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Projects Updates for place: Activities and Recreation Center (ARC)

  4. Redwood Materials: Jen, Daphne, and Amy meet to follow up

    Associated Project(s): 
    Single-Use Battery Recycling
    Battery Recycling
    Rechargeable Battery Recycling
    Address Electronic Waste (e-waste)

    On June 26, 2023 Amy Fruehling, Jen Fraterrigo, and Daphne Hulse meet to follow up after initial contact with Redwood Materials

    • Amy is the connector so she can stay involved if need be, but batteries are not her expertise

    • Ask Stephanie Hess about DRS about battery disposal on campus is how much is recycled. See if departments have a need for this

    • Collection drives would be for students, primarily, for their personal items

      • Ask Goodwill about technology collected from Dump and Run - was it a good outlet for students?

    • IT would be more surplus-oriented

    • Could payment be associated with batteries collected?

    • Would just have to try it out and see if it’s worth it - we won't entirely know what the demand will be for the service

    • ARC does battery recycling

      • Reach out about that

    • Collection sites must be supervised so nothing is mixed in

    • Housing or libraries as a place of disposal would be most ideal. Having it available rather than waiting on a collection drive once or twice a year, is Amy's thought

    • Seema will be sending over material about how they have done collection drives in other places, so we know how it might run

    • Electrical and computer engineering department

      • Specialization in batteries

      • Looking at how to create batteries with a longer life span

      • Do they have a program? Sell to students?

      • A way for iSEE to integrate campus sustainability and research, so Jen will take the first step here

    • Redwood contact is an alum, co-founder is tied to Tesla - Amy notes the significance of this

      • Feels like there could be even more than just collecting batteries

    • Opening up redwood materials collection to the community - because the spring electronics event is once a year in the spring, so sparse opportunity for the community/county

  5. DRS uses hazardous waste vendor for battery disposal

    Associated Project(s): 
    Single-Use Battery Recycling
    Rechargeable Battery Recycling
    Battery Recycling

    From: Hess, Stephanie Tumidajski <sthess@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Monday, June 26, 2023 4:02 PM
    To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>; Hill, Landon E <landon@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: DRS battery disposal

     

    Hi Daphne,

     

    A good area to look into. I remember there being battery recycling a long time ago and then was told it was no longer is a thing.

    We do not recycle batteries that come through DRS. Those are disposed of using our hazardous waste vendor. I’ve copied the regulated waste compliance manager on this email. He can probably give you an idea about the volume of batteries that come through our waste facility and answer your specific questions.

     

    Steph

     

    From: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Monday, June 26, 2023 3:54 PM
    To: Hess, Stephanie Tumidajski <sthess@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>
    Subject: DRS battery disposal

     

    Hi Stephanie,

     

    A recurring topic that’s come up in sustainability conversations on campus has been about batteries, and we are working to assess what the needs are for this type of specialized recycling and for whom (campus property, personal, etc). In the past several years, battery recycling has been decentralized under departmental programs through companies like Battery Solutions and Call2Recycle for single-use and rechargeable batteries. I also understand that DRS disposes of departments’ unwanted batteries – I am curious, is this a program that is widely used by campus? Do most of the batteries collected under DRS get recycled?

     

    Thank you,
    Daphne

     

    Daphne Hulse (she/her)
    Zero Waste Coordinator
    Facilities & Services | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    +1 (217) 333-7550 | dlhulse2@illinois.edu
     
    Bu0VAhW8+s0AAAAASUVORK5CYII=

    Please consider the environment before printing an email. Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act any written communication to or from university employees regarding university business is a public record and may be subject to public disclosure.

  6. Redwood Materials: Daphne and Shreya meet with Seema Nilakhe for an introduction

    Associated Project(s): 
    Battery Recycling
    Rechargeable Battery Recycling
    Single-Use Battery Recycling

    On June 21, 2023 Daphne Hulse and Shreya Mahajan met with Seema Nilakhe to discuss Redwood Materials and opportunity for collaboration.

