CCR Seminar Series: Natalia Cano-Londoño, PhD (Ghent University)

Abstract: The concept of planetary boundaries outlines the restrictions on the effects of humankind's actions onthe Earth's ecosystem. If these boundaries are crossed, the environment may lose its ability to self-balance. Nutrient biochemical flows across the biosphere and oceans are one crucial planetary boundary, where industrial and agricultural activities radically changed the natural biogeochemical cyclesof nitrogen and phosphorus. Hence, various technologies capture and recover nutrients fromanthropogenic point sources (organic materials) and non-point origins (agricultural fields).

Holistic analysis like life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TCA) supplyenvironmental and economic performance of nutrient recovery and upcycling technologies, products, and services. Also, these evaluation techniques improve productivity, source reduction, reuse, recycling, andprevent and minimize releases and disposal rates. Therefore, this talk offers an overview of LCA andTCA applications for quantifying the environmental and economic benefits of nutrient recovery andupcycling technologies, novel fertilizers, and circular economy routes versus conventional linearsystems. Finally, this presentation shows promising techniques and challenges for employing LCA andTCA as multicriteria decision-making tools for designing a closed-loop nutrient recycling infrastructureand transforming the US fertilizer economy from linear to circular.

Bio: Dr. Natalia A. Cano-Londoño is a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Sustainable SystemsEngineering group at Ghent University - Belgium. Natalia has advanced experience developing methods and tools to assess the sustainability performance of chemical processes and supply chains under a life

cycle perspective. Natalia holds a Ph.D. and MSc in sustainability and B.S. in Biological Engineering from Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Also, Natalia held visiting research positions at the Delft University of Technology – the Netherlands, the Environmental Research Centre – Germany, and the Centre for Water in the Minerals Industry – Australia. Natalia volunteers her time as an executive board member of the Emergy Society, the Life Cycle Initiative, the Ibero-American Network of Life Cycle, an Adjunct Professor at the Universidad National de Colombia, and a professional member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).