Spring class will use refinery to teach unemployed
By: Dustin Azlin
Issue date: 12/2/09 Section: News
Starting next semester, the state of Tennessee will begin paying unemployed workers to take a new class at The University of Memphis that will teach them how to operate a refinery.
The course, called process plant operations, will use The U of M's unique biofuel refinery, which takes grease from the Tiger Den and converts it to biodiesel.
After finishing the class, unemployed workers will be able to work in industries that use refineries, such as the petroleum, ethanol and whipping cream industries.
"When a chemical engineer gets a degree, he can get a job at any chemical company," said Srikant Gir, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. "The same goes for our research."
It took University researchers about two years to build the biofuel micro-refinery, which is unlike any other in the country, said Gir, who is also the refinery's developer.
The University's micro-refinery has everything that bigger biofuel centers have, but on a smaller scale, he said.
"(The refinery) is state of the art," he said. "It's the only complete micro-refinery in the country."
Sen. Steve Cohen announced on Sept. 4 that the federal government had granted The U of M $500,000 for continued research into better refineries like the one that will be used in the class.
Paul Moinester, legislative assistant to Sen. Cohen, said Cohen supported the program because the research is important for workforce development.
"A lot of the work is not research, its job training," he said. "(The refinery) is a smaller version of a real biofuel center and people can train and learn on it."
Students will be able to operate the refinery, which will educate and save The University money at the same time.
The refinery takes campus garbage to make the fuel, which helps make The University more eco-friendly and energy sustainable, said Gir, who is heading up the research on campus.
"The University pays $200,000 a year to remove garbage off campus," Gir said. "I want to take the garbage to make electricity."
The course, called process plant operations, will use The U of M's unique biofuel refinery, which takes grease from the Tiger Den and converts it to biodiesel.
After finishing the class, unemployed workers will be able to work in industries that use refineries, such as the petroleum, ethanol and whipping cream industries.
"When a chemical engineer gets a degree, he can get a job at any chemical company," said Srikant Gir, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. "The same goes for our research."
It took University researchers about two years to build the biofuel micro-refinery, which is unlike any other in the country, said Gir, who is also the refinery's developer.
The University's micro-refinery has everything that bigger biofuel centers have, but on a smaller scale, he said.
"(The refinery) is state of the art," he said. "It's the only complete micro-refinery in the country."
Sen. Steve Cohen announced on Sept. 4 that the federal government had granted The U of M $500,000 for continued research into better refineries like the one that will be used in the class.
Paul Moinester, legislative assistant to Sen. Cohen, said Cohen supported the program because the research is important for workforce development.
"A lot of the work is not research, its job training," he said. "(The refinery) is a smaller version of a real biofuel center and people can train and learn on it."
Students will be able to operate the refinery, which will educate and save The University money at the same time.
The refinery takes campus garbage to make the fuel, which helps make The University more eco-friendly and energy sustainable, said Gir, who is heading up the research on campus.
"The University pays $200,000 a year to remove garbage off campus," Gir said. "I want to take the garbage to make electricity."