In 2012, EPCAMR built a large mobile kiln for demonstration purposes in environmental education programs to showcase how oxides can be recycled from AMD. Funds were donated to EPCAMR by the Wilkes-Barre Area School District after the kiln construction to continue to use at other local school districts. This kiln and another smaller kiln, built for the Solomon-Plains Elementary School, has allowed EPCAMR to educate elementary students across the EPCAMR Region. The reason for the design was due to the need for a more efficient way of drying metal oxides collected from local mine drainage that is then utilized for education programs to make AMD Tie-Dye t-shirts, Iron oxide chalk, and paint pigment and wood stain for local artists. This project brings EPCAMR a bit off the grid by reducing the utilization of a soil oven, which consumes a fair amount of electricity to dry the oxides for only a small amount of dried oxide.

EPCAMR Program Manager, Mike Hewitt, designed a system that relieves the oven process. The solar kiln runs off of a 45-watt solar panel system and is made out of mostly recycled materials: motorcycle battery, 12 volt computer fan, single pane storm windows, T-111 wooden siding, and 2x4s. The computer fan is run by the solar panels to remove any excess moisture within the kiln. The inside of the kiln is painted black to absorb as much heat from the sun as possible. The larger kiln is approximately 4′ x 6′, with two hinged doors in the back for loading in the oxides. It rolls on wheels for easy outside access. The solar kiln can dry 8 cake pans at one time, as compared to the two cookie sheets the oven can dry at one time. Within 4 hours, on an 80 degree day, the kiln can reach an inside temperature of 120 degrees. The solar kiln can dry 40 pounds of oxides a day, as compared to 1 pound a day using the oven.

EPCAMR places hydroxides that are about 95% liquid rust into the cake pans and allows for the heat energy to dry them naturally. EPCAMR Staff, interns, and volunteers then sifts the oxide powder to remove any leaf litter or sticks and packages it up to be sold through the EPCAMR Online Store. Proceeds from the Store support our education and outreach programs as well as general operations of the organization.

The smaller solar kiln was provided to the Solomon-Plains Elementary School, who are consistently taking part in environmental programs with EPCAMR. There is a great need for environmental education for students within the Wilkes-Barre School District, who are among the lowest poverty level in Luzerne County, PA. The students can now dry and process their own oxides for when EPCAMR comes to conduct education programs. Other local schools, including Greater Nanticoke Area Elementary and Wilkes-Barre Area Elementary, have also seen the solar kiln in action.

A novelty of this project is that it uses zero use of electricity for the project, unless we produce pigments of Anthracite Red or Silverbrook Purple, which need to be dried in the soil oven after the solar kiln in order to get their darker hues. EPCAMR estimates the electricity used to power the soil oven costs approximately $120/year, just to dry the oxide from the Yellow Boy pigment to Anthracite Red. It costs EPCAMR nothing to utilize the solar kiln to dry the oxide to Yellow Boy.

AMD Pigments

The EPCAMR “Mobile Recycled Solar Kiln for Processing and Drying Oxides from AMD” project was funded by the PPL Empowering Educators Grant, in partnership with the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, PA DEP Environmental Education Program, Earth Conservancy, King’s College Environmental Club, Lowe’s, RESTORE, Appalachian Coal Country Team, Office of Surface Mining, and AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service Training for America.

The program involved EPCAMR Staff and interns from King’s College and Wilkes University assisting with the collection of oxides and construction of the solar kilns. Earth Conservancy provides us with the storage for the kiln and access to their AMD treatment systems in Nanticoke and Newport Township for oxides. The Solomon-Plains Elementary 6th grade class and their teachers participated in outdoor field tours with EPCAMR to AMD sites before utilizing the kiln. The students made AMD tie-dye t-shirts for their field trip with the dried Iron oxide they collected on a tour with EPCAMR and have made it an annual tradition that is 3 years strong. More recently, the Greater Nanticoke Area Elementary 4th and 5th grade classes got to see the solar kiln and utilized the Iron oxide from through EPCAMR’s AMD & Art Pottery Education program. Ann Devine and two interns from the PA DEP Environmental Education Program conducted a Solar Race Car Construction Workshop at Solomon-Plains Elementary. Alana Malar Roberts, former PPL Community Relations Coordinator, was was also instrumental in the project.