    • Introductions

      • Seema Nilakhe, originally from Chicago suburbs, attended U of I

      • Amy Fruehling was career counselor for Seema during her undergraduate years

      • Dabbling in environmental initiatives

      • Worked at Amazon for supply chain

      • Worked at Tesla

        • Infrastructure projects in North America

      • Wanted to work at start up so went to Redwood Materials

        • Lithium ion batteries

        • Based out of Reno, Nevada

        • Consumer partnerships is Seema’s role

      • Don’t take

        • Lead acid

        • Cadmium

        • Car batteries

    • Daphne notes that the batteries Redwood would be interested in would likely come from university property, which is handled by CMS/Surplus/OBFS

      • Seema can assist with looking into this process

    • Redwood process:

      • Pickup batteries with large OEMs (large car companies that make EVs)

      • Redwood picks up scrap

      • Redwood partners with Call2Recycle

      • Typically you have to pay a fee for Call2Recycle for their services (U of I may have had the service for free?)

      • Collections would be the biggest benefit for us:

        • Cell phones, laptops, smaller devices are high in cobalt and nickel and critical elements that are part of the battery

        • Larger devices would need to be checked for logistics and chemistry

        • Pricing is based on gross weight

        • Collections - don’t provide packaging but suppliers have the drums, crates, or collection mechanism to do that

        • DOT shipping guidelines (Redwood has that and can give us a sample) we have to be in compliance

        • Under 60 watt hours

        • Engineering may have drums that we could use to ship the batteries

        • Gaylords work too

      • Differences between primary and secondary batteries

        • Primaries - non-rechargables

          • Watch batteries

          • Typically lithium ion

      • Have partners which take all of the excess materials that aren’t batteries

        • Secondary - rechargeable

    Next steps:

    • CMS/Surplus - ask if they already recycle batteries, or need an outlet for it

    • Check inventory on drums and gaylords/shipping materials - Seema will send DOT guidelines

    • Event with marketing/public relations

    • Bin in the Union - how do you keep people from randomly throw items in there that are not batteries? Must be supervised

    • Stick to call2recycle for AA AAA alkaline

  10. Redwood Materials: F&S, iSEE, and ACES introduced to GIES alum Seema Nilakhe to discuss battery recycling opportunities

    Associated Project(s): 
    Rechargeable Battery Recycling
    Battery Recycling
    Single-Use Battery Recycling
    Address Electronic Waste (e-waste)

    RE: Campus Sustainability - Redwood Materials

     

     

    Great – thank you all for your thoughts and connections.  I’m moving Madhu and Bob to bcc and can loop them back in as needed.

     

    Jennifer, Morgan and Daphne, can you please share your interest in joining a call along with your availability for the last 2 weeks in June?  I’ll get a call scheduled with Seema so that we can explore a possible collaboration.

     

    Best,

    Amy

     

    Amy Fruehling, MBA

    Senior Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations

    College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

    1301 W. Gregory Dr.

    Urbana, IL  61801

     

    217.265.4045

    afruehli@illinois.edu

     

    From: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2023 12:06 PM
    To: Schooley, Robert Lee <schooley@illinois.edu>; Khanna, Madhu <khanna1@illinois.edu>; Fruehling, Amy <afruehli@illinois.edu>
    Cc: White, Morgan <mbwhite@illinois.edu>; Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: Campus Sustainability - Redwood Materials

     

    Amy,

     

    Bob is correct that campus no longer has a battery recycling program. I would be interested in following up about how we might restart the program. Colleagues in Facilities & Services, including Morgan White and Daphne Hulse, Zero Waste Coordinator, might also be interested in joining a call.

     

    On a related note, the alum may be interested in an initiative to recycle components of EV batteries (among other types) for reuse in Europe that leverages a partnership between industry and academia.

    https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news-archive/2019/new-project-launches-focusing-on-the-sustainable-reprocessing-of-rare-earth-magnets

     

    Best,

    Jen

     

    Jennifer Fraterrigo (she/her)

    iSEE Associate Director for Campus Sustainability and
    Professor of Landscape and Ecosystem Ecology
    Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

    University of Illinois

    W-423 Turner Hall, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave.

