LOUMED Commons is a one-acre park thoughtfully designed for gathering and recreation, featuring shaded seating, native plantings and flexible areas for community programs, food trucks and events. The space enhances the district鈥檚 sense of connection and provides a welcoming place for people to enjoy the outdoors in an urban environment.
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鈥淟OUMED Commons embodies the spirit of community within our district,鈥� said Nadareca Thibeaux, executive director of LOUMED. 鈥淚t was created for the people who make LOUMED thrive, including our 18,000 health care professionals, educators and other employees, nearly 13,000 students and more than 1.5 million annual visitors. Whether someone wants to take a break, enjoy lunch outdoors or simply recharge, this park offers a place to do that.鈥�
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Louisville Metro worked closely with LOUMED and its partners to make the project possible, aligning with Greenberg鈥檚 broader vision for a more connected and livable city.
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鈥淟OUMED Commons is a symbol of the kind of city we are building together,鈥� Greenberg said. 鈥淏y transforming this block into green space, we鈥檙e creating a more connected downtown that better serves our students, health care workers, patients and neighbors alike. This project reflects our commitment to building a safer, stronger and healthier Louisville for all.鈥澨�

The project was led by LOUMED in partnership with Louisville Metro Public Works, JLL, CARMAN Landscape Architecture and Pace Contracting. LOUMED Commons was supported by city funding allocated from Governor Beshear and the Kentucky General Assembly鈥檚 investment in downtown Louisville. The $10-million allocation is helping to support multiple LOUMED projects, including LOUMED Commons. Additionally, the city is investing $1.75 million in improvements along Chestnut Street.
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LOUMED Commons is the first project completed within the study area of Greenprint, a 10-year initiative coordinated by the University of Louisville鈥檚 Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute and the Urban Design Studio. Greenprint is a citywide framework that uses environmental data to guide where and how new green spaces can have the greatest impact on human health. It connects separate projects led by local partners, like LOUMED Commons and the upcoming Chestnut Street improvements, under a shared commitment to creating a cooler, cleaner and healthier Louisville.
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LOUMED鈥檚 anchor institutions听鈥� the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center, UofL Health, Jefferson Community and Technical College and Norton Healthcare 鈥� also continue to invest in the district. More than $560 million in education, research, health care and workforce development projects are currently underway on their downtown campuses.听
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About the Louisville Medical & 成人直播 District (LOUMED)
The Louisville Medical and 成人直播 District (LOUMED) is a 22-square-block hub where health care, education, research and community come together in downtown Louisville. Anchored by the University of Louisville, UofL Health,听Jefferson Community and Technical College and Norton Healthcare, LOUMED institutions collectively employ 18,000 people and educate 10,000 students, with a combined annual payroll exceeding $1 billion. Through partnerships and investments in public spaces, LOUMED supports the people who work, study, receive care or visit the district while contributing to Louisville鈥檚 continued growth.

For more information about LOUMED and its initiatives, visit and follow on , and .

The Ohio River Basin covers a region of 204,000 square miles, consisting of the ancestral and historical homelands of more than 40 federally recognized Tribal Nations, as well as those of the Tribal Nations currently within the basin, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Seneca Nation of Indians. The Basin encompasses portions of 14 states including Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

The draft report, seeks to address several threats to local waters including inadequate water infrastructure, toxic pollution, nonpoint source pollution, mining issues, hydrologic modification, loss of habitat, invasive species and extreme weather and flooding.

鈥淓veryone deserves access to clean, safe and affordable water, yet too many communities continue to have to worry about their children鈥檚 and seniors鈥� health due to point and non-point source impacts of their ground water and recreational waterways,鈥� said Ted Smith, director of the Center for Healthy Air, Water and Soil, a part of UofL鈥檚 Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute. 鈥淲e see this as an important and needed step to make communities healthier, safer and more prosperous. Combined with other efforts, restoration investments can ultimately contribute to better health outcomes for people in the region.鈥�

The Envirome Institute, in particular the Center for Healthy Air, Water and Soil, contributed substantial content to the report, with a focus on the importance of restoration of the Ohio River Basin as part of supporting community health. UofL faculty led the environmental human health risk analysis in the plan, building off their previously published work on environmental vulnerability analysis and the place-based health framework in place at UofL.听

Among concerns raised by Envirome are the 327 Superfund sites within the basin that have yet to be fully remediated. With historic flooding in Kentucky in recent years, these sites put our water system at risk for increased pollution. Additional issues include agricultural system runoff and heavy metals contamination related to power generation.

