BUTTE - Many of the senior projects at Montana Tech’s Techspo event in Butte are addressing the problems brought on by climate change and how to improve the environment.
“The world is definitely changing, and climate change is a big issue, so we should definitely be doing all we can to figure out ways to mitigate those changes and problems that are going to arise,” said Montana Tech Senior Katherine Larson.
This group of environmental engineering students presented a project that could be used to trap harmful CO2 emissions from industry and converted into biofuel.
“We can’t just keep emitting CO2 into the atmosphere and crossing our fingers and hoping for the best. We need to create solutions so that we can still run these facilities and run things like mining, petroleum, power plants,” said Tech Senior Emily McGinnis.
No, this isn’t Mountain Dew, this is algae, and this green concoction can be used to absorb harmful CO2 emissions and also be converted into a biofuel.
“So anything nowadays to help protect the environment and keep it clean, I’ll try to do that,” said senior Jaden Comings.
Montana Tech senior Paul Helfrich and his team found a myxozoan parasite that’s harmful to trout as river water gets warmer. His findings indicate increased water temperatures in the Madison and Big Hole rivers.
“It’s very concerning, it’s very hot for these areas and I think it’s a reflection of climate change and its effects in these areas,” said Helfrich.
Researching for solutions.