    Urbana, IL 61801

    jmf@illinois.edu
    ph 217-333-9428

    https://fraterrigolab.nres.illinois.edu/

     

     

    From: Schooley, Robert Lee <schooley@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2023 9:27 AM
    To: Khanna, Madhu <khanna1@illinois.edu>; Fruehling, Amy <afruehli@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>; White, Morgan <mbwhite@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: Campus Sustainability - Redwood Materials

     

    Hi Amy,

     

    Campus had a battery recycling program but it was discontinued in 2015 due to lack of funding.  It is now left to units to fund recycling programs if they want.

    https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project/battery-recycling

     

    I also thought of Jen Fraterrigo for discussing potential partnerships on campus.

     

    Thanks,

     

    Bob

     

    Robert L. Schooley
    Professor and Head
     
    Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

    College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    W-503 Turner Hall | M/C 047
    Urbana, IL 61801
    217.244.2729 | schooley@illinois.edu
    nres.illinois.edu
     
    Bu0VAhW8+s0AAAAASUVORK5CYII=

     

     

     

    From: Khanna, Madhu <khanna1@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2023 5:24 PM
    To: Fruehling, Amy <afruehli@illinois.edu>; Schooley, Robert Lee <schooley@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>; White, Morgan <mbwhite@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: Campus Sustainability - Redwood Materials

     

    Hi Amy

     

    Thanks for bringing this to our attention. This sounds interesting.  Would you know what kind of batteries she is interested in building a recycling program for?

    I am ccing Jen Fraterrigo and Morgan White to let us know if we have any current program for this and get their thoughts on potential opportunities for battery recycling on our campus.  

     

    Best

    Madhu

     

     

    Madhu Khanna

    Pronouns: she, her

    Alvin H. Baum Family Chair & Director, Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment

    ACES Distinguished Professor in Environmental Economics

    Co-Director, Center for Economics of Sustainability

    University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

     

    Office: 1101 W. Peabody, Suite 336, M/C  635

    Urbana IL 61801

     

    email: khanna1@illinois.edu; phone: 217-333-5176; fax: 217-333-5538

     

    http://ace.illinois.edu/directory/madhu-khanna

    https://ceos.illinois.edu/bio-khanna

    https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=LPH4gbUAAAAJ&hl=en

     

    https://illinois.zoom.us/j/2173335176?pwd=Ri8rTzQ0S1RxZHpiY2tEWVdaSlhtZz09

     

     

    From: Fruehling, Amy <afruehli@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2023 5:13 PM
    To: Khanna, Madhu <khanna1@illinois.edu>; Schooley, Robert Lee <schooley@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: Campus Sustainability - Redwood Materials

     

    Madhu and Bob,

    Checking in to bring this request to the top of your email again.  I’d like to get back to our alum contact at Redwood Materials this week. Did you have any thoughts on her request below, or are there others you’d suggest that I reach out to?

     

    Thanks!

    Amy

     

    From: Bollero, German A <gbollero@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Friday, May 26, 2023 3:18 PM
    To: Fruehling, Amy <afruehli@illinois.edu>
    Subject: Re: Campus Sustainability - Redwood Materials

     

    I will let Madhu and Bob to respond to this.

    Thanks

    GB

     

    From: "Fruehling, Amy" <afruehli@illinois.edu>
    Date: Monday, May 22, 2023 at 2:54 PM
    To: German Bollero <gbollero@illinois.edu>, "Khanna, Madhu" <khanna1@illinois.edu>, "Schooley, Robert Lee" <schooley@illinois.edu>
    Subject: Campus Sustainability - Redwood Materials

     

    Hi Bob, German and Madhu,

     

    Redwood Materials, founded by Tesla co-founder, JB Straubel, is a renewable energy company that focuses on making batteries sustainable and affordable by localizing the battery supply chain and producing components in the US from recycled batteries. A fantastic Gies alumni and former student that I worked with, reached out and is interested in creating a battery collection program at Illinois.  She referenced the campus-wide recycling program with Coca Cola.  While I think this could fit nicely into the Campus Sustainability program, I think that we could discuss possible research, project or funding collaborations that would enhance a program of this nature and support an academic partnership.

