Climate Change Solutions
Description:
Environmental engineers and scientists are poised to lead the development of technologies to address the interconnected causes and effects of climate change. This session convenes diverse approaches for solutions to mitigate and adapt to climate change, including presentations describing research on environmental engineering solutions to climate change and a panel discussion on our role in leading climate change solutions. Topics include mitigation and adaptation to climate change through: carbon capture, storage, and utilization; mitigation of emissions of other greenhouse gases; geoengineering and engineering of natural ecosystems; engineering the built environment; and technologies that provide alternatives to difficult-to-decarbonize sectors.
Organizers:
Lea Winter, Bill Cooper, Mim Rahimi, Joshua Jack, Fateme Rezaei, Greeshma Gadikota
Wastewater GHG Emissions and Decarbonization
Description:
This session aims to engage the AEESP community on the critical issue of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and decarbonization in wastewater management. While sectors like energy and transportation are advancing in decarbonization, the wastewater sector is emerging as a priority due to its significant methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. As the 5th largest CH4 and 2nd largest N2O emitter, decarbonizing this sector presents unique challenges. Wastewater management involves emissions across all three scopes, making quantification difficult and standardization complex. Existing frameworks like the IPCC/EPA emission factor oversimplify the issue, leading to inaccurate estimations and impeding technological progress. Decarbonization of wastewater systems offers opportunities beyond reducing emissions. It also enhances energy efficiency, resource recovery, and the removal of emerging contaminants, making this an increasingly prominent research area. This session will showcase the latest developments in wastewater decarbonization, positioning environmental engineers to lead efforts beyond pollutant removal, contributing to industrial decarbonization and climate change mitigation.
Organizers:
Jason Ren, Jeseth Delgado Vela, Adam Smith
Sustainable Agriculture: Meeting a Nexus of Sustainable Development Goals
Description:
Climate change is predicted to lower yields for many food crops despite growing demand for food. Agriculture is resource intensive and unsustainable, accounting for 70% of all freshwater use and 14% to 28% of global greenhouse emissions. Agricultural innovations are also too slow to manage the increasing prevalence of both biotic (e.g. fungus) and abiotic stresses (heat and drought) resulting from a rapidly changing climate. We need to radically transform current practices to make agriculture sustainable and climate change resilient, and ensure future food security. This session will explore novel materials, methods, and approaches for making agriculture more sustainable as well as technoeconomic and lifecycle impacts analysis of agriculture systems to quantify the impacts of technological advances.
Organizers:
Gregory Lowry, Sai Pamuru, Leanne Gilbertson
Equitable Solutions to Air, Energy, and Human Health
Description:
This session focuses on the intersection of air pollution modeling, energy systems analysis, and justice. Local air pollution and an evolving energy system both impact our efforts toward achieving equity. This session will feature cutting-edge research and educational innovations aimed at addressing disparities in pollution exposure and access to clean energy. Key topics will include air quality modeling to identify pollution hotspots in disadvantaged communities, the integration of energy and pollution models for equitable energy transitions, and policy frameworks that incorporate environmental justice in decision-making.
Organizers:
Jeremiah Johnson, Fernando Garcia Menendez
Hydrogen Production and Storage: Engineering Sustainable Solutions for Human-Environmental Systems
Description:
Hydrogen has garnered increasing attention in energy transitions, with the ability to serve as a low-carbon energy carrier or source. The prospective benefits of hydrogen to climate and health are contingent on developing safe and sustainable production and storage pathways at commercial scale. Research in hydrogen production and storage options is rapidly evolving, and environmental engineers can play critical roles, particularly with respect to defining environmental impacts of large-scale, hydrogen-based energy systems. This session intends to establish the roles of environmental engineers in shaping hydrogen economies and welcomes contributions to all aspects of research related to hydrogen production, transport, and storage pathways. In particular, we welcome abstracts related, but not limited, to:
- Environmental impacts of hydrogen economies, particularly relative to alternative decarbonization measures
- Hydrogen production from various sources
- Innovative materials to improve energy efficiency
- Advanced methods for hydrogen production
- Environmental impacts of underground hydrogen storage
- Biogeochemical processes in underground hydrogen storage
- Transport phenomena related to hydrogen retention and transport in porous media