ENVIRONMENTAL VENTURE PROJECTS: Freshwater: Freshwater
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...
An alternative development model? Assessing solar electrification for income generation in rural Benin »
Beginning in summer 2007, the Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF, a US-based NGO) in collaboration with local organizations began a project to electrify the entire Kalale district of northern Benin with photovoltaic (PV) solar systems. Thanks to the randomized, single-treatment project design, the Kalale project provides an ideal laboratory and...
Water, health and environment: Childhood survival in Tanzania »
Each year, diarrhea kills an estimated 1.8 million people worldwide. More than 90 percent of the victims are children younger than five in developing countries. This research project assessed the prevalence of diarrhea in the developing world through multiple exposure routes: water supply, sanitation and hygiene practices. The initial research...
Quantitative natural resource ethics »
Quantitative ethical analysis has primarily focused on medical ethics, for instance determining the acceptable rate of sickness and death due to an immunization program. But recent work in natural resource valuation provides a means to couple such quantitative rigor with environmental ethics, thereby grounding the ethical discussion with a realistic...
An economic incentives model for California water markets »
Researchers are developing an economic model that allows qualitative insights as to the key drivers of participation in water markets, or, alternatively, long-term contractual exchange agreements. They are applying tools from finance, economics, and operations management to derive actionable conclusions from the model. The application of these tools is informed...
An interdisciplinary assessment of an agricultural-urban water market in Southern India: physical impacts, welfare consequences, and policy implications »
This research project analyzes the rural-urban groundwater market in Chennai (formerly Madras, in South India), as a case study of water resources sustainability in a developing nation. The research develops a combined hydrogeological and economic framework to consider the biophysical and welfare impacts of future water demands in the region....
Land use practices, subterranean groundwater pollution, and coral reef sustainability »
We propose to apply an innovative, interdisciplinary approach that combines remote sensing, GIS, geochemical, hydrological and biological techniques, to explore the effect of different land-use practices on non-point source pollutants associated with submarine groundwater discharge into the coastal environment, and their effect on coral reef health and sustainability. A...
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...