EPCAMR’s objective was to create a demonstration piece of equipment that would provide under-served elementary school students within the Coal Region the ability to dry Iron oxide from AMD on their own. There were two goals: 1) to go off the grid and be 100% solar and 2) provide students with an opportunity to learn about AMD impacts to their watersheds and find ways to recycle the oxides into many productive uses that are fun and “green”. The benefits of this projects are that students are engaged and introduced to Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM) principles that meet the PA Standards for the Environment and Ecology.

Students gather with PPL, EPCAMR, and WBAD at Solomon-Plains Elementary to receive grant check

EPCAMR has always been committed to restoring Pennsylvania’s waterways impacted by AMD and abandoned mine lands. EPCAMR plans to build a 3rd solar kiln in the Fall of 2015 with the remaining materials we have left over from the project and provide it to Heights Elementary. This project educates not only students, but teachers on how schools can be a part of the solution by working with EPCAMR. They will be provided with environmental education experiences on local environmental issues that impact their community directly. They will also learn about environmental stewardship and ways they can get involved in stream-side cleanup.

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Robert Hughes, EPCAMR Executive Director, and Michael Hewitt, EPCAMR Program Manager, stand with the Mobile Solar Kiln for processing AMD before off-loading it at Plains-Solomon Elementary School.

The Mobile Solar Kiln for processing AMD, which grew out of a desire by Robert Hughes, EPCAMR Executive Director to get “off the grid” became a reality when PPL and the W-B Area School District decided to partner with EPCAMR in order to make the project a reality upon being awarded a $2000 grant written by EPCAMR. EPCAMR worked with Mike Corcoran, Science Coordinator to partner on the grant. Alana Malar Roberts, who at the time was PPL’s Community Outreach Coordinator, was also integral in providing us with public relations on the project and assisted us with coming out and seeing the kids work with us on the project. Mike happened to be a former Assistant Coach of Robert’s when he was in Jr. High School at the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.).

Students gather with PPL, EPCAMR, and W-B Area School District at Leo E. Solomon Plains to receive the grant check.

Spring 2012 EPCAMR interns Dan Gilbert, Ryan Lawrence, and Zach Yodis, all from King’s College, helped Robert Hughes, Executive Director, and Michael Hewitt, Program Manager, complete the construction of the project.

Interns Dan Gilbert, Zach Yodis, and Ryan Lawrence helping Michael Hewitt, EPCAMR Program Manager, construct the wooden frame for the Mobile Solar Kiln for processing AMD.

Construction of the kiln consisted of creating the solar collector and kiln oven. The solar collector apparatus, made of PVC pipes and three solar panels, is capable of collecting 45 watts of power, which powers a recycled computer cooling fan that can be automatically turned on should the temperature get too hot inside of the kiln or if excess moisture was to build up on the recycled single-pane windows.

EPCAMR Staff laying out the components of the 45 Watt Solar Panel Kit

The old coal home windows  that were also used as  a part of the construction came from the Executive Director’s first home where he had replaced his windows with more energy efficient windows. The solar panel unit sends the excess electrical power that is generated back to a motorcycle battery for storage when the cooling fan is not in use or turned on. EPCAMR has been able to reach 200 degrees Fahrenheit on a day when it was 95 degrees outside.

The completed solar collector beginning to capture its first rays of sunshine before being connected to the battery backup unit!

The kiln oven was constructed out of standard pressure treated 2″ x 4″ wood and recycled single-paned storm windows. The windows serve a dual purpose. By allowing extra sunlight into the kiln, the windows allow the kiln to generate extra heat than just using the solar collector alone. In addition, the windows allow anyone using the kiln to watch the iron oxide reclamation process at work as it begins to dry the pigment and decant the water moisture, making it an awesome visual feature for projects with local school districts. After the wooden frame was painted a powder coat black, which helped the system to absorb the additional heat much like culm does on an abandoned coal bank, it was assembled , complete with wheels to make it mobile, and the windows were installed, leaving the solar kiln ready to be stained in a polyurethane mixture with EPCAMR’s signature iron oxide pigment color: Yellow Boy Orange.

EPCAMR’s Solar Kiln getting painted in the black powder coat prior to putting on the Yellow Boy iron oxide stain on the outside panels

The completed Solar Kiln, painted, stained, and filled with iron oxide for drying.