“One recent development is the great pressure being placed on fresh water sources in the basin to cool large-scale data centers. Clean water has never been more important to the health and security of this basin,” Smith said.

Comments on the report can be submitted through July 18. A public engagement session will be held in Louisville June 25, 6-7:30 p.m. at St. Matthew鈥檚 Episcopal Church, 330 North Hubbards Ln.听Additional opportunities can be found on the , including in-person events across the region and a public webinar on June 12.

鈥淲e all have a role to play in the restoration and protection of the natural resources that make this region such a special place,鈥� said Harry Stone, past chair of the Ohio River Basin Alliance. 鈥淭hrough collaboration and trust we are putting together a roadmap to improve our environment, our health and our local economies. By continuing to work together, we can secure a healthier environment and a better future for all of the people who call this region home.鈥�

Once finalized, the report will be provided to members of Congress.

Background

Despite progress over the past 50 years to restore the region鈥檚 waters by local, state, Tribal and federal partners, serious threats remain: 69 percent of assessed stream miles and 64 percent of lakes in the region do not meet water quality standards due to a variety of pollutants. The report provides a case statement for increased collaboration with, and engagement by, the federal government to accelerate progress in addressing water quality concerns. The report recommends:

• Increasing federal investment in proven restoration actions
• Increasing monitoring and research to guide future actions
• Increasing coordination across the region to manage ecosystems holistically
• Increasing technical assistance to ensure local communities benefit from restoration actions

The plan supports solutions for cleaning up pollution, reducing runoff, restoring wildlife habitat, modernizing water infrastructure, mitigating the impacts of floods and the prevention of non-native, invasive species.

Honeybees have always been a part of听Robinson鈥檚听life听as she听first learned about beekeeping from family members who鈥檝e cared for beehives through generations, starting with her听grandfather,听and听then her father.听Beehives bring nostalgic scents and sounds to听Robinson, whose earliest memories include following her grandfather around their family hives in Meade County, Ky., harvesting honey for their听鈥淏ee Happy Farms鈥澨齢oney jars.

鈥淢y grandfather had this big garden and orchard with apple trees, so he had the bees to pollinate them,鈥澨齊obinson said. 鈥淚听just听remember playing around the garden and being close to the bees. They听weren’t听ever interested in me because I听wasn’t听bothering them, so that fear听kind of听got eliminated when I was pretty young.鈥�

After the death of Robinson鈥檚听grandfather, her family kept a hive on his property to support the orchard. She and her father now tend to the inherited bees. 鈥淚t鈥檚听crazy that听it’s听a family tradition that can carry听on,听beyond someone like that,鈥澨齊obinson reflected.

The UofL鈥檚 beekeeping internship, too, has brought Robinson closer to her听father who she听now asks for advice when dealing with new obstacles facing听UofL鈥檚听beehives. His insights keep a heritage of beekeeping knowledge from disappearing.

Everything about beekeeping can be done听in听a variety of听ways, from how the hive is听built and how to handle the bees to the protective clothing worn by beekeepers.听

鈥淚t’s听like听a dance to specifically move with the bees and see which frame听they’re听mostly on and which one I should touch and which one I听shouldn’t,鈥澨齊obinson said.

As a beekeeper, Robinson has developed her own style under the guidance of her father and the UofL Sustainability mentorship.听

鈥淚听read somewhere that bees can remember their听beekeeper’s听face, so I always try听to听talk to them when I get in the hive and just see how听they’re听doing,鈥澨齊obinson said.听鈥淭here are old folktales about the听鈥榯elling of the听bees,鈥� so听there’s听a strong connection between beekeepers and their bees.鈥�

A Spring Sting

Beekeeping听isn鈥檛听always comfortable,听even听for a legacy beekeeper.

鈥淚听have gotten stung a few times, but after听the second听time听it’s听no big deal,鈥澨齊obinson said.听鈥淎nd听every time I do听get stung, I never blame the bees.听It’s听not their fault that听they’re听stinging, they听just听think听I’m听like a bear trying to get their honey.鈥�

Bees often face a fear from people, much like snakes or bats, and many believe that their presence always means potential danger. However, bees are defensive, not aggressive, so their sting is a last resort. Like other animals, bees fear humans more than people fear them and prefer keeping to themselves.听

According to Robinson, even with wasps and hive beetles, honeybees defend the hive by surrounding the pests to block them from an area or to overheat them with their wing movements.听

But keeping bees also听comes with its rewards and pleasures. To extract honey from the hive, Robinson first determines how much honey needs to听be left behind听for the bees. The frames are then removed,听and听the bees听are brushed听into an empty super box/hive box. Finally, the beeswax on the frames is uncapped with a blade to release the honey and the frames are placed in a spinner to remove, filter and jar the honey. Beeswax is often collected during the filtering process and can also听be used for various products like lip balm.

