Camila Proano

University of Maryland, PhD Civil Engineering

EREF Scholar 2023

The overarching goals of this project are to identify the partitioning behaviors and impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the anaerobic digestion of organic wastes with granular activated carbon (GAC) as the amendment. Additionally, to assess the effects of GAC amendment on the potential of PFAS releasing from biosolids during land application.

To meet these goals, four tasks will be completed:

• Investigate PFAS and GAC effects on AD performance.
• Determine PFASs sorption behaviors in AD with/without GAC.
• Assess the potential of each PFAS release from biosolids during land application and the impacts of the appearance of GAC on the leaching process.
• Estimate the reusability of PFAS-loaded AC in the AD treatment.

Biography:

Camila Proano is from Clarksburg, Maryland. She graduated in 2018 with a BS in mechanical engineering from Penn State University. In 2022 she completed her MS in civil engineering from the University of Maryland College Park, where she is currently pursuing her PhD degree with Dr. Guangbin Li, in the civil and environmental engineering department. Her expected graduation date is May 2026. Furthermore, as UMD Global STEWARD, she is working on an interdisciplinary project dealing with the intersection of food, energy, and water (FEW) systems. Currently she is president of the Graduate Student Council for civil and environmental engineering department.