Publication of a Technical Report on MSW statistics

We are pleased to announce the publication of a scientific article, the outcome of a collaboration between the Earth Engineering Center, Department of Chemical Engineering at The City College of New York, USA (Demetra Tsiamis & Marco J. Castaldi), and the Dipartimento Di Energetica at Politecnico Di Milano, Italy (Fabio Poretti & Stefano Consonni).

This technical report, titled “A Quantitative Analysis of the US Materials Flow Methodology and Comparison to the EU Methodology for MSW Statistics”, is now accessible through open access via the following link: Read the Article

Published in the “Waste Disposal & Sustainable Energy” journal, this article conducts a meticulous quantitative analysis of the US materials flow methodology. It presents a comprehensive comparative study with the EU methodology concerning Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) statistics.

EEC|CCNY Conferences Summer 2023

EEC|CCNY research group showcased their expertise and commitment to advancing sustainable waste management technologies during a series of notable conferences over the summer of 2023. The group’s participation began at the biennial meetings of Materials and Energy from Refuse (MatER) and the International Conference on Final Sinks in Piacenza, Italy. From June 5-7, at the esteemed Polytechnic University of Milan’s Piacenza campus, current members from the Combustion and Catalysis Lab of CCNY represented the group at MatER’s 6th and the International Conference on Final Sinks 7th meetings since 2013 and 2011, respectively. During these events, the group delivered two impactful talks and showcased two posters.

Immediately following was the 28th biennial meeting of the North American Catalysis Society (NAM) held in Providence, Rhode Island, from June 18th to 23rd, 2023. The CCL group’s three members stood out among attendees, delivering a noteworthy talk and displaying two informative posters. The remarkable contributions by Kaitlyn Lawrence earned the prestigious Kokes Award, a testament to her innovative research in the field.

Also part of the summer conference circuit was the 10th International Conference on Sustainable Solid Waste Management, CHANIA 2023, held in Chania, Greece, from June 21 to 24, 2023. The conference featured Marco J. Castaldi, a distinguished keynote speaker from the City University of New York. The EEC|CCNY director presented on “Life cycle and experimental assessment of sustainable thermal processing of waste plastics.”

The EEC|CCNY research group’s active engagement at these prestigious conferences exemplified their commitment to addressing critical challenges in the domains of Materials and Energy from Refuse and Sustainable Solid Waste Management.

Congratulations to Golam, Former EEC|CCNY Associate and Chemical Engineering Master’s Graduate, on Securing a New Job as an Assistant Chemical Engineer

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Golam Chowdhury, former EEC|CCNY associate and CCNY Master’s graduate in Chemical Engineering, on securing a prestigious position as an Assistant Chemical Engineer with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) post-graduation.

Golam will undoubtedly make valuable contributions to the DEP’s mission. Moreover, we are thrilled to announce that Golam’s Master’s thesis work will be showcased at the highly anticipated AIChE Annual Meeting, where he will present his findings in an oral presentation. This recognition further underscores his commitment to advancing the field of Chemical Engineering and serves as a testament to the quality of research conducted at EEC|CCNY.

2022 EEC|CCNY WTERT Conference brought together innovators in sustainable waste management

The bi-annual WTERT Conference resumed in October of 2022 at The City College of New York after a COVID-imposed hiatus. The in-person event benefitted from global participation. Two days of sessions covered academic and industrial topics. The President of CCNY, Dr. Vincent Boudreua, opened up the proceedings for plenary speakers Doug Wicks (US Department of of Energy ARPA-E), David Biederman (SWANA), and Michael Van Brunt (Covanta).

Opening plenary speakers

Attendees from years past again participated in the 2022 conference, and new faces were very much welcomed to add their fresh perspective to the waste-to-energy material and energy recovery conversation.

Members from the WTERT Council and industry
WTERT Council members

Research Associates from EEC|CCNY and the Combustion and Catalysis Lab presented their latest research in poster and oral presentations.

We look forward to hosting the next conference in order to continue the rich exchange of ideas and lively discussion.

