Verliant Sciences (Verliant), and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have entered into a multi-year collaborative research and development agreement for the analysis and separation of molecular constituents of various waste streams. This research is expected to have important waste reclamation and renewable energy, as well as biomedical, applications.

“Verliant has already made great strides in the microbial digestion of organic wastes and this research will allow us to refine and improve our process and take us to the next level of waste reclamation and green energy,” said Christopher Barry, Verliant’s Science Director, longstanding Fellow of the Society of Biology in the UK, and British expert in the area of anaerobic digestion.

Source: Business Wire

“This research is important on many levels,” said Nancy Phillips, Ph.D., a chemist in the UCSF School of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, who for over 20 years has specialized in the characterization and separation of small molecules. “Not enough is known about the molecular constituency of municipal waste or other waste streams, and investigating the bioconversion of wastes is relevant to resolving our global waste and energy problems.”

The multi-year alliance will take a phased approach and will draw on the biomedical expertise of UCSF researchers, as well as the environmental research expertise, technology, and industry experience of Verliant’s science team at every phase. Scientists expect the research to generate information that will expand the use of waste byproducts and increased digestion efficiency, ultimately resulting in greater waste diversion potential.