Ruihong Zhang: 2007 EPA Award

The Biogas Energy Project - the first large-scale demonstration in the United States of a new technology developed in the past eight years by Ruihong Zhang, a UC Davis professor of biological and agricultural engineering - commenced operations on October 24, converting tons of table scraps from the Bay Area's finest restaurants into usable energy.

Ruihong Zhang, professor of biological and agricultural engineering, was honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with a 2007 EPA Environmental Award. The award acknowledges individuals and groups who are working to preserve and protect the environment. Zhang and 37 others from the Pacific Southwest were honored at the ninth annual Environmental Awards Ceremony in San Francisco.

As part of the Biogas Energy Project, Zhang designed a system to process solid waste and turn it into biogas for energy production. The “anaerobic phased solids digester” she developed uses bacteria to convert food waste, crop residue, animal waste, and other biomass into hydrogen and methane gases, which can be burned to produce electricity or used as fuel for vehicles. The technology has been licensed from the university and adapted for commercial use by Onsite Power Systems Inc.