About the Course

This seminar course introduces students to the design and operation of systems for the sustainable use of energy and materials. Topics will include plastics recycling, renewable energy production, energy storage, biotechnology, sustainable water and food production, digitization, decarbonization, and the contributions of public policy and the social sciences. Engineering’s unique perspective on achieving sustainability goals will be highlighted throughout the course. Open only to first-year students and sophomores across all majors. Students in the School of Engineering receive open elective credit for CHBE 3890.

Dr. Scott Guelcher, the course instructor, is a Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Vanderbilt. His expertise in polymer (i.e., plastics) manufacturing, allows him to provide a realistic but also, optimistic perspective of one of the world’s most difficult challenges: recycling plastics in a meaningful quantity. Prof. Guelcher worked for industrial giants Eastman and Bayer and has recruited colleagues to provide unique industry perspectives for this seminar. Currently, Prof. Guelcher is the Director of the Digital Fabrication (DF) Minor, and his lab recycles many of the plastic prototypes produced in the DF coursework. Prof. Guelcher’s sustainable practices extend outside of work. His farmhouse collects grey water for agricultural irrigation and is partially powered by solar energy. The path to sustainable world goes through both corporations and the individual.


Student Expectations

Students will be assessed based on their participation and submission of a written summary of each seminar. Attendance will be taken at each seminar, and excused absences must be obtained in advance. Students are expected to read the assigned article (example reading here) prior to each seminar to facilitate discussion. After each seminar, students will submit a 300-word summary based on the speaker’s presentation and the assigned reading that describes the societal impact of the problem, the current state of technology, and the advances (technological and/or social) required to meet sustainability goals.

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Close up of male dupont connector crimped onto a wire.
Course Instructor Professor Guelcher

Course Topics and Invited Speakers

Explore the drop-down lists below to learn more about the topics that will be presented by both industrial and academic leaders in this special topics seminar.

Mechanical Recycling

Plastics have revolutionized modern life, but our reliance on these inherently nondegradable materials is causing a global pollution crisis. Of the nearly 5 billion tons of plastics that have been discarded across the globe in the past decades, only 600 million tons have been recycled.

Vanderbilt's Professor Scott Guelcher will review the currently available plastics recycling used to mitigate plastic waste and protect the environment from further harm. Dr. Don Wardius, Senior Manager for Industry Alliances and Consortia at Covestro, will discuss recent advances in plastics technology and barriers to achieving a circular plastics economy.


Molecular Recycling

To enable a truly circular plastics economy, both mechanical and molecular recycling are required, since plastic waste degrades each time it is used in a mechanical recycling process. Molecular recycling technology addresses the majority of plastic waste that has little value or can’t be mechanically recycled, and therefore is necessary to renew all material and avoid end of life.

Dr. Zak Wilgus, Director of Intermediates Manufacturing at Eastman, will discuss Eastman’s recent launch of two molecular recycling technologies at the commercial scale to support multiple products in many markets that leverage the company’s scale and integration to enable a truly circular plastics economy.

Solar Panel Technology

As climate change becomes more visible and the world accelerates the adoption of new clean-energy technology, electricity generation from solar panels plays an increasing role in the energy system. While solar panels provided only 3% of the world’s electricity in 2020, recent dramatic price decreases for solar panels have contributed to their increased adoption such that solar technology accounts for almost 50% of the new electricity generating capacity being installed globally today.

Vanderbilt's Professor Kane Jennings will present his recent work on solar energy conversion inspired by nature’s engineering. Dr. Miles Barr, a Vanderbilt alumnus and Founder and Chief Technical Officer of Ubiquitous Energy, will discuss new technological developments in transparent photovoltaics.


Batteries and Energy Storage

The electrical grid will need to modernize to incorporate renewable energy sources, but wind and solar are variable and must be paired with energy storage strategies. Battery energy storage systems (BESSs) will be a critical part of this modernization effort, helping to stabilize the grid and increase power quality from variable sources. The drop in the cost of Li-ion batteries has leveled, leaving room in the battery energy storage market for both established and emerging technologies. Prof. De-en Jiang and Dr. Yiming Lou , Battery Algorithm Software Manager at Apple, will discuss the future of lithium batteries for energy storage.


The Hydrogren Economy

The quest to harness the energy of clean, renewable hydrogen has become a global initiative as many countries aim to address the impact of climate change. Hydrogen has potential to stabilize the electrical grid, reduce dependency on fossil fuels, and reduce the carbon footprint of the industrial, transportation, and power generation sectors. Speakers TBD.

Sustainable Meat Production

By eating meat made from plants instead of meat made from animals, we can drastically cut our carbon footprint, use less water supplies and help sustain the Earth’s resources but for future generations. Vanderbilt's Professor Ethan Lippmann will review the current state of plant-based meat technology. Dr. Patrick O. Brown , CEO and Founder of Impossible Foods, will discuss his experience switching the course of his career as a Professor at Stanford to address the urgent problem of climate change by recreating meat, fish and dairy foods, from plants, with a much lower carbon footprint than their animal counterparts.


Artificial Intelligence and Big Data in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry

Organizations in the chemical process industries are using digital tools and data-driven technologies to radically improve performance metrics. Determining the best areas to deploy these technologies is a challenge. Dr. Jason Ballengee, Director of JustAnswer Labs, will discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) and big-data analysis across the full CPG value chain (e.g., from new product ideation to product development to agriculture to manufacture to distribution to consumption) have transformed the industry.


Protecting the Water Supply

The U.S. water supply is under threat, due in part to pollutants and to more frequent droughts related to climate change. Current regulatory frameworks are not well adapted to address emerging pollutants. Thus, creative and collaborative solutions are needed to maintain access to water supplies, facilitate the development of new supplies, and increase our resilience to drought and the impacts of climate change. Speakers TBD.

Scale-up and Commercialization of Biomedical Devices

Hydrogels could play an important role in the fabrication of functional tissues for regenerative medicine. Recent advances in polymer chemistry, nanomaterials, molecular biology, and microscale technologies have enabled engineers to design multifunctional hydrogels that will play an important role in tissue regeneration.

Prof. Ethan Lippmann will present his work on commercial development of novel hydrogels for regeneration of vascularized tissue. Dr. Margarita Prieto, Mechanical Engineering Manager at Abbott Diagnostics, will discuss the development and delivery of instruments and assays designed to provide earlier disease diagnosis, selection of appropriate therapies, and monitoring of disease recurrence.


Industrial biocatalysts

Laboratory breakthroughs in the application of evolutionary principles have led to a boom in new enzyme applications. Enzymes can now be trained as catalysts capable of very high efficiencies. Once the right enzyme is identified for a process, enzyme technology can be applied to reduce waste and streamline chemical processes. Speakers TBD.

Decarbonization in the Chemical Process Industry

More than just a phasing out of atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from industrial processes, decarbonization can be thought of as a movement — one in which processes that have traditionally relied on fossil-based energy will be made more efficient, electrified, or modified to rely on lower-carbon fuels and energy sources, like solar power. Decarbonization will dramatically impact our lives, including the industrial systems we design, the cars we drive, and the homes we live in. Speakers TBD.


The Role of Policy in Achieving Sustainability Goals

The UN recognizes the 1987 Brundtland Commission report’s definition of sustainability as: “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Prof. JB Ruhl, a Vanderbilt Professor of Law, and Dr. Mary Ellen Ternes, Vanderbilt alumnus and Partner at Earth and Water Law, will review the globally recognized definition of sustainability and how sustainability goals are pursued, whether through international agreements, corporate sustainability standards, mandatory reporting requirements, legislation, or executive action. They will also discuss the role of policy in implementing sustainable technologies that promote water conservation, renewable energy, carbon-neutral energy such as biofuels and clean hydrogen, and circular economies for waste plastic.

Download the Syllabus Here