The EPCAMR Solar Kiln, completed almost 2 years ago, has been a great success in allowing EPCAMR to reclaim iron oxide “off the grid.” The kiln, which can reach upwards of 200 degrees is more than capable of effectively heating and drying iron oxide that EPCAMR uses in its AMD Tie-Dye Workshops, AMD Chalk Talks and Art Projects, and coming soon: AMD Pottery workshops. In addition, the kiln is a great way to get local school districts excited about “off the grid” energy options. When the kiln was first completed, EPCAMR traveled to the Leo E. Solomon-Plains Elementary School to work with the entire 5th and 6th grade students (230) and to teach then about AMD and the ways iron oxide can be used.

The students completed an AMD Tie-Dye workshop using recovered iron oxide from the Solar Kiln. The day was filled with fun art projects and lots of education about AMD and the ways it can be reused. The students also assisted EPCAMR with painting their own Solar Kiln that was a second smaller kiln constructed by the EPCAMR Staff in the Spring of 2013 that was left for the students to use year round.

Leo E. Solomon-Plains 6th Grade Elementary Students painting one of the Solar Kiln doors.

The students made the AMD Tie-Dye t-shirts that were worn on their 6th grade field trip to the Smithsonian Institute and other places around the Philadelphia area at the end of the school year and for the last two years, have been the topic of conversation when they go. It has become an annual tradition to use the Solar Kiln to make their t-shirts now. EPCAMR still has enough material to make a third Solar Kiln and will be donating it to the Heights Elementary school, once the organization can dedicate enough staff and internship time to completely build the third kiln. Heights Elementary is the alma mater of Robert Hughes, EPCAMR’s Executive Director.

Students at Leo E. Solomon/Plains Elementary School hang their AMD Tie-Dye t-shirts up to dry. Students used iron oxide from the Solar Kiln to create their annual 6th grade field trip t-shirts.

Another element that we added to the environmental education program that we held at Leo E. Solomon-Plains Elementary was the construction of a solar-powered race car exhibition by Ann Devine, Environmental Education Coordinator for the PA Department of Environmental Protection. The students enjoyed creating the miniature race cars with rubber bands, balsam wood, and a 2″ square solar cell, batteries, and of course, wheels.

Ann Devine-PA DEP EE Coordinator working with students to help them build their solar powered race cars.

Robert emphasized, “The solar kilns, and the projects that can be completed with it, allow students to directly interact with their environment and allows us to showcase the innovative ways in which we are cleaning up our surrounding watersheds. Getting the younger generation interested and involved is the first step towards creating a lasting impact on their desire to learn about AMD, how it can be remedied, and how the iron oxide collected can be used in useful and innovative ways. So far, the solar kilns have been a great way to achieve this! EPCAMR intends to bring our Mobile Solar Kiln to other school districts and events going forward in 2014. We get a lot of mileage out of it’s use nowadays because we can basically bake 8 cake trays full of iron oxide in one day, when a few years ago, we started with cake pans that were the size of the pans that went into an Easy Bake Oven. We look forward to building our third solar kiln this Summer and getting up to Heights Elementary in the City of Wilkes-Barre. Students will be able to explain solar energy to their teachers and the EPCAMR Staff. Students will be able to recognize and know three types of abandoned mine pollution impacts to the Susquehanna River. Students will be able to speak on recycled uses for EPCAMR’s iron oxide collected from the AMD Treatment Systems and AMD Discharges. Students will be able to locate and know what the names of their local streams. Teachers will be able to inform EPCAMR of the times that they will be able to incorporate any reference materials and curriculum materials into their school curriculum. Students will learn about Anthracite Geology and three types of rocks common to the Wyoming Valley and three types of metals that commonly are contained in AMD. These are all learning objectives that we hope to instill into the youth in our area.

Leo E. Solomon-Plains students on an AMD Field Tour to Newport Township’s Lake of AMD, called Loch Mess on a hot humid Summer Day.

I can’t wait to go back to my old elementary school to work with the kids in the classrooms that I haven’t been back to since the late 70’s and mid-80’s. I’m anticipating the build and the visits to work with the kids and teachers, many of which, are close friends of mine who teach and were former students of the school themselves at the same time that I was a student there. A straight A student, I might add. Check out Channel 16’s Power to Save video that was filmed with the students who did an excellent job of reporting on what they had learned during the project and were excited to talk about. http://wnep.com/2013/05/09/students-turning-waste-and-pollution-into-art/

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