The central topic of this seminar is modeling approaches to facilitate resource conservation and a just energy transition. Potential subtopics are an emerging technology’s potential for scaling, life-cycle assessment for measuring social and environmental impacts, uncertainty quantification, and economic modeling for the energy transition. Our goal is to create an intimate, collaborative space for students, postdocs, scientists, and PIs within the Stanford techno-economic modeling and systems modeling community. These seminars will provide an opportunity to disseminate insights from your studies, connect with fellow researchers, and strengthen bonds across the community.

This week's speaker is:

Orisa Coombs, Ph.D. Candidate Stanford University
"A Photovoltaic/Thermal System for Decentralized Urine Treatment and Nitrogen Recovery"

In her lightning talk, Orisa will discuss a novel system for recovering valuable fertilizer resources from urine using solar energy. Solar fertilizers are an important alternative to the carbon intensive Haber-Bosch process and extracting them from urine prevents eutrophication and supports distributed sanitation infrastructure. Ammonium sulfate recovery is achieved using a three-chamber electrochemical cell relying on electrodialysis and membrane stripping. Through a combination of physics-based and machine learning modeling methods, this work evaluates different possible recovery schemes, taking into account the intermittency of solar electricity and different markets for electricity and fertilizer.

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