If you know me, you probably know that it's far too easy to captivate me with what I think is a good idea.

Well, any idea, really.

I'm something of a sucker for interesting research topics, and I'm incredibly thankful that there are some wonderful students and faculty at the University of Idaho who are willing to investigate some of these exciting ideas.

What Ideas are Being Researched?

This year, I'm very thankful that I've been able to sponsor two different projects. A continuation project from last year's wildfire detection project and a continuation of my own Capstone project, a biochar reactor.

So... What are these wild ideas, anyway?

Wildfire Detection System

Wildfires are threatening more and more of the western United States each year, and currently, our only way to detect fire is by sight. Namely by seeing the smoke of a growing inferno. That's often too late.

Wildfire has a fascinating trait where it creates a very low rumble. It's the same audible rumble that wildlife and livestock respond to and run away from in advance of the flames becoming wild. This sound is typically in the range between 0~8Hz; a very low-frequency sound which is below our (human) range of hearing. But that doesn't mean a little technology can't provide value.

In fact, that's exactly where we're researching. The idea of the project is to create very small, economical devices which can pick up this low-frequency sound and make quick determination whether sound is wildfire or wildlife; a clear distinction to be made! If we can make small devices that cost around \(10-\)15 per unit that can do all this, we can make hundreds, if not thousands, and distribute them from an aircraft. Then let those little buggers create their own wireless network and report back to a central base where all of the information can triangulate regions where the fire has appeared.

What are the students working on this year?

This year's student group is working on minimizing the hardware design. Last year, the group worked on utilizing a large development board; a unit that had more peripheral devices than were needed. Things like a dedicated power management unit, multiple GPS units, and several radio and serial communication ports. That's not to say that last year's team was bad, only that there's room to improve the design and reduce the circuit's footprint.

This year's team is focusing on design from the microprocessor up. They're starting with the processor, and working out what additional peripherals are needed. But they're also working on the enclosure that's needed. They've taken inspiration from both last year's team, and a Samara leaf for the enclosure. The plan is that the leaf's natural spinning nature will provide the basis necessary to make the design fall smoothly and without a damaging the crucial components inside.

Biochar Production System

Biochar - What is it?

Well, it's "the poor man's activated carbon." Essentially, it's charcoal, but with some more useful properties. There's a lot of interest in the academic and agricultural world for using biochar both in agricultural markets and wastewater realms. There are many who are interested in the ability of biochar to act as a wastewater filter in large scales, and there are others who are very interested in use of biochar to help act as a topsoil balancer.

Let me further explain the benefits here.

Biochar is a very porous material, since it's what's left from wood after all the other oils and gasses have been separated from the wood. Because of this porous nature, biochar can both retain water, and allow it to move more easily through soil. This is really interesting for farmers in regions like the Palouse where the topology flows across rolling hills and generates a large number of both micro valleys and hills. These regions are prone to low crop yield in both the valleys and on the tops of hills. It's all to do with water, actually. Too much water in the valleys, and not enough on the tops of hills.

So, biochar is very interesting because it can provide the necessary balance to help water pass through the valleys more easily and retain the water near the tops of those hills. It's very exciting because this material might help support our farmers to increase their yields to help feed our growing world.

What are the students working on this year?

My team didn't complete a fully-functional biochar reactor, so this year's team is picking up where we'd left off. They're working on getting the continuous reactor working efficiently so that we can start experimenting more effectively. I'm very excited about some of the realizations they've made, too! They've made some excellent observations about efficiently heating the reactor. The team introduced me to the idea of using electric heat rather than using either a diesel or propane heater.

At first, I wasn't convinced, but they pretty clearly demonstrated the ins and outs of why it's such a good idea. Considering the fact that a diesel heater consumed as much energy as 73 kitchen toasters, whereas the electric heaters only uses as much energy as 3 toasters, it makes a lot of sense! The students did a terrific job in demonstrating their findings and selling me on their proposal. In short, I'm very proud of them for their hard work!

Recapping

I'm so very excited to have these students working on these exciting projects, and I'm thrilled to have the pleasure of sponsoring the projects. In earnest, I often feel a tinge of imposter syndrome about supporting the projects, because I'm not ever certain that I'm qualified to support them, and I feel that I'd pull resources away from other groups. So, I'm very thankful to be able to support these projects. I really hope that I'm able to continue with these projects!