OUR TEAM Brandon Boyd
M.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering
I am studying wastewater engineering. The focus is on how to reach permit limits in treating domestic wastewater. This involves knowing how to properly utilize bacteria to efficiently remove nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic carbon. In pursuit of these permit limits we have to remedy any problems that can upset a wastewater treatment plant’s processes including alkalinity, sufficient organic carbon, and aeration. I study this under my principal investigator Dr. Erik Coats. He runs his own research lab where he tests different sludges and wastewater. He tests these for his own independent research or for wastewater treatment plants that want to know how a new process or technology will affect the system before implementing it full scale. I am currently completing research under Dr. Coats. This research is the bio conservation of dairy manure to bioplastic – PHBV. This research is looking into using manure from local dairy cows and using it as a
source of food to be converted into bioplastics. The goal of this research is to adequately produce bioplastics from manure providing an alternative for the manure aside from land application. As land application is currently causing the farm land to become oversaturated with phosphorus this would aid in helping both dairies and farmland. A product of this research should it come to fruition would be an environmental friendly competitor to conventional petrol plastics.
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