Welcome to the Environment and Bioenergy Research Group
Located at the University of Hawaii at Manoa's CTAHR, we specialize in waste-to-recovery technologies and conduct research in an array of areas including anaerobic digestion, aquaponics, micro/macroalgae, fungal fermentation, artificial intelligence, and nanobubble technology.
RESEARCH AREAS
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
Anaerobic digestion (AD), long used for treating organic wastes such as manures, wastewater sludge, and industrial effluents, is now being reevaluated with modern advancements. The concept of biorefineries, producing various products like chemicals, fuels, and polymers from organic feedstocks, exemplifies this shift. Our research on AD encompasses process control, bioenergetics, hydrogen sulfide removal, and employing hydrogenotrophic methanogens for biogas upgrading.
FUNGAL FERMENTATION
We cultivate the edible fungus Rhizopus oligosporus on a large scale using vinasse, a by-product of sugar-to-ethanol production. The resulting fungal biomass has a crude protein content of 50%, with essential amino acid levels comparable to commercial aquatic feed proteins like fishmeal and soybean meal.
