![]() It’s these small steps that she believes will move us toward a truly circular economy-one where materials can be reused many times. ![]() “For us it’s about trying to develop realistic solutions for these sustainability problems so they can actually be implemented,” she explains. Abdul-Aziz wants to identify practical recycling processes that don’t require overhauling existing infrastructure. Earlier this year, the National Science Foundation awarded her half a million dollars to develop absorbent materials to capture carbon dioxide emissions and help convert them back into useful materials such as polymers and fuels. She’s also exploring an even bigger swing. The ultimate aim: Tell her what kind of chemicals you want to clean up, and she’ll create a carbon filter that can do the trick. Her analysis, published in 2021, looks at the activated carbon produced by various methods-from charring stover in an industrial furnace to dousing it in caustic substances-and the molecular properties that affect which contaminants it can soak up. A small percentage does get salvaged and converted into biofuels, but the payoff usually isn’t worth the effort.Ībdul-Aziz and her colleagues set out to test multiple processes for turning the refuse into activated carbon, the charcoal-like substance that’s used as a filter everywhere from smokestacks to your home Brita pitcher. Much of it is left to rot on the ground, releasing methane and other greenhouse gases. The stalks, leaves, tassels, and husks left over from harvest add up to America’s most copious agricultural waste product. To start, Abdul-Aziz decided to investigate whether she could convert corn stover into something with economic value. “Literally, if you looked out past the plant,” she says, “you could see houses close by.” ![]() She was also tasked with testing the refinery’s wastewater-which, she couldn’t help but notice, flowed out right next to a residential neighborhood. Part of her job was to analyze refined petroleum products, like acetone and phenol, that other industrial manufacturers might buy. Turning food waste into filters Kandis Leslie Abdul-Aziz: Assistant Professor, Chemical and Environmental Engineering University of California, Riverside University of California, RiversideĪfter earning a bachelor’s in chemistry in 2007, Kandis Leslie Abdul-Aziz took a position at an oil refinery along the Schuykill River in South Philadelphia. Daniel Larremore: Crunching the numbers to get ahead of outbreaks.Aaron Streets: Mapping every human cell.Chantell Evans: Finding the roots of neurodegenerative disease.Samitha Samaranayake: Making transit sustainable and equitable. ![]()
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