ENAC Seminar Series by Dr Y. Li
Event details
| Date | 30.06.2021 |
| Hour | 15:30 › 16:30 |
| Speaker | Dr Yalin Li |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
15:30 – 16:30 – Dr Yalin Li
Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, US
Integrated Systems for Resource Recovery from Wastewater-Derived Biomass
Population growth and urbanization are increasing pressure on wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), yet these facilities often continue to rely on energy-intensive management strategies that focus solely on hazard mitigation to meet discharge requirements. This exclusive focus on pollutant removal overlooks the valorization potential of organic matter and nutrients in wastewater, which can be converted to biofuels, platform chemicals, and nutrient products through appropriate technologies. To support society’s transition toward sustainability, we need to move beyond these mitigation-oriented strategies and seek resource recovery-oriented alternatives, thus transforming WWTPs into resource recovery facilities that can support circular economies and enable more agile infrastructure that can adapt to the dynamic interactions between nature and society (e.g., changes stemmed from climate change).
In this talk, I will share my research on the development of integrated systems for resource recovery from wastewater through biomass production, recovery, and conversion. In particular, I will focus on algal wastewater systems, where microalgae can assimilate organics and nutrients in wastewater for biomass production, and a series of thermochemical, catalytic, and biological technologies (e.g., hydrothermal liquefaction, catalytic hydrothermal gasification, catalytic hydrotreating, fermentation) that can be used to convert and upgrade the harvested algal biomass into valuable products. Additionally, I will illustrate how quantitative sustainable design (QSD) – a structured methodology for sustainability analysis – can be used to identify, prioritize, and pursue opportunities for technological innovation and practical implementation of these systems. Finally, I will discuss my future plans to synergistically combine experimentation and QSD to advance the sustainability of engineered systems.
Short bio:
Dr. Yalin Li is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Institute of Sustainability, Energy, and Environmental at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in the United States. She received her master’s degree from UIUC and her doctoral degree from Colorado School of Mines, both in Environmental Engineering. Her research seeks to advance the sustainability of engineered systems through experimentation and quantitative sustainable design (QSD). Building upon her doctoral research that focused on the valorization of wastewater-derived biomass via aqueous systems, she is particularly interested in the development of tailored technologies and integrated systems for renewable products from recovered resources and biomass. To prioritize these experimental activities, she develops and applies open-source tools to leverage QSD for the sustainability analysis of technologies, which can provide guidance for the research, development, and deployment (RD&D) of technologies as well as inform decision-making.
Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, US
Integrated Systems for Resource Recovery from Wastewater-Derived Biomass
Population growth and urbanization are increasing pressure on wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), yet these facilities often continue to rely on energy-intensive management strategies that focus solely on hazard mitigation to meet discharge requirements. This exclusive focus on pollutant removal overlooks the valorization potential of organic matter and nutrients in wastewater, which can be converted to biofuels, platform chemicals, and nutrient products through appropriate technologies. To support society’s transition toward sustainability, we need to move beyond these mitigation-oriented strategies and seek resource recovery-oriented alternatives, thus transforming WWTPs into resource recovery facilities that can support circular economies and enable more agile infrastructure that can adapt to the dynamic interactions between nature and society (e.g., changes stemmed from climate change).
In this talk, I will share my research on the development of integrated systems for resource recovery from wastewater through biomass production, recovery, and conversion. In particular, I will focus on algal wastewater systems, where microalgae can assimilate organics and nutrients in wastewater for biomass production, and a series of thermochemical, catalytic, and biological technologies (e.g., hydrothermal liquefaction, catalytic hydrothermal gasification, catalytic hydrotreating, fermentation) that can be used to convert and upgrade the harvested algal biomass into valuable products. Additionally, I will illustrate how quantitative sustainable design (QSD) – a structured methodology for sustainability analysis – can be used to identify, prioritize, and pursue opportunities for technological innovation and practical implementation of these systems. Finally, I will discuss my future plans to synergistically combine experimentation and QSD to advance the sustainability of engineered systems.
Short bio:
Dr. Yalin Li is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Institute of Sustainability, Energy, and Environmental at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in the United States. She received her master’s degree from UIUC and her doctoral degree from Colorado School of Mines, both in Environmental Engineering. Her research seeks to advance the sustainability of engineered systems through experimentation and quantitative sustainable design (QSD). Building upon her doctoral research that focused on the valorization of wastewater-derived biomass via aqueous systems, she is particularly interested in the development of tailored technologies and integrated systems for renewable products from recovered resources and biomass. To prioritize these experimental activities, she develops and applies open-source tools to leverage QSD for the sustainability analysis of technologies, which can provide guidance for the research, development, and deployment (RD&D) of technologies as well as inform decision-making.
Practical information
- General public
- Invitation required
- This event is internal
Organizer
- ENAC
Contact
- Cristina Perez