconcilable differences?

"Effective today, I have terminated my Dedicated Project Visit due to irreconcilable differences over Hab Lab construction."

What sort of differences? This doesn't bode well..

OSE Canada

2011-10-28T06:22:23Z

AlexS:

[[Image:OSE_canada.PNG]] 

Is there an interest in replicating the OSE project north of the border? 
Where would an ideal location be? 
Could help with adapting the GVCS toolset to northern climates 

Sure is. I think somewhere between Waterloo and Hamilton :) 
Lots of resources and energy in both those cities. 
We should do a skype/gchat sometime and talk about OSENORTH 
evan.t.bell@gmail.com
--[[User:Evan Bell|Evan Bell]] 16:53, 25 October 2011 (CEST)

File:OSE canada.PNG

2011-10-28T06:20:15Z

AlexS: canada map

canada map

File:Pyrolysis experiment.PNG

2011-10-25T06:27:13Z

AlexS: Pyrolysis lab setup

Pyrolysis lab setup

File:Staged pyrolysis.png

2011-10-25T06:25:06Z

AlexS: Staged pyrolysis

Staged pyrolysis

OSE Canada

2011-10-25T05:33:57Z

AlexS: Created page with "Is there an interest in replicating the OSE project north of the border? Where would an ideal location be? Could help with adapting the GVCS toolset to northern climate..."

Is there an interest in replicating the OSE project north of the border? 
Where would an ideal location be? 
Could help with adapting the GVCS toolset to northern climates

OSE Canada/

2011-10-25T05:33:30Z

AlexS: Blanked the page

OSE Canada/

2011-10-25T05:32:59Z

Is there an interest in replicating the OSE project north of the border? 
Where would an ideal location be? 
Could help with adapting the GVCS toolset to northern climates

Bioplastics

2011-10-25T04:45:25Z

AlexS:

{{Template:Category=Bioplastics}}

[[Image:474S012a-i2.0.jpg]]

Bioplastics are the perfect addition to an integrated farm and forestry operation. An effective open-source method of producing bioplastics will allow communities to be self-sufficient in the raw materials for many modern comforts. Bioplastics promise to replace the many useful products we currently extract from oil.

Combined with [[Plastic Extrusion & Molding|plastic extrusion and molding]] machines such as [[RepRap]], bioplastics enable a local manufacturing process that starts with food waste or soil and creates computer and phone casings, car and machine parts, toys and tools, screws and sculptures.

'''Cellophane''' is reformulated cellulose (wood), produced via an acid and base dunk of sawdust. This may be used in glazing. Car bodies may be made; the original car bodies for Ford were soybean-derived bioplastics.

'''Polylactic acid''' can be made by fermenting starch.

Mycelium can be placed in a mold with grain husks, wheat straw or any of a wide variety of other biomass (with different end product results) and be made into a variety of useful products, including a durable closed cell foam substitute. See: [http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/car-parts-from-mushrooms], [http://www.ecovativedesign.com/] [http://dmampo.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/mushroom-based-car-parts/](these refer to the same product and company). Work need to be done open-sourcing this process - what mycelium are used? Where can we get spores? What can we make? We may be able to obtain some and identify it under a microscope (wary of nto infringing patents of course; maybe a similar but lower performing mycelium that is not patented could suit our purposes for building insulation etc.)

File:474S012a-i2.0.jpg

2011-10-25T04:44:10Z

AlexS: Bioplastics

Bioplastics

User:AlexS

2011-10-24T12:20:37Z

AlexS:

Alex 

'''Age:''' 24 
'''Location:''' Hamilton, ON, Canada 
'''Alma mater:''' University of Waterloo, B.Sc Honours Science - Biochemistry 
'''Occupation:''' Computer programmer 
'''Skills:'''

Software/programming: Java, C++, various GIS applications, Flash, Illustrator 
Academic: Algae biofuels, renewable ammonia production, fermentation biochemistry, gasification, agronomics 
Arts: Infographics, technical illustration, cartography 
Misc: Foreign languages, geography 

