Professor Sherri Cook published two new papers:
Title: Development and experimental validation of the composition and treatability of a new synthetic bathroom greywater (SynGrey)
Link: http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2017/ew/c7ew00304h.
Short description: A synthetic greywater, representative of both the composition and treatability of real bathroom greywater, was developed. This study provides an approach to design and validate synthetic recipes and advances knowledge on the treatment and composition of source separated greywater. The greywater treatability data and new, representative synthetic recipe will help advance decentralized water reuse and source separation research and implementation.
Title: Life cycle assessment (LCA) of urban water infrastructure: emerging approaches to balance objectives and inform comprehensive decision-making
Link: http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2017/ew/c7ew00175d
Short Description: Although LCA is useful for characterizing global environmental impacts of urban water infrastructure, decision-makers must balance these impacts with the need to prioritize the protection of local environmental and public health. This review describes the state of the art, identifies emerging opportunities, and develops a path forward for LCA to better address the multiple sustainability demands of urban water systems.
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Professor Sherri Cook also got an NSF grant with Professor Scott Summers.
Please find the abstract below:
Landfill Leachate Treatment with Solid Waste Generated Biochar
NSF GOALI Project
PI: Sherri M. Cook
Co-PI: Scott Summers
Co-PI: Dan Gudgel (Landfill Industry Partner)
Abstract:
Trash in the U.S. is typically sent to landfills, and while in a landfill this trash produces further wastes that require treatment, such as fugitive air emissions and wastewater (also called leachate). However, some of this trash can be turned into biochar, which is a charcoal produced from organic matter such as food and yard wastes that can remove pollutants from wastewater (i.e., by sorption processes). This biochar can be used to treat the landfill leachate and reduce negative water emissions, to reduce negative air emissions, and to provide a source of energy. In collaboration with an industry partner, this project will complete the fundamental research and technology development needed to design more cost-efficient, environmentally sustainable, and reliable waste management and leachate treatment systems. Overall, it will help the industry overcome challenges posed by current waste management systems and support further innovation in this field to reduce costs and negative environmental impacts and to provide a reliable energy source from waste.
The collection and treatment of landfill leachate are required to minimize negative environmental impacts, especially on groundwater and surface water. Heavily polluted leachates require advanced treatment, such as adsorption. Overall, treatment needs to be reliable, cost-effective, and simple. While granular activated carbon can adsorb (i.e., remove) many contaminants, it is relatively expensive and often produced from non-renewable coal. Biochar, an alternative adsorbent, can be cost-effective, produced from waste, and environmentally beneficial. Diverting organic matter from landfills to biochar, results in carbon sequestration, reduces landfill methane emissions, and allows for the renewable production of energy and of water treatment adsorbents. The overall objective of this work is to identify and develop a more cost-effective and environmentally sustainable landfill leachate treatment process and organic solid waste management approach. This work has 3 main tasks: (1) evaluate biochar adsorption treatment based on raw waste material, ash pre-treatment, and temperature; (2) evaluate biochar and regenerated biochar adsorption and biodegradation treatment capacity using an experimental setup that replicates full-scale performance; and (3) evaluate current waste management systems to compare the life cycle costs and environmental impacts of the different leachate treatment systems and develop criteria for full-scale implementation to reduce costs and environmental impacts compared to current technologies. This work includes both fundamental and applied research that will help landfills determine the most effective and sustainable organic solids waste management and leachate treatment options. This work will develop an innovative leachate treatment option by conceptualizing a new adsorption and biodegradation approach using biochar and by generating data to show how to improve landfill leachate treatment. The modeling and experimental work will generate data and identify criteria for optimizing the leachate treatment process and solid waste management processes. It is expected that this work to advance knowledge in biochar development and solid waste management systems as well as landfill leachate treatment development. Also, it is expected that this project will support innovation by simultaneously using organic waste to: (i) treat landfill leachate, (ii) produce energy, and (iii) reduce waste accumulation and contamination, thereby reducing overall costs and environmental degradation that currently have significant negative impacts on local and global communities.