Charting Technology Development Pathways for a Circular Bioeconomy

With population growth, urbanization, and rapidly changing environments, challenges to meeting basic human and societal needs are becoming increasingly complex. In many cases, the 20th century model of environmental technologies and infrastructure systems - often characterized by robust but inflexible components that are energy- and chemical-intensive - is no longer viable. Moving beyond maximizing efficiencies and minimizing cost, industries are seeking technological solutions that will meet societal needs in a way that is financially viable while supporting the pursuit of broader goals for sustainability (e.g., carbon neutrality, resource circularity, equity). This transition has become a catalyst for research and development, but a critical challenge to achieving rapid and transformative innovations has been the expansive landscape of technology development pathways and the lack of a transparent and consistent framework to target investment.

In this presentation I will introduce our work to advance the circular bioeconomy through the recovery of resources (nutrients, energy, water) from wastewaters and through the biological conversion of renewable feedstocks into bioenergy and bio-based products. Using a structured analytical approach - Quantitative Sustainable Design (QSD) - and our open-source software platforms (QSDsan and BioSTEAM), we identify, prioritize, and pursue opportunities for innovation to advance novel technologies and infrastructure systems. I will introduce the QSD process, including (i) establishing the simulation space, (ii) modeling construction, operation, and maintenance under uncertainty, (iii) tracking progress toward goals across multiple dimensions of sustainability (e.g., economic, environmental, health), and (iv) prioritizing research, development, and deployment pathways. Using examples from our recent work, I will demonstrate how we leverage this approach to guide investment in non-sewered sanitation technologies and in precision fermentation for biomanufacturing. Finally, I will highlight my group’s broader portfolio of work (including experimental work to advance algal wastewater treatment) and vision to advance the circular bioeconomy through renewable resource recovery from wastewaters and the conversion of renewable (plant- or human-derived) resources.

Speaker: Jeremy Guest, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign