Research

Overview

The Cook Research Group specializes in the design and development of sustainable water treatment and resource recovery technologies. My group uses experimentation, process modeling, field work, and life cycle analyses to investigate three main research areas: sustainable water system design, water treatment and reuse, and material and energy recovery from waste.

Current Projects

• Sanitation in Developing Communities
  • Sustainable Sanitation Systems: Understanding Priorities, Processes, and Pathways to Success – Mortenson Center, CU Boulder
  • Resilient and Sustainable Sanitation Systems: Characteristics, Links, and Barriers – CU Boulder, GAANN Fellowship
     
• Drinking Water System Sustainability
  • New Strategies for Technology Assessment and Implementation: Sustainability Index Development, DeRISK Research Center – U.S. EPA
  • Stakeholder Input on Metrics Used to Evaluate Small Drinking Water Treatment Alternatives – Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP)
  • Evaluation and Life Cycle Comparison of Ex-Situ Treatment Technologies for Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl substances in Groundwater -- DOD ESTCP

• Water Reuse and Resource Recovery
  • Conventional Drinking Water Treatment of Alternative Water Sources: Source Water Requirements Treatability Studies – Arcadis (Water Research Foundation)
  • Integrated Solutions For Water Reuse and Resource Recovery – CU Boulder
  • Preparation of Baseline Data to Establish the Current Amount of Resource Recovery at Water Resource Recovery Facilities -- WEF
  • Modeling and Optimization of Volatile Fatty Acid Production in Acidogenic Anaerobic Co-digestion Bioreactors -- DOE BETO

• Biochar as Adsorbent and Energy Source
  • GOALI: Landfill Leachate Treatment with Solid Waste Generated Biochar – National Science Foundation (NSF)
  • Wood-based Biochar as an Alternative Adsorption Media for the Control of Off-gasses at Wastewater Treatment Plants – U.S. Forest Service
     
• Living Hybrid Materials
  • Programmable Resurrection Of Materials Engineered To Heal Exponentially Using Switches (PROMETHEUS) – Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

For more information or to get involved in these efforts, please contact Dr. Sherri Cook.