2^nd International Congress on
Advances in Food Chemistry and Technology

Biography:

A civil engineering graduate of the US Coast Guard Academy, Robert practiced in the field of public works and city engineering for 30 years, primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Robert retired from municipal service as the Public Works Director/City Engineer of the City of San Carlos, California in 2011.  Having a desire to learn more about water and wastewater treatment, he then completed technical courses and worked as a water treatment plant operator, both in California and Kansas.  In 2017, Robert started his graduate studies at Kansas State University’s civil engineering program, where he is a student of Dr. Prathap Paramaswaran, a leading researcher in the field of anaerobic digestion, or AD.  Robert is researching how AD could be used as for pretreatment of agro-industrial wastes in Kansas, as it has the potential to cost-effectively reduce loading on municipal plants, generate renewable energy, conserve water, and recover nutrients.  He expects to complete his master’s degree in December 2018 and has been accepted to Kansas State’s PhD program.  He intends to complete a portion of his PhD studies abroad in Thailand, at Kasetsart  University’s Fermentation Technology Research Center. Ultimately, Robert hopes to continue his contributions to the profession of civil engineering through teaching, research, and commercialization of new treatment technologies.  Robert is a registered professional engineer in California and Kansas and is a Grade IV water treatment plant operator in Kansas.

Abstract:

Food processing wastes tend to be high in chemical and organic demand, imposing an environmental and financial burden on those responsible for generating the waste. Many food industries incur costly charges for treating food wastes off-site. The industries also face financial liability and potential shutdown if the downstream wastewater treatment plants become overloaded. Conventional aerobic treatment of wastewater is energy-intensive and emits greenhouse gases in large quantities. On the other hand, anaerobic pre-treatment of food wastes on site can generate renewable energy, conserve water, and recover nutrients for the food industry, all while benefitting the environment.  Anaerobic wastewater treatment has the effect of taking greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.  The presentation, by Robert Weil, PE, a Kansas State University graduate student, will include an overview of this technology for food processing wastes, international trends, and case studies involving a meat packing plant and the university’s own wastewaters, as well as an economic analysis for each case study.  Regional data regarding the potential for resource recovery from this pretreatment approach will be presented, as well as an analysis of barriers and constraints.