'''OSE Interests:'''

aluminum extractor 
induction furnace 
gasifier/burner 
agricultural seeder 
bioplastic extruder 

Important chemistry processes: 
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czochralski_process 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haber_process 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fischer%E2%80%93Tropsch_process 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrolysis 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroxymethylfurfural production for biolplastics feedstock 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) synthesis from HMF - a promising biofuel option

User:AlexS

2011-10-24T12:19:45Z

AlexS:

Alex 

'''Age:''' 24 
'''Location:''' Hamilton, ON, Canada 
'''Alma mater:''' University of Waterloo, B.Sc Honours Science - Biochemistry 
'''Occupation:''' Computer programmer 
'''Skills:'''

Software/programming: Java, C++, various GIS applications, Flash, Illustrator 
Academic: Algae biofuels, renewable ammonia production, fermentation biochemistry, gasification, agronomics 
Arts: Infographics, technical illustration, cartography 
Misc: Foreign languages, geography 

'''OSE Interests:'''

aluminum extractor 
induction furnace 
gasifier/burner 
agricultural seeder 
bioplastic extruder 

Important processes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czochralski_process
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haber_process
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fischer%E2%80%93Tropsch_process
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrolysis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroxymethylfurfural production for biolplastics feedstock
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) synthesis from HMF - a promising biofuel option

Factor e Farm Infrastructure Buildout 2011 Budget

2011-10-17T09:00:50Z

AlexS: /* Phase 2 Foundations */

Note that this budget includes equipment and materials mixed together

=Phase 1: Shop Roofing and Preparation=

*4 [http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-2401-22-12-Volt-Li-Ion-Compact/dp/B000WI9CIG/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1311881639&sr=1-1 Milwaukee cordless drills] – $407

*Roof metal - 136 panels, 17' long (3' widths) - 108 for workshop, 22 for material shed, and 6 extra + flashing for clerestory + screws + flashing closure – $5871

*2x6 lumber, 6.60 - total 396 pieces - $2802

*Glue, #25 star driver bits, 3" star bit screws, 2 glue guns, furring strips, 2 tie downs – $299

*Trailer rental for lumber – $47

*Gravel for OSE Shop 2011 - 5000 sq ft of 6" deep plus 4x4x3' pillar bases - $2703

*Dimensional sawmill prototype 1 - check mailed directly to Sweiger - $10,000

=Phase 2 Foundations=

*Sep. 29, 2011 -Excavation and bulldozing, Workshop and HabLab, Duffy Reynolds Construction - $4k

*Oct. 3, 2011 - Construction rebar, Sweiger - $3968.60

*Oct. 3, 2011 - LifeTrac bucket prototype 1, Sweiger - $828

*Oct. 3, 2011 - LifeTrac tracks chain for 3 tractors - $1046.97

*Oct. 3, 2011 - metal, hydraulic coolers, welding supplies, 2 generators - $2786.39

*Oct. 4, 2011 - foundation pads concrete, Payless Concrete - $821.28

*Oct. 6, 2011 - HabLab step edge excavation correction - $437.50

*Oct. 8, 2011 - 2 soil pulverizer Prototype 3s complete minus motors, bearings, and chain - $4006.18

*Oct. 10, 2011 - mowing (280), raking (140), baling (220), 20 acres, for insulation - $640.00

*Oct. 13, 2011 - 30" and 13"sawblades for Dimensional Sawmill prototype I, teeth, wrench - $1062.95

*Oct. 14, 2011 - additional gravel for HabLab, 17 tons, Apac - $254.79

*Oct. 14, 2011 - 9 + 6 cu yds concrete pour for HabLab walls, kitchen, bathroom, Payless Concrete - $1910.43

