CACS-NCC seminar and lab tour at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)

Dr. Ning Sun of LBNL - "Trash to Treasure: Upgrading organic & plastic wastes via chemical and biological conversion"

Feb 27, 2025, LBNL, Emeryville, CA

Agenda:

• Check-in & social hour

• Dinner reception - Free Chinese food to celebrate the Year of the Snake!

• Seminar Presentation by Dr. Ning Sun

• LBNL lab tour

Abstract: Every year a huge amount of organic and plastic wastes such as food, paper, packaging materials, containers, etc. are generated and transported into landfills, which amounts approximately 102 million tons annually in the U.S. Based on the EPA report, organic wastes represent the highest proportion (30- 50%) of landfill designated municipal solid waste (MSW) followed by plastics (20%). Organic waste takes up much of the limited space within landfills, reducing their lifespan. In addition, the high moisture content of organic waste encourages microbial infestation, generates foul-smelling toxic leachate, and increases emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Less than 20% of organic waste produced in the U.S. is valorized with composting or anaerobic digestion. Today’s plastics are predominantly single-use in nature with low recycling rates (less than 10%). Plastic waste is the cause of many environmental, economic, and societal problems, posing direct threats to global sustainability. In this presentation, I will discuss the conversion and upgrading of both organic and plastic waste streams and how we work with both national lab and industry partners towards a circular economy.

Speaker: Dr. Ning Sun; Staff Scientist, LBNL

Dr. Ning Sun is a staff scientist at LBNL who has been working on biomass processing for production of renewable fuels and chemicals, which includes process design, optimization, and scale-up. Upon completion of her PhD in chemistry and postdoctoral research at LBNL, Ning has been working at the Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU) LBNL as a scientist, leading projects involving biomass conversion, bioproduct recovery, and related analytical chemistry. One of her research focuses is on the valorization of diverse waste streams to value-added products and applying analytical tools to monitor and understand their attributes that allow for efficient transformations.