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Jason Ren, Professor
Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Princeton University

Abstract
Wastewater collection and treatment systems are major contributors to global non-CO2 GHG (CH4, N2O) emissions, but the understanding and quantification of these emissions are still limited. To fill this knowledge gap, we performed the first quantitative analysis of direct GHG emissions from different types of sewers and water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), and we measured the emissions from 63 WRRFs in the US using mobile laboratory-based measurements. Both studies found much higher emissions than previously calculated, which also shed light on mitigation strategies. One promising approach is to convert “electrons to molecules” by electrifying anaerobic fermentation/digestion, where electricity from renewable sources is used to influence microbial metabolic pathways to either promote green CH4 production or facilitate the production of tunable commodity chemicals. Advancements in materials and processes will be discussed as well.


Bio:
Dr. Jason Ren (@zjasonren, https://ren.princeton.edu/) is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton University. He also serves as the Associate Director for the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. Dr. Ren’s research focuses on the decarbonization and digitalization of the environmental and chemical sectors. His group uses electrochemistry, microbiology, and data science tools to gain insights into the fundamental determining factors, and they develop models and technologies for resource recovery during environmental and chemical processes. Dr. Ren has received notable recognitions with the latest including the 2020 Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers and the 2021 Paul L. Busch Award from the Water Research Foundation. He is also an Associate Editor for ES&T and ES&T Letters.
 

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