Understanding the Carbon Cycle in Terrestrial and Marine Ecosystems with Field-Based Measurements Using a Revolutionary Isotopic Technique

Rapid Assessment of Human Exposure to Airborne Persistent Organic Pollutants

Electrically Conducting Nanomaterials Filter for Point-of-Use Water Disinfection

How Marine Species Affect Ocean Acidification

Recovery of Entropic Energy at Wastewater Treatment Plants Discharging to Saline Environments

Rapid Detection of Water-borne Pathogens and Pathogen Indicators by Digitization and Concentration of Reporter Enzyme Fluorescence in Microfluidic Picoliter Droplets

Determining the Drivers and Consequences of Hypoxia in Nearshore Marine Ecosystems: an Integrative Engineering and Ecophysiological Approach

Trace Organics in Recycled Water: Analysis of Plant Uptake and Processing

Diagnosis of biological wastewater treatment instabilities using molecular methods: A forensic study of unstable nitrification at the Palo Alto water quality control plant

Researchers seek to develop and apply a suite of molecular tools to diagnose factors that are contributing to unstable nitrification in bioreactors, with an initial focus on unstable nitrification at the Palo Alto Water Quality Control Plant. We will use the results of this work to apply to the National Science Foundation for the creation of a global network of biological wastewater treatment plants with a specific focus on nitrification process control.

High-rate microbial production of nitrous oxide for energy generation

This project joins the fields of space propulsion and environmental biotechnology to develop a bioreactor that converts waste nitrogen into nitrous oxide that is subsequently decomposed into nitrogen and oxygen for thermal power generation. The goal is to develop a low-cost technique that removes nitrogen from water and produces oxygen as a byproduct instead of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas.