Background

Dr. Berge's research focuses on improving our understanding of how physical, chemical, and biological processes can be manipulated to promote sustainable waste treatment techniques that lead to carbon sequestration, energy generation, and/or value-added product production. Specific areas of exploration include: the fate of disposed nanomaterials, pharmaceuticals, personal care products and endocrine disrupting compounds in bioreactor landfills; thermochemical conversion of municipal solid waste; increasing the energy yield from waste streams; resource recovery from waste streams; leachate treatment processes; and the development and subsequent evaluation of innovative groundwater remediation technologies.

Education

• Ph.D., University of Central Florida (2006)
• M.S., University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (2001)
• B.S., University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (1999)

Selected Publications

• Flora, F.R., Lu, X., Li, L., Flora, J.R.V., Berge, N.D. (2013). "The effects of alkalinity and acidity of process water and hydrochar washing on the adsorption of atrazine on hydrothermally produced hydrochar," Chemosphere, in press.
• Kahn, I.A., Berge, N.D., Sabo-Attwood, T., Ferguson, P.L., Saleh, N.B. (2013). "Transport of single-walled carbon nanotubes in conditions representative of municipal solid waste landfills." Environmental Science and Technology, 47(15), 8425-8433.
• Li, L., Diederick, R., Flora, J.R.V., Berge, N.D. (2013). "Hydrothermal carbonization of food waste and associated packaging materials for energy source generation." Waste Management, in press.
• Lu, X., Pellechia, P., Flora, J.R.V., Berge, N.D. (2013). "Influence of reaction time and temperature on product formation and characteristics associated with the hydrothermal carbonization of cellulose."Bioresource Technology 138, 180-190.
• Lozano, P. and Berge, N.D. (2012). "Single walled carbon nanotube behavior in representative mature leachate." Waste Management 32(9), 1699-16711.
• Berge, ND., Ro, K., Mao, J.D., Flora, JRV, Chappell, M., Bae, S. (2011). "Hydrothermal carbonization of municipal waste streams."Environmental Science and Technology, 45(13), 5696-5703.
• Libra, J., Ro, K, Kammann, C., Funke, A., Berge, N.D., Neubauer, Y., Titirici, M., Fuhner, C., Bens, O. and Emmerich, K. (2011). "Hydrothermal carbonization of biomass residuals: a comparative review on the chemistry, processes and applications of wet and dry pyrolysis." Biofuel, 2(1), 71-106.