The Circular Bioeconomy
Andrew worked with Dr. Johannes Lehmann and the Cornell Pyrolysis Team to help improve our collective waste management and nutrient recovery sectors.
Andrew's work on Biofuels during his time as a Ph.D. Candidate allowed him to transition to related problems within the food-energy-water nexus. Tackling the management of nutrients and waste informs the production of bio-based fuels as a shared resource. Additionally, the positive impact on environmental water quality helps reduce the stress of more intensive agriculture - whether for food or fuel production.
Similar to using agricultural residues as feedstocks to generate bio-oil, Andrew utilized dairy manure to produce solid biochar via the same technology - pyrolysis. By generating biochar from anerobic digestate, and using this carbonacious residue to capture the nitrogen and phosphorus. This process generates a value-dense fertilizer that's shelf-stable, easily transported and land applied, and helps prevent the harmful eutrophication of the fingerlakes region of New York.