Two EEC|CCNY Research Associates graduate with Master’s degrees

Congratulations to Golam Chowdhury and Lauren Creadore who recently graduated from The City College of New York. Both students earned Master’s degrees (M. Eng.) after completing their dissertations on pyrolysis and combustion respectively. Golam earned a Master’s in Engineering in Chemical Engineering and published a thesis titled ‘Investigation of Recyclable Crude Oil from Biomass and Plastics’. Lauren earned a Master’s in Engineering in Mechanical Engineering and published a thesis titled ‘A Study of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Performance of an Internal Combustion Engine Operating on Landfill Gas Blends as Fuel’. They have both continued to conduct research post-graduation.

CCNY PhD student in Chemical Engineering wins ASME Floyd Hasselriis Award

Kaitlyn Lawrence was one of the recipients of the ‘2021-2022 Floyd Hasselriis Educational Support’ awards sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ (ASME) Materials and Energy Recovery Division. Kaitlyn is a second year PhD student conducting research in the Combustion and Catalysis Lab directed by Professor Marco J. Castaldi.

The Floyd Hasselriis award was established to support students and institutions interested in solid waste management and related fields, is named after the late Floyd Hasselriis, a major contributor to the fields of incineration and thermal treatment technologies and author of the foremost text on the topic of refuse-derived fuel.

Congratulations Kaitlyn!

Recent EEC|CCNY study on advanced recycling receives news coverage from several scientific and recycling-oriented publications

In order to shed light on the current state of advanced recycling technologies, EEC|CCNY conducted a study on recent life cycle assessments of advanced recycling. The full report can found here. The technical report highlighted key data that were obtained from multiple life cycle assessments, and comparisons were made across the LCAs to accurately capture the greenhouse gas impact of these technologies.

This report was of interest to several publications that cover scientific and recycling news, including Science Magazine, who found the study relevant to the latest news in atmospheric science, Recycling Today, and Science Daily.

Curbed Magazine sheds light on MSW in NYC with an article featuring Professor Castaldi

Issues pertaining to waste were covered in Curbed, a part of New York magazine, as part of their ‘Hot Garbage Month’ (August 2022). From this article series, Professor Castaldi consulted on and was quoted in an article that the captures the waste issues in NYC quite accurately.  This article also includes many other experts and practitioners in the waste management area that clearly have extensive knowledge and practical experience trying to sustainably manage the trash NYC citizens produce every day. The full article can be found here: https://www.curbed.com/2022/08/nyc-trash-landfill-incineration-recycling-compost-voyage-gross.html.

The Energy Transformation Collection of ASME highlights waste to energy

Professor Castaldi, in collaboration with former CCL and EEC alumnus Jeffrey LeBlanc, publish in Mechanical Engineering Magazine (Waste to Energy as a Substitute for Landfills – ASME) on the attributes of waste to energy for sustainable waste management.  The article was also co-authored by Mr. Tony Licata, Fellow ASME.  That publication resulted in the interest of other articles (Sustainable Plastics) that cite some of the main benefits.

CNBC produces video feature on waste to energy which includes contribution from Professor Marco J. Castaldi

CNBC offers coverage of the various waste management strategies in California, highlighting, in particular, Waste to Energy. The video features technical experts in the field including Susan Thorneloe of the U.S. Environmental Protection agency (who has published policy analysis work such as “Is It Better To Burn or Bury Waste for Clean Electricity Generation?”), and Professor Marco J. Castaldi of CCNY.

Viewers get an inside look at a Covanta Waste to Energy facility, the Stanislaus Resource Recovery Facility, that operates at net energy output of 20 megawatts and takes in nearly 30,000 tons of waste annually. This capaicity is sufficient to power approximately 18,000 homes.

When asked about the relative merits between landfill and Waste to Energy, Susan Thorneloe pointed to the merits of Wate to Energy being the extraction of the energy value from the waste, the metal recovery, and the avoidance of methane that is produced in the landfill alternative scenario.