The Nitrogen Challenge: New Players, Processes, and Paradigms in the Quest for Sustainable Nutrient Pollution Prevention
George Wells
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University
ABSTRACT: Nitrous oxide emissions and energy-intensive operation are hallmarks of conventional wastewater treatment plant bioreactors that rely on the microbial processes of nitrification and denitrification to remove reactive N from wastewater. However, the last two decades have seen the emergence of several novel microbial ‘players’ in the global biogeochemical N cycle. In this talk, Wells details three examples of what he and his colleagues are doing to leverage new understanding of community dynamics and metabolic versatility in the microbial world to enable low-energy, sustainable bioprocesses for N pollution prevention.
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