鈥淥ne of my favorite things about beekeeping is just the smell of the听beehives,听it’s听this听really sweet听aroma. I think听it’s听really special听and really cool to introduce new people to that, and the sound of the buzzing from the hives,鈥澨齊obinson said.听鈥淚t can听definitely听be intimidating, but听I鈥檝e听found it to be a听little听bit more soothing because I know bees are in there and that听they’re听happy.鈥�

As听UofL鈥檚听beekeeping intern, Robinson cares for the beehives year-round. Before the winter, Robinson adds entrance reducers and hay bales around the hive to reduce wind-chill. Throughout the early spring, she visits the hives a couple of times a month to monitor the bees鈥� behavior, add pollen patties, remove any pests and add more hive frames听which听are听used听by the bees to build honeycombs.

After the bees become more active in the spring, honey can听start to听be harvested听through the summer.听Robinson dresses in a beekeeping suit that covers her legs, arms and face in one sealed garment to protect her from her buzzing friends.听She also burns natural wood shavings to calm the bees down if听she鈥檚听in the hives听for a听longer听amount of time听than听normal.听Robinson uses a brush to gently guide the bees out from any tight spots or crevices to keep听the bees听safe听as she听carefully removes frames and places them on a rack to check the听honeycomb鈥檚听structure and听honey听production.听

鈥淵ou really count on every bee to help your hive survive,鈥澨齊obinson said. 鈥淪o,听it’s听a very gentle process.鈥�

Last year, one UofL hive produced about 12-pint jars of honey and grew enough to create a second hive.听

Robinson says there鈥檚听no negative aspect in harvesting the bees鈥� honey when done听properly.

Tending to the hives functions like a symbiotic relationship where the keeper protects the hives from pests, cold, moisture and hunger while harvesting honey for consumption. Seeing the hive thrive and overcome obstacles is as rewarding for Robinson as collecting honey.

鈥淪eeing how much everybody likes the honey is really cool. Not that I made it, but it feels like I helped at least jar it,鈥澨齊obinson said.听鈥淚t’s听cool to see the different tastes of what this honey is like compared to a different听hive’s听honey.鈥�

Supporting the Hive

Caring for bees听not only听ties Robinson to her community and family, but it also听fulfills a called duty to the environment and sustainability.听

鈥淭he responsibility as UofL鈥檚 beekeeping intern to me is to show kindness and consideration toward ecology, urban agriculture and every little pollinator that comes my way,鈥� Robinson said. 鈥淭o help our bees is an honor because I’m also helping our local and community gardens, wildlife and student outreach on sustainable, eco-friendly practices.鈥�

Honeybees are听an important听keystone species as pollinators听and听their success could听be directly tied听to the success of future generations. Keeping beehives helps secure a sustainable future and protects听an important听species from eradication. In trade, beekeepers can harvest honey and beeswax from hives听to use听for various purposes.

鈥淚t’s听just important for everybody to know that you can absolutely be a beekeeper wherever as long as you have a yard and some plants nearby,鈥澨齊obinson said.听鈥淵ou just have to know some pretty basic things about bees听and听how to use the equipment.鈥�

Justin Mog, assistant to the provost for sustainability听initiatives,听created the beekeeping internship to help connect student learning with sustainable agriculture and nature stewardship.听Mog works closely with Robinson to manage听the听hives and honey harvesting听at UofL.听The two also participate in programming on-and-off campus to better connect the Louisville community with honeybee conservation.

鈥淎nyone who cares about sustainability needs an intimate understanding of how nature works, and I find听there鈥檚听no better way to do that than to crack open a beehive and observe听what鈥檚听going on,鈥澨齅og said.听鈥淚 learn so much from my bees!鈥�

After graduation, Robinson hopes to continue beekeeping听either through听volunteering or keeping her own hives.听鈥淚 would love to have some beehives of my own one day as听kind of听a family tradition, help my dad still take care of his bees and hopefully get more involved with the听听

KSBA offers resources, workshops and programs to help create new beekeepers and share knowledge.

