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In the Searle Biodiesel Lab, students gather around a conference table surrounded by lab equipment and large tanks of used vegetable oil. Zach Waickman (BA ’08, MBA ’13), a senior program manager in the School of Environmental Sustainability, leads them in a discussion of the chemical reactions involved in converting cooking oil into biodiesel fuel and hand soap. For Waickman, the biodiesel lab started as a class project. Now, it’s his full-time job.
Waickman started college at Loyola’s School of Communication with plans to pursue a career in broadcast journalism. However, after completing an internship with a Chicago television station, he decided to explore other interests. He learned about a new Solutions to Environmental Problems (STEP) course and enrolled for the fall semester of his senior year. That first STEP course in 2007 started him on a new career trajectory that ultimately led to his current role.
“The whole concept of the course was exciting—that we would be tackling a tangible environmental issue and working toward implementing a solution on campus,” says Waickman. “It sounded like we were going to build the lab, and I loved the idea of getting dirty and learning Magic School Bus-style.”
Over the fall semester, students in the STEP course researched the biodiesel production process and started building a system to convert waste vegetable oil into fuel. They set up a lab in a former biology classroom in Damen Hall and started biodiesel production on a small scale. The following semester, Waickman stayed involved in the project with an internship as a teaching assistant for the laboratory.
“I fell in love with the project, the topic, and the folks involved. So, at any opportunity, I was there. I was always in the lab or someone’s office talking to the faculty involved,” he says.
The team got some publicity on local television stations, and a student in the class produced short films about the work, attracting more attention. The students met with Father Michael Garanzini, S.J., the University president at that time, to discuss the biodiesel efforts. Father Garanzini was impressed with their work and arranged for the students to give a presentation to the University Board of Trustees. That presentation got the attention of board member and longtime donor Michael Searle, who was excited about the business model the students developed.
“We presented an opportunity where a donation could help turn this class project into a self-funding education program,” says Waickman. “I think that was unique—an opportunity to get a leveraged return on a donation and launch a program that could continue in perpetuity.”
Michael and Nydia Searle made their first donation supporting the biodiesel program that spring. In addition, SES won funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to expand the project and create a curriculum for high schools. The biodiesel program blossomed from there.
In fall 2009, when the STEP class moved on to a different topic, the University hired Waickman as a permanent lab manager, and the biodiesel lab became a stand-alone operation.
Several months later, Loyola became the first and only school in the United States licensed to produce and sell biodiesel fuel to the general public. As the program grew, students replaced the wagon they used to pick up used vegetable oil from campus cafeterias with a biodiesel-powered van that ran on fuel from the lab.
“Zach grew the program to be an outstanding co-curricular sustainability-solutions experience for students,” says SES Founding Dean Nancy Tuchman.
While working full-time, Waickman earned his Master’s in Business Administration from Loyola, equipping him with skills to manage the regulatory and financial sides of the expanding biodiesel operation. He also built partnerships with other universities, cultural institutions, and local restaurants that donated waste oil to the program.
Today, Waickman oversees an operation that produces 8,000 gallons of renewable fuel for campus shuttle buses every year. The team uses glycerin generated as a byproduct of biodiesel production to make 1,300 gallons of soap annually—enough to supply all the washrooms on Loyola’s Chicago-area campuses. The program sells its fuel and soap to the University, generating enough revenue to cover the lab’s day-to-day operating expenses and support paid student internships.
The operation is a vital component of Loyola’s campus sustainability efforts. The lab reduces waste by converting used cooking oil into valuable products. It also reduces carbon emissions and air pollution by replacing petroleum diesel with cleaner, renewable biodiesel.
Perhaps most importantly, the lab offers rich learning opportunities for students.
“Students benefit immensely from their experience working with Zach in the Biodiesel Lab and come out with confidence, technical experience, and problem-solving skills that will help them succeed moving forward,” says SES Associate Dean Christopher Peterson.
Read more stories from the School of Environmental Sustainability.
