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Research

My research focuses on sustainability of biorenewable resources, biofuel coproducts, development of value-added products and processes, improvements in processing efficiencies, life cycle assessment, and techno-economic modeling. My expertise is in value-added product development, alternative recycling and reprocessing strategies, modeling and simulation of processing systems, process design, and plant layout.

Broader Impact

Global population is rising, and consumer expectations and demands are increasing as well. The need for disposable, durable, and industrial goods, as well as food, energy, and water are growing at escalating rates. A promising means to help meet many of these needs is to fully develop and deploy a renewable, biological-based economy. My work centers on creating sustainable pathways forward for the emerging bio-economy, by developing, analyzing, and optimizing processes and products that maximize value and minimize negative consequences for all stakeholders, including the environment. My work seeks to improve conversion processes, develop value-added coproducts, and identify mechanisms for simultaneously reducing resource inputs and maximizing outputs.

Key Environmental Science Publications

Kongar, E. and K. A. Rosentrater. 2010. Data envelopment analysis approach to compare the environmental efficiency of energy utilization. International Journal of Green Computing 1(2): 1-18

Rosentrater, K. A. and E. Kongar. 2010. Greening the curriculum: augmenting engineering and technology courses with sustainability topics. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences 5(6): 370-381

Rosentrater, K. A. 2006. A review of corn masa processing residues: Generation, properties, and potential utilization. Waste Management 26(3): 284-292

Rosentrater, K. A. 2006. Expanding the role of systems modeling: Considering byproduct generation from biofuel production. Ecology and Society 11(1): 1-12