Professors Susan De Long and Sybil Sharvelle, along with faculty from the department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), are working to develop economically viable technologies for producing energy and higher valued chemicals from waste feedstocks including manures, agricultural residues, food waste and landscaping waste. On-going research is focused on developing advanced anaerobic digestion technologies for biomethane production as well as nitrogen recovery for reuse. Managing the nitrogen cycle was highlighted as one of the Grand Challenges for Engineering by the National Academy of Engineering. Economics, including low natural gas prices, have limited anaerobic digestion applications nationwide. Thus, synergistic projects are focused on production of other chemicals, including organic acids, from waste feedstocks.

Key to the success of anaerobic digestion processes is the activity of process-specific microbiomes, the mixtures of microorganisms that are responsible for transforming waste into useful products. Thus, projects are applying cutting edge next-generation gene sequencing technologies to probe these complex, communities of microbes to unlock their secrets and redirect their activities.

De Long and Sharvelle work closely with a range of organizations including the Environmental Research and Education Foundation, US Department of Agriculture, and CO Office of Economic Development to develop practical solutions for waste management that address energy and chemical production needs.