Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.98
Liaison Audrey McSain
Submission Date Feb. 26, 2021

STARS v2.2

Lehigh University
IN-47: Innovation A

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50 Katharine Targett Gross
Sustainability Officer
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Name or title of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
Squeezing Every Last Drop: Recovering and Valorizing Waste for Sustainability at the Energy-Water Nexus

A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome that outlines how credit criteria are met and any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation:

This project will design and develop a sustainable, “silver bullet” solution to the burgeoning global demand for fresh water despite worsening pollution and growing energy restrictions. The energy potential currently locked in the organic pollutants comprising wastewater exceeds by 10x the energy consumed in conventional microbial-based wastewater treatment processes. Current technologies recover just 20-50% of the organics, while more efficient emerging technologies are molecule-specific and are, thus, unable to handle wastewater diversity. Appropriately designed porous adsorbents offer a versatile alternative and game-changing platform that may enable near 100% recovery and processing of organic matter from wastewater, with a cost structure that could enable net-positive energy production.


A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise or a press release or publication featuring the innovation :
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The website URL where information about the innovation is available :
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The above data was not impacted by COVID-19 and therefore is representative of a normal year.


The above data was not impacted by COVID-19 and therefore is representative of a normal year.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.