Interested in becoming听UofL鈥檚听next beekeeping intern? Contact听.

The grant will allow Christine Burgan, who鈥檚 earning her doctorate in chemistry听at , to spend the fall semester conducting her dissertation research at the DoE鈥檚 Pacific Northwest National Lab in Washington state. She鈥檚 one of just 87 students selected from among the nation鈥檚 top schools.听

鈥淭his award is such a treasure to me because it offers me the opportunity to fill in some holes in my thesis project,鈥� Burgan said. 鈥淸When I was accepted,] I had to read the email three times because I couldn’t believe it.鈥澨�

The program, through the DoE’s Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program, connects students with specialized equipment and experts they may not otherwise have access to. The idea is to give students resources that will help them complete their dissertation or thesis research, with an eye on growing the STEM workforce.

Burgan鈥檚 research focuses on molecular complexes that excel at capturing dilute carbon dioxide, including direct air capture, which will be an important part of decarbonizing the atmosphere. She said this program and working at the national lab will allow her to further that research by doing high-pressure Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and electrochemistry experiments, which would allow her to confirm some observations and potentially publish in high-impact journals.听

鈥淗ands down my favorite part of the PhD adventure has been seeing my dissertation come together after these 4 years,鈥� said Burgan, whose听advisors are Robert Buchanan and Craig Grapperhaus, professors in the chemistry department. 鈥淚 never would’ve thought the start of my fifth year would’ve been at a national lab. I鈥檓 very excited to talk to new people about what they do and sharing what I do. Science is best when it’s collaborative.鈥�

The five-year funding renewal represents a 62% increase over the previous funding cycle for the UofL center, one of just across the U.S. conducting research into the health effects of chemicals and compounds found at hazardous waste disposal sites known as Superfund sites.

UofL was named one of five new superfund research centers in 2017. Since that time, UofL researchers in the center conducted research into the health effects of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), gases emitted by combustion and from liquid and solid chemicals, found at the Lee鈥檚 Lane Superfund Site in southwest Louisville.

鈥淭his funding ensures that UofL researchers will continue and accelerate the important work to reduce the effects of these toxins on the health of residents in Jefferson County, our state and our country,鈥� said Lori Stewart Gonzalez, interim president of UofL. 鈥淭he significant increase in funding shows just how successful our center has been in advancing this knowledge under the leadership of Dr. Sanjay Srivastava.鈥�

The Superfund program, created in 1980, is part of a federal government effort to clean up land contaminated by hazardous waste and identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a potential risk to human health or the environment. The program was started in part due to the discovery of a waste site near Louisville in Bullitt County known as the 鈥淰alley of the Drums,鈥� which contained thousands of steel drums and contamination from 140 different chemicals.

Superfund Research Centers conduct multidisciplinary research in the detection and investigation of the health effects of specific chemicals and compounds and train young investigators in this area of research. The research at the UofL center is focused on understanding how exposure to VOCs contributes to heart disease, inflammation and liver disease, collectively called cardiometabolic disease.

During its first five-year cycle, the UofL Superfund Research Center engaged in three key project areas where they:

• Developed two portable devices to detect airborne volatile organic compounds in neighborhoods and homes
• Assessed effects of VOCs and other toxins on cardiovascular and immune health in human participants
• Conducted lab studies of health effects of VOCs including acrolein, benzene, xylene, vinyl chloride and trichloroethylene

UofL researchers developed two types of technology to detect and monitor VOCs in the environment. First, collaborating with investigators at Washington University in St. Louis, they designed and built a portable device to monitor and measure VOCs inside and outside of homes to compare indoor and outdoor exposure levels.

Second, chemists and chemical engineers at UofL developed a small 鈥渓ab on a chip鈥� that can be used in a wearable device to monitor an individual鈥檚 exposure in various environments, capturing VOCs for analysis in the lab.

Field studies with both technologies will begin in January 2023.

To study health effects of VOC exposure, UofL researchers enrolled about 700 individuals living in south and west Louisville in a human study program to assess exposure and health changes over time. The initial results of this study indicated that low-level exposure to VOCs could increase blood pressure and damage blood vessels and impair their repair. These effects are important markers for heart disease.

Although planned follow-up studies for the human study were delayed by the pandemic, laboratory and animal studies confirmed these effects.