     

    I am reaching out to you given your roles in the college and campus sustainability initiatives.  Are there any programs within iSEE, NRES or that campus is working on that might align well?  Are there others within your units that you recommend that I pose this question to?  I’d like to have a follow up call with the alum, Seema Nilakhe, to share some options, and then can bring others into the conversation to hopefully begin talking about how to move forward.

     

    Thank you for your thoughts,

    Amy

     

    Amy Fruehling, MBA

    Sr. Director of Corporate Relations

    217.265.4045

    8DFIANu9afgYkAAAAASUVORK5CYIIA

     

  14. Considerations for clean thermal energy

    Associated Project(s): 
    Use Clean Thermal Energy
    Solar Thermal at ARC
    Biomass Boiler at the Energy Farm
    Geothermal on Campus
    Grind2Energy

    There are a few examples of clean thermal energy in use on campus at this time. These include:

    • the solar thermal panels on the Activities Rec Center, heating the three swimming pools
    • the biomass boiler at the Energy Farm, heating the two story greenhouse on south Race Street
    • geothermal installations providing heating and cooling at the Fruit Farm Admin Building, the RIPE greenhouse, the Campus Instructional Facility, a few buildings at Allerton Park, the solar decathlon Gable Home at the Energy Farm, and a few rooms in the Hydrosystems Building
    • a wood-fired stove heating some maintenance buildings at Allerton Park

    We could expand these types of energy systems...

    • Additional geothermal installations are being planned for various places around campus, including a geothermal battery system at the Energy Farm.  The other geothermal locations in planning discussions now include the South Campus Center for Interdisciplinary Learning, a future greenhouse for CABBI, and the Doris Christopher Kelley Illinois Extension Building in the Arboretum.
    • The biomass boiler at the Energy Farm was designed with the anticipation of future expansion.
    • Solar thermal is a great option for our area of the planet, but it is not easy to integrate it in our existing energy enterprise.

    Another option for clean thermal energy is biogas, which UIUC contributes to locally through the Grind2Energy system, which takes food waste from the dining halls to the Urbana-Champaign Sanitary District (UCSD).  UCSD puts it through their anaerobic digester which captures the methane (a very strong greenhouse gas).  Currently, that captured methane is used to run an electrical generator, which provides power to the UCSD facility.  An alternative would be to upgrade the methane to pipeline quality and use the biogas a Abbott Power Plant on campus.  This is an expensive option that would require a lot of coordination and funding.

    Another strong option is a micronuclear reactor, which is being studies by the Grainger College of Engineering faculty and researchers.  This system could be integrated with the existing steam distribution system and provide ghg-free energy to campus.

     

  18. 28 bin order arrived

    Associated Project(s): 
    Indoor Bin Update

    On Friday, February 17, the bin order from MAX-R arrived at the Waste Transfer Station. 20 26-gallon bins (standard size) and 8 18-gallon (slim) bins arrived.

  20. Campus Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC) fall 2022

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC)
    Bike at Illinois Website and Campaign
    Bicycle Registration
    Pedestrian and Bicycle Counts
    Walkability Study
    ADA Transition Plan and 2017 Supplement
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike
    Reduce Driving on Campus
    Support Zipcar in Champaign-Urbana
    Bike Share with Veo
    Collection and Donation of Abandoned Bicycles

    Please see attached the final presentation for the CTAC fall 2022. Watch the meeting recording here: https://uofi.box.com/s/6fp2xuq2qnwv4vgm34itku4pbdy2bioy

    Attached Files: 

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