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Systems Engineering PhD Candidate Bimi Shrestha was front and center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s campus-wide celebration of its new designation as a Carnegie R1 institution. 

Achieving R1 status reflects UL Lafayette’s commitment to cutting-edge research and innovation. Only 3% of nearly 3,900 colleges and universities in the U.S. attain this designation. 

Shrestha’s research examines how the improved treatment of wastewater can support longer missions into space, such as travel to Mars. She uses a sealed bioreactor devoid of oxygen to examine how bacteria break down the wastewater’s organic material. 

During the wastewater treatment process, biosolids are generated as the liquids are separated from the solids. Biogases, a potential alternative ���˿첥 source, are also produced. 

“The microorganisms present in the wastewater can utilize the carbon and nutrients to make valuable products such as biogas, lipids, nutrient-rich solids and treated water. My goal is to remove the organic pollutant from wastewater while producing higher quality biogas and lowering the solids after digestion,” Shrestha says. 

Shrestha captured first place and the People’s Choice award in the Graduate School’s 2021-2022 Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition for her skill in communicating about her work. 

Her presentation, “Anaerobic Digestion of Simulated Wastewater for Enhanced Biogas Production and Improved Solid Reduction for a Biochemical Wastewater Conversion System Dedicated to Space Exploration,” was based on her dissertation research in the Department of Chemical Engineering.  

She is advised by Dr. Mark Zappi, director of the and professor of chemical engineering. 

Shrestha's involvement in biochemical research at UL Lafayette began while she was an undergraduate research assistant. 

As she was completing her bachelor’s in chemical engineering, graduate-level funding became available through a $2.2 million grant from NASA and the Louisiana Board of Regents through the LaSPACE program. The UL Lafayette Energy Institute of Lafayette and the University’s College of Engineering received the award to  

“Having worked under the research team, their mentorship, and their expertise in biochemical processing, it was an offer I could not turn down. We have an excellent research facility and the faculty cares for the overall development of the students, which made me continue at UL for my graduate degree,” she says. 

The prestigious grant supports NASA’s inquiry into the viability of human existence on Mars. 

“The research is a part of the biochemical waste conversion system dedicated to space exploration. Therefore, the wastewater is prepared in the laboratory, which mimics the wastewater produced by the astronauts in space and is different than the wastewater generated on the Earth,” Shrestha says. 

“The research is a sustainable approach in making the best use of waste, which is necessary — especially in space travel where resources are minimal,” she notes.

The far-reaching implications of her research also include potential improvements to wastewater treatment plants closer to home.

“The results from this research can not only be applied in space travel but also be used to solve problems here on Earth. The dual data generation from my research can help tackle the increasing production of wastewater, which is a global problem,” she says.  

With graduation on the horizon, Shrestha looks forward to bringing the knowledge and experience she’s gained into her professional career. 

“I plan to work in the sustainable ���˿첥 sector, preferably in the water and wastewater treatment industry,” she says.