鈥淭his research is revealing and decoding the factors that affect our health outcomes,鈥� said Kevin Gardner, UofL鈥檚 executive vice president for research and innovation. 鈥淏y better understanding these factors, such as VOC exposure, we can develop new interventions that help people here in Louisville and around the world live lives that are not just longer, but healthier and more resilient.鈥�

Next studies expand area, add wastewater monitoring and address mitigation

Over the next five years, center researchers will apply the tools and data from the initial phase to expand the studies. They will broaden the human study to include 1,200 participants across Jefferson County, begin monitoring wastewater for VOCs and launch research to develop VOC mitigation methods.

The broader human health study will enable researchers to compare health changes and exposure levels in different parts of the metro area. Participants will be reassessed periodically over several years for changes in their health and to determine whether the toxins have greater impact on older or younger individuals and those with existing health conditions.

The team will begin monitoring wastewater in Jefferson County for the presence of both VOCs and metabolites shed by individuals, indicating exposure to VOCs. It also may reveal sources of VOC contamination.

鈥淲e will measure the metabolites of VOCs in the urine of the participants and in the wastewater, so we will have the environmental exposures and personal exposures. Then we will look at all the health outcomes and see the associations,鈥� said Sanjay Srivastava, professor of medicine and director of the center. 鈥淲e hope to gain better knowledge of how these chemicals exert toxicity and at what levels the toxicity occurs, as well as how exposures may exacerbate other conditions.鈥�

Technology to monitor wastewater for VOCs and metabolites is an outgrowth of methods developed during the pandemic to detect COVID-19 and its variants in wastewater.

Center investigators also will launch remediation research. They will collaborate with researchers at Yale University who are developing methods to break down VOCs using heat to reduce or eliminate VOCs at hazardous waste sites or in a home or business.

In conjunction with the , UofL researchers also are investigating whether increasing the tree canopy will decrease levels of VOCs and other toxins and improve the health of residents in the area.

鈥淥ur work is unique in that it focuses on the effects of these toxins on heart disease,鈥� said Aruni Bhatnagar, director of the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute. 鈥淢ost people have heard of cancer-causing chemicals, but we are finding that these chemicals also lead to heart disease, the leading cause of death in the world.鈥�

Edison is a Louisville native, and currently lives in his childhood home. He has spent about 25 years away from Louisville but came back because of his love for the city. Before his jobs took him elsewhere, Edison went to UofL, receiving both his bachelor鈥檚 and master’s degree.

Now, Edison is an associate professor in the听, teaching a diverse group of classes, including Spanish.

鈥淚 love teaching, it鈥檚 exciting,鈥� Edison said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been fortunate to come here, and two of the professors I had when I was a graduate student are still here and are now my colleagues.鈥�

Outside of teaching, Edison has a strong passion for gardening. After buying the available lot next to his home, he created different green spaces for different purposes.

鈥淭he backyard is flowers and vegetables,鈥� Edison said. 鈥淚鈥檝e put in a Koi pond this past spring, and I have a high tunnel, which is a type of greenhouse without heat.鈥�

Though gardening is Edison鈥檚 passion, there is a purpose behind his gardening.

鈥淚鈥檓 putting in this infrastructure because I want to create something in west Louisville that shows that people can do things to help the environment,鈥� Edison said. 鈥淎 garden can produce items that you don鈥檛 need to go to the grocery store to buy; you can be self-sufficient.鈥�

With the idea of helping the environment in mind, Edison also created a certified monarch butterfly waystation, which is an area of land that provides resources necessary for monarchs to produce successive generations and sustain their migration.

鈥淚 decided to dedicate my front yard to make it a butterfly waystation, so monarch butterflies can get nourishment as they travel from the northern hemisphere back to Mexico,鈥� Edison said.

A butterfly waystation has a different look than a normal front yard. The main plant that will be present in a waystation is the milkweed plant, which can grow to an average height of five feet tall. At first glance, Edison鈥檚 front yard might look like negligence, but there鈥檚 an environmental purpose.

鈥淩ight now, within the city, the regulation is that if your lawn is taller than 18 inches you can get cited,鈥� Edison said. 鈥淚f you have a monarch waystation, those flowers could be 10 feet tall. Regulations in the city have not caught up to environmental movements that we are doing.鈥�

In addition to educating those who pass by his front yard, Edison hopes to encourage people to use their green space in an environmentally beneficial way, like creating butterfly waystations. He plans to help by providing the plants necessary for a waystation.

鈥淚f I buy two plants to propagate now, a couple years down the road I would have enough to give to anyone who wants to make a waystation,鈥