Founded by Ex-Prisoners and Prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement (EPOCA), the Empower Energy Cooperative, a small business, sought a profitable use for glycerin, a by-product of their existing biodiesel production business. With a new source of profit, the Worcester-based cooperative aims to continue to employ ex-prisoners, a goal based on the idea that stable employment aids in lowering the recidivism rates of ex-prisoners. Many possible applications of glycerin were investigated. In order to find the one most suitable to Empower, cost/benefit and market analyses were performed, followed by prototyping of the two highest scoring products. Fire bricks and soap (bar and liquid) were the two recommended products for Empower’s future use. -

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Allen, Stephen Joseph
• Ezeonyebuchi, Ijeoma
• Johnson, Emily Stratford
• Welsh, Christopher Lealand

Subject

• Innovation
• Environment
• Energy
• Community
• Sustainability

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-022912-210614

Keyword

• Community development
• Entrepreneurship
• Renewable energy sources
• Sustainability

Advisor

• Kasouf, Chickery J.

Year

• 2012

Center

• Worcester Community Project Center (Massachusetts) - IQP

Sponsor

• Empower Energy Cooperative

Date created

• 2012-02-29

Location

• Worcester

Resource type

• Interactive Qualifying Project

Rights statement

• In Copyright