*Oct. 14, 2011 - lumber for HabLab roof and framing - $2742.03

*Oct. 14, 2011 - foundation form lumber, HabLab - $210.03

*Oct. 14, 2011 - roof tiedown threaded rod and nuts, MoKan Fastener - $67.22

*Oct. 14, 2011 - 5 hard hats - $52.18

*Oct. 14, 2011 - PowerCube muffler studs and nuts - $57.54

*Total material cost: ~$15,000 so far
*Target budget for $5/sq.ft cost - $25,000

Factor e Farm Infrastructure Buildout 2011 Budget

2011-10-17T09:00:14Z

AlexS: /* Phase 2 Foundations */

Note that this budget includes equipment and materials mixed together

=Phase 1: Shop Roofing and Preparation=

*4 [http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-2401-22-12-Volt-Li-Ion-Compact/dp/B000WI9CIG/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1311881639&sr=1-1 Milwaukee cordless drills] – $407

*Roof metal - 136 panels, 17' long (3' widths) - 108 for workshop, 22 for material shed, and 6 extra + flashing for clerestory + screws + flashing closure – $5871

*2x6 lumber, 6.60 - total 396 pieces - $2802

*Glue, #25 star driver bits, 3" star bit screws, 2 glue guns, furring strips, 2 tie downs – $299

*Trailer rental for lumber – $47

*Gravel for OSE Shop 2011 - 5000 sq ft of 6" deep plus 4x4x3' pillar bases - $2703

*Dimensional sawmill prototype 1 - check mailed directly to Sweiger - $10,000

=Phase 2 Foundations=

*Sep. 29, 2011 -Excavation and bulldozing, Workshop and HabLab, Duffy Reynolds Construction - $4k

*Oct. 3, 2011 - Construction rebar, Sweiger - $3968.60

*Oct. 3, 2011 - LifeTrac bucket prototype 1, Sweiger - $828

*Oct. 3, 2011 - LifeTrac tracks chain for 3 tractors - $1046.97

*Oct. 3, 2011 - metal, hydraulic coolers, welding supplies, 2 generators - $2786.39

*Oct. 4, 2011 - foundation pads concrete, Payless Concrete - $821.28

*Oct. 6, 2011 - HabLab step edge excavation correction - $437.50

*Oct. 8, 2011 - 2 soil pulverizer Prototype 3s complete minus motors, bearings, and chain - $4006.18

*Oct. 10, 2011 - mowing (280), raking (140), baling (220), 20 acres, for insulation - $640.00

*Oct. 13, 2011 - 30" and 13"sawblades for Dimensional Sawmill prototype I, teeth, wrench - $1062.95

*Oct. 14, 2011 - additional gravel for HabLab, 17 tons, Apac - $254.79

*Oct. 14, 2011 - 9 + 6 cu yds concrete pour for HabLab walls, kitchen, bathroom, Payless Concrete - $1910.43

*Oct. 14, 2011 - lumber for HabLab roof and framing - $2742.03

*Oct. 14, 2011 - foundation form lumber, HabLab - $210.03

*Oct. 14, 2011 - roof tiedown threaded rod and nuts, MoKan Fastener - $67.22

*Oct. 14, 2011 - 5 hard hats - $52.18

*Oct. 14, 2011 - PowerCube muffler studs and nuts - $57.54

Total material cost: ~$15,000 so far
Target budget for $5/sq.ft cost - $25,000

User:AlexS

2011-10-16T10:50:19Z

AlexS:

User:AlexS

2011-10-16T10:49:37Z

AlexS:

User:AlexS

2011-10-16T10:47:17Z

AlexS: introduction

Alex

Age: 24
Location: Hamilton, ON, Canada
Alma mater: University of Waterloo, B.Sc Honours Science - Biochemistry
Occupation: Computer programmer
Skills:

Software/programming: Java, C++, various GIS applications, Flash, Illustrator
Academic: Algae biofuels, renewable ammonia production, fermentation biochemistry, gasification, agronomics
Arts: Infographics, technical illustration, cartography
Misc: Foreign languages, geography

OSE Interests:

aluminum extractor
induction furnace
gasifier/burner
agricultural seeder
bioplastic extruder

User:AlexS

2011-10-16T10:41:34Z

AlexS: Created page with "Alex Age: 24 Location: Hamilton, ON, Canada"

Alex

Age: 24
Location: Hamilton, ON, Canada