We currently have a start-up team of five BSE undergraduates that intend to work on this project until their graduation in June of 2018. This means the preparation and start-up will be overseen by these five students, and continued by the BSE and UW SER-affiliated students mentioned above. Pulp-molding production gives these students additional access to self-sustaining design projects, an asset that will always be in demand in the BSE program. Currently, prototype pots have been fabricated and characterized at the bench-scale. The next steps post-funding are ordering the molding machine parts and assessing physical utilities once the equipment arrives. Though we have attached the approval forms from grounds and facilities to install, it’s likely that we will contract-out the installation of equipment given the complexity of current infrastructure in the Paper and Bioresource Center. Figure 2 has the finalized location of the mold machine on the floor layout as approved by Kurt Haunreiter. As of now, the following are assured: supplier, start-up team, potential market through UW SER, raw materials, space, and infrastructure. Figure 1 shows a chart of the current start-up timeline through the end of August. Once the product is produced in a sustainable fashion, outreach and education of these campus biodegradable products can begin.
Year:
Amount Awarded:
$70,000
Potential Funding Reductions:
The main component of this project which requires CSF funding is the machinery, installation, and general start-up costs as mentioned in the itemized budget. The first section of the itemized budget includes molding machine parts and prices from a quote received from the manufacturer. The Paper and Bioresource Center fortunately has some of the unit operations needed, thereby saving close to $20,000 the quote received by the manufacturer. This accounts for approximately $20,000 difference between the estimate now, and in the time of writing the Letter-of-Intent one month ago. Any costs related to installation and start-up utilities are subject to funding reductions as the project moves forward.
The second portion of the itemized budget includes variable and estimated costs which may be subject to change as the project begins operation. The raw materials such as pulp, brewer’s spent grain, and release agent chemicals will be continuously purchased through the maintenance budget of the Paper and Bioresource Center. This budget has been pre-approved by Kurt Haunreiter as requested.
We respectfully request a $70,000 grant to fully fund our project. It is difficult to foresee the nature of any return on investment regarding this project while still in the pre-production stage, however discussion of repayment could be re-opened post-production.
Project Longevity:
Project status:
Active: Planning phase