This is a quintessential UC Davis project that combines our strengths in food science and energy efficiency. We are thrilled to be one of only 22 U.S. academic institutions to lead an IEDO project.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is backing UC Davis with $1.98 million to lead a project in the race to decarbonize industry. Under the guidance of WCEC Director Vinod Narayanan, the UC Davis collaboration will explore advanced methodologies for the extraction and repurposing of low-grade waste heat within industrial processes. This interdisciplinary effort involves key contributors such as WCEC engineer Erfan Rasouli, EEI Market Transformation Research Director Sarah Outcault, and Professor Nitin Nitin from the UC Davis Biological and Agricultural Engineering and Food Science and Technology departments.
Managed by the DOE’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO), the selected projects, distributed across diverse sectors, will contribute to applied research, development, and pilot-scale technology validation and demonstration.
“This is a quintessential UC Davis project that combines our strengths in food science and energy efficiency,” said Narayanan. “We are thrilled to be one of only 22 U.S. academic institutions to lead an IEDO project.”
Utilizing cutting-edge technologies, such as WCEC’s microchannel polymer heat exchangers, the team endeavors to devise high-efficiency methods for harnessing low-grade waste heat. Professor Nitin Nitin’s research group contributes a novel synergistic pasteurization process, while Outcault will spearhead market adoption initiatives in collaboration with industry partners.
The DOE’s recognition of the UC Davis-led project underscores the university’s pivotal role in industrial decarbonization. Aligned with the objectives of the UC Davis Industrial Decarbonization Solutions Hub, this initiative addresses the imperative to curtail carbon emissions within the industrial sector, which constitutes one-third of total U.S. energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
For a comprehensive overview, kindly access the full story here. This project stands as a testament to UC Davis’s commitment to sustainable innovation and the collective pursuit of national climate goals.
