Our Research
There are opportunities at improving and redesigning our infrastructures with discovery and application of the universal principles across human and natural systems. The research below summarizes current and past projects that we have undertaken with different types of thinking (life cycle thinking, systems thinking, bio-inspired thinking, resiliency thinking).
Sustainability Assessment
Sustainability assessments are carried out to evaluate the performance of systems, processes, services, or products and provides insight into how these systems can function considering economic, environmental, and social dimensions.
Life Cycle Environmental Impact and Cost Analysis for Nutrient Removal and Recovery Technologies
Researchers: Xiaofan Xu & Nancy Diaz-Elsayed Status: Completed |
Spatial Sustainability Assessment of Green Stormwater Infrastructure for Surface Transportation Planning
Researchers: Chao Ye, Xiaofan Xu, & Dylan Schreiber Status: Completed |
Process Modeling and Validation
Process modelling can be used to evaluate and improve pre-existing processes, and also to design novel processes in areas of energy management and nutrient recovery.
Desalination Energy Recovery and Brine Management through Pressure Retarded Osmosis
Researchers: Joshua Benjamin Status: Completed Shortcut Nitrogen Removal, Modelling and Optimization
Researchers: Sahand Iman Shayan Status: Completed |
Modeling of Nutrient Removal and Recovery by Porous Organic Polymers (POPs) from Urine
Researchers: Yan Zhang Status: Completed |
Systems Modeling
System dynamics, agent based modeling, and network modeling can be used to evaluate processes on a system scale, and identify areas for improvement.
Resource Recovery
Resource recovery provides a paradigm shift from viewing waste outputs from our society such as wastewater or municipal solid waste as undesired byproducts that require energy-intensive treatment or expensive disposal to considering them as a product with valuable resources.