Former Red Deer Polytechnic students (Top: Josiah Kure, Trevor Neufeld, Bottom: Brant Dunn, Tyrell Mappin) receive provincial honour for solar-powered composter project. (ASET)

By Alessia Proietti

Solar-powered composter

Former RDP engineering technology students finalists for Capstone Project of the Year Award

Dec 5, 2021 | 8:00 AM

A former team of Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) engineering technology students has received provincial recognition for developing a concept for a solar-powered composter.

The former team of Trevor Neufeld, Josiah Kure, Tyrell Mappin, and Brant Dunn has been honoured as a provincial finalist for the Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta’s (ASET) Capstone Project of the Year Award.

The idea was proposed by the class’ professor among a list of other potential projects. The four members were placed together after ranking the solar-paneled composter as their preferred Capstone project.

“Basically every industry is moving towards a more greener approach. Everyone is trying to be more environmentally friendly and everything is also moving towards being automated,” said Brant Dunn.

Featuring automated agitation, heating and ventilation, the solar-powered composter is intended to provide hands-free, year-round composting.

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Solar-powered composter: Full fabrication rendering (ASET)

It’s powered by a 355-watt photovoltaic solar panel mounted on the composter’s roof, turning solar energy into electrical energy. The solar panel charges two 12-volt 40 Ah batteries that run the motor, fan and heater.

The composter’s housing design has two-inch Extruded polystyrene (XPS) rigid insulation, a type of firm foam, and is internally heated to allow for winter composting.

A 55-gallon barrel containing the compost is mounted on rollers that are rotated by a 12-volt direct-current (DC) motor, turning electrical energy into mechanical energy, using a chain drive system. The assembly rotates automatically every three days. A hatch in the barrel’s side allows for loading and unloading of compost.

An Arduino Mega 2560 microcontroller, the motherboard, automates the control system for the composter, including timing the automation and ventilation, and maintaining the temperature within the housing. The automated composting process is started by a toggle switch.

The composter is aerated by a fan, which turns on every day to ventilate the housing. The heater is activated when the composter’s internal temperature drops below 1°C.

If that doesn’t sound complex to build, it wasn’t aided by the pandemic’s added barriers.

While Capstone projects are normally presented to a panel, this year’s project was a recorded PowerPoint presentation with added voice-over and a film production to demonstrate how the invention works.

Nonethelss, hard work paid off for the team as they also received RDP’s 2021 Step Energy Services Capstone Award for achieving standards of Excellence in Originality, Outstanding Engineering, and Independent Achievement and Application of Experience.

“This is the second green project we’ve seen presented by Red Deer Polytechnic students for this set of Capstone Project of the Year Award finalists,” said ASET CEO Barry Cavanaugh. “It’s original, well-researched and has real-world application.”

ASET is the professional self-regulatory organization for engineering technologists and technicians in Alberta. The organization currently represents over 16,000 members, including full-time technology students, recent graduates, fully certified members in 21 disciplines and more than 120 occupations across various industries.

Alongside the Capstone Project of the Year Award, the ASET Education and Scholarships Foundation provides scholarships, bursaries and educational funding to engineering technology students.

The former RDP team’s project is one of seven finalists named by ASET for the award.

“Being a nominee for the Capstone Project of the Year is great because it recognizes all the hard work that we put into the project. It feels great to be recognized for what you accomplished,” said Trevor Neufeld, Team Lead for the project.

The winning project will be announced later this year.