Education:
- B.S. Chemical and Petroleum Refining Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 1984
- M.S. Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, 1989
- Ph.D. Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, 1993
Registered Professional Engineer:
- Florida, United States
- Wyoming, United States
- Ontario, Canada
Research Interests:
I am interested in sustainable wastewater treatment. Sustainable wastewater treatment provides economic and resource benefits over many current wastewater treatment practices where wastewater is considered to be a waste to be treated and then thrown away. This is both costly and inefficient. In sustainable wastewater treatment, wastewater is considered to be a raw material that can be converted to useful products such as energy, nutrients and especially water. Where possible, the water will be reused directly and only thrown away to the environment when no other options are available. Because the useful products may sold, the net economic cost versus current practice is reduced. Because the useful products reduce the demand for these products directly from the environment while also reducing the discharge of contaminants, the net environmental cost of sustainable wastewater treatment is also reduced versus current practice.
Anaerobic processes are key components of sustainable wastewater treatment. Oxygen is not required, biomass yields are reduced and energy can be recovered, usually as methane and possibly as hydrogen or even directly as electricity. My recent focus has been to develop more technically capable and cost-effective systems for the anaerobic treatment of wastewaters. In particular, we have been looking at anaerobic hydrogen production, anaerobic membrane bioreactors, and anaerobic sludge digestion, the latter in combination with energy production systems such as engine generators, microturbines, fuel cells, etc. Most of the work is experimental but computer models are developed and evaluated to help focus experimentation and provide deeper insights into underlying mechanisms.
I also participate in the University of Wyoming Center of Excellence in Produced Water Management (CEPWM). The mission of the CEPWM is "To maximize the industrial, environmental, and social benefits of domestic energy development by advancing the treatment technologies necessary to recover resources from produced waters in a sustainable, economical fashion." To learn more about CEPWM, please visit the website:
http://www.cepwm.com/Because I teach CHE 4090, Process Dynamics and Control, I have become interested in a new process control technology developed by University of Wyoming alumnus Allan Kern called Rate-Predictive Control (RPC). To learn more about RPC, please see Ms. Sedona Rockwood's report entitled
"Rate Predictive Process Control".
Academic and Professional Experience:
University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, April 2015-present
Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering
University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, January 2011-March 2015
Professor and Head, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, July 2008-December 2010
Professor, Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering
University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, August 2007-December 2010
Head, Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering
University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, August 2005-June 2008
Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 1999-July 2005
Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 2003-June 2004
Associate Chair, Department of Civil Engineering
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 1994-June 1999
Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
CH2M Hill, Inc., Deerfield Beach, Florida, February 1993-June 1994
Environmental Engineer
The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, November 1984-July 1987
Process Development Engineer
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