Steve Hardeman
Master in Business Administration, 2007
Did you know that the water you wash down the drain could be what fuels your next car? The U.S. Department of Energy predicts that by 2010, 70,000 cars will be running on biogas, a renewable resource made from wastewater. Part of the emerging team of people who are working to turn solid waste into this viable alternative fuel includes University of Phoenix alumni Steve Hardeman.
Steve is the utility supervisor at a wastewater plant in Oklahoma whose team is helping to scrub biogas clean of contaminants before it can be used for electricity or to power vehicles. Biogas is a byproduct of the decomposition of solid waste and contains methane, carbon dioxide and traces of other gases. In its raw state, biogas can’t be used in combustible engines because it contains acids that can erode metal. Steve teamed up with an independent company that has a patented method to chemically clean the biogas and is currently testing it in the field.
He hopes to use this harnessed fuel to run the plant’s co-generator. If viable, the biogas can save the wastewater plant 70% on electrical costs while lessening its toll on the environment at the same time.
Steve has adopted the “Go Green” initiative begun by University of Phoenix. Like the University, Steve pledges to make a difference in the communities in which his business operates, beginning with his hometown.
