Sarah (Xiao) Wu, Ph.D.

• Plasma technology for environmental remediation, green chemistry, renewable energy, and food processing
• Waste/biomass conversion for energy and chemical uses
• Advanced water and waste treatment technology
• Bioprocess engineering

Sarah Wu joined the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering as a tenure-track assistant professor in August 2016. Dr. Wu has training in Environmental and Biological Engineering with research experience covering a wide range of topics in advanced technologies to treat water, wastewaters and crop production residues for disinfection, emerging contaminant remediation, production of value-added biofuel and chemicals, and nutrients management. Sarah’s current research interests include design, evaluation, development, improvement and application of physical chemical, and biological processes for environmental remediation, green chemistry, renewable energy, nutrient recovery, and food processing with strength in various nonthermal plasma, electrochemical, and biochemical processes.

• Wu, X., S. Deng, J. Zhu. “Liquid plasma discharge device and method for biodiesel synthesis using SAME”, PCT/US2017/014907, US patent #: US20190030509A1

Book Chapter

• Wu, X., 2015. Basic Concept 2: Biohydrogen Production. Gas Biofuels from Waste Biomass: Principles and Advances 21-36. Nova Publishers, Hauppauge, NY.

Refereed Journal Articles

• Wu, S., B. Thapa, C. Rivera, Y. Yuan. 2021. Nitrate and nitrite fertilizer production using a continuous flow liquid-phase plasma discharge process. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2020.104761.
• Krosuri, A., S. Wu, MA. Bashir, M. Walquist. 2021. Efficient degradation and mineralization of methylene blue via continuous-flow electrohydraulic plasma discharge. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 40: 101926.
• Bashir, MA., S. Wu, A. Krosuri. 2021. Rapid and efficient esterification of oleic acid by continuous liquid-phase plasma discharge. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 9(1): 104640.
• Wu, S. and A. Krosuri. 2020. Removing methylene blue contained in dye wastewater using a novel liquid-phase plasma discharge process. J. Environ. Sci. Health Part A 55(8): 1032-1039.
• Wang, L., L. Chen, S. Wu. and MA. Bashir. 2020. Dairy manure wastewater remediation using non-airtight digestion pretreatment followed by microalgae cultivation. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology. 192(3):1093–1105.
• Wang, L., L. Chen and S. Wu. 2020. Microalgae cultivation using screened liquid dairy manure applying different folds of dilution: nutrient reduction analysis with emphasis on phosphorus removal. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology. 192(2): 381-391.
• Wu, S., MA. Bashir, J. Zhu. 2020. Optimization of a liquid-phase plasma discharge process for biodiesel synthesis from pure oleic acid. Fuel processing technology 202: 106368.
• Wang, L., L. Chen, S. Wu. 2020. Nutrient reduction of dairy manure through solid-liquid separation with flocculation and subsequent microalgal treatment. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 190(4), 1425-1437.
• Wu, S. and A. Krosuri. 2020. A novel continuous-flow electrohydraulic discharge process for handling high-conductivity wastewaters. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 17(2): 615-624.
• Wang, L., L. Chen, S. Wu, A. Krosuri. 2020. Non-airtight fermentation of dairy manure with waste potato peels and subsequent phosphorus recovery via struvite precipitation. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 190 (3): 789-802.
• Wu, S., MA. Bashir, H. Hsieh, A. Krosuri, and A. McDonald, 2019. Highly efficient biodiesel conversion from soybean oil using liquid-phase plasma discharge technology. Transactions of ASABE 62(5): 1129-1134.
• Cheng, J., T. Lu, S. Wu, H. Zhang, C. Zhang, CA. Peng, and S. Huang. 2019. Extraction of cobalt(ii) by methyltrioctylammonium chloride in nickel(ii)-containing chloride solution from spent lithium ion batteries, RSC Advances 9 (39): 22729-39.
• Wu, S., S. Deng, J. Zhu, MA. Bashir, and F. Izuno. 2019. Optimization of a novel liquid-phase plasma discharge process for continuous production of biodiesel. Journal of Cleaner Production 228:405-417.
• Zhu, J., S. Wu, J. Shen. 2019. Anaerobic co-digestion of poultry litter and wheat straw affected by solids composition, free ammonia, and carbon/nitrogen ratio. Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A 54(3): 231-237.
• Wang, L., L. Chen, S. Wu, J. Ye. 2019. Non-airtight fermentation of sugar beet pulp with anaerobically digested dairy manure to provide acid-rich hydrolysate for mixotrophic microalgae cultivation. Bioresource Technology 278 (2019): 175-179.

• Effective per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) destruction in drinking water by plasma treatment
• Production of green nitrogen fertilizer from air and water by plasma technology
• Liquid plasma process for rapid and continuous and efficient biodiesel synthesis
• Development of a sustainable treatment system for animal wastes with maximum value recovery
• Inactivating fungal pathogens using plasma activated water as a green fungicide
• Milk processing by nonthermal liquid plasma technology
• Biodiesel production from agricultural wastes
• Nutrient recovery and struvite production by an electrolytical process
• A portable plasma technology for VOC scrubbing in the International Space Station
• Clean water and renewable energy from beet processing wastewater and manure
• Understanding geographic and temporal variability of conversion-specific municipal solid waste characteristics
• Nonthermal liquid plasma-based process for biomass and MSW pretreatment
• Fate and transportation of PFAS on dairy farms and water remediation