• Deshusses lab, summer 2017

    From left to right: Kobe, Brandon, Luis, SHerif, Kura, Siddharth, Marc, Kelsey, Lucas, Trisha, Stewart, Graham, Xintong, Ashley, Yu (behind), Lei, Desi. Missing: Kathy, Walt, Mahendra, Aaron

  • biofilter

    Bioreactors for Gas Processing and Air Pollution Control

    Over the past two decades, the Deshusses’ lab has conducted research in many aspects of bioreactors for air or gas processing, including biofilters and biotrickling filters for VOC control, H2S removal, biogas upgrade, mass transfer, modeling, microbiology, field studies, and many more.

  • odor control

    Odor Control

    Many industrial operations release malodor that can cause widespread nuisance, while in less developed countries, bad odors threaten the adoption of new sanitation solutions. We are developing novel approaches to treat and control odors for diverse applications.

  • Low-Cost On-Site Sanitation

    We are developing simple self-sustained combined toilet and treatment systems which use anaerobic digestion and heat pasteurization for on-site sanitation. Currently, prototypes are being field tested in Kenya, India and in the Philippines.

  • animal waste to energy

    Animal Waste to Energy

    Untreated animal waste is a source of greenhouse gases and a potential source of air and water contamination. We are using anaerobic digestion to effectively convert animal waste to renewable energy, in the laboratory and at an actual swine farm.

Innovations in Waste Treatment and Resources Recovery Technologies

Dr. Deshusses' broad research interests are related to the design, analysis and application of processes for the remediation of contaminated air, water, sediments and soils, anaerobic digestion and sanitation technologies for developing countries.

A current focus is on novel reactors and processes for air, water and solid wastes treatment. Applications include treatment of odors and air toxics, recalcitrant pollutants, biogas production, and novel sanitation and treatment technologies.

Research Interests Include:

  • Supercritical water oxidation
  • Treatment of emerging contaminants (e.g., PFAS)
  • Bioreactors for air pollution control and gas processing
  • Sanitation for less developed countries
  • Bioenergy and waste-to-energy processes
  • Biofilms, biomolecular techniques for monitoring microorganisms in complex mixed cultures
  • Indoor air quality control, bioaerosols, SARS-CoV-2
  • Mathematical modeling for process intensification
  • Entrepreneurship