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2015 Fall Environmental Engineering Seminar Series

Title: Integration of Microalgal Bioprocesses for Valorization of Wastewater

Jeremy Guest
Assistant Professor
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Date: Friday, October 9th, 2015

Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Place: ECCR 150

Abstract

Aqueous nutrients are an abundant resource generated continuously by industry and human metabolism. Despite their potential to support bioenergy feedstock production, nitrogen and phosphorus are typically removed (as N2 gas and metal-phosphate precipitates, respectively) through resource-intensive processes due to their heterogeneity, their low concentrations, and a traditional reliance on chemotrophic microorganisms for wastewater treatment. However, valorizing waste nutrients alongside recovered water is critical for the viability of utilities and next generation biorefineries. This seminar will describe my group’s research on the development of algal-based treatment systems for the management of wastewater as a renewable resource, with a focus on experimentation and modeling of algae cultivation and downstream processing to usable fuels. After an overview of our group’s work, I will focus on recent projects tracking 24-hour nutrient removal, intracellular carbon dynamics (carbohydrates and fatty acids), extracellular carbon release, and the conversion of microalgae to biocrude oil. Altogether these coupled models enable the prediction of carbon and nutrient dynamics across natural day-night cycles, and a mechanistic link between biochemical composition and biocrude yield and quality. Additionally, to contribute to broader discussions of engineering in developing communities, I will also provide specific examples of our ongoing research initiatives centered at the nexus between sanitation and health, energy, and food security in Kenya, Uganda, and Ghana.

Jeremy Guest is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He currently serves as the Thrust Leader for Sanitation and Resource Recovery for the Safe Global Water Institute, and as the Environmental Sustainability Lead for the USAID Soybean Innovation Lab. His research centers on sustainable technologies for engineered water systems, with a focus on biotechnology development for resource recovery from wastewater. By integrating experimentation, modeling, and quantitative sustainable design (QSD), Dr. Guest’s research group leverages fundamental insights into molecular-scale processes to advance systems-scale sustainability, connecting technology innovation with broader societal initiatives for energy, food security, health and nutrition in both technologically advanced and developing communities. Dr. Guest is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, and his research has been sponsored by a number of agencies including NSF, USEPA, and USAID. Dr. Guest’s formal training includes a BS and MS in civil engineering from Bucknell University and Virginia Tech, respectively, and a PhD in environmental engineering from the University of Michigan.

If you have any questions, please contact Professor Karl Linden, Karl.Linden@colorado.edu.