Christopher Sinton

IC Affiliate, Environmental Studies and Science
School: School of Humanities and Sciences

Maple syrup production, or sugaring, is an energy-intensive process.  The South Hill Forest Products organization of out department has been sugaring for many years using a very basic wood system using a wood and a firepit.  Through a grant from the Dominion Energy foundation, my students measured the baseline energy intensity of making a gallon of syrup using a commercial wood boiler. We then measured reductions using different combinations of firebox insulation and forced combustion air. We also calculated the feasibility of using photovoltaic (PV) power to run a reverse-osmosis (RO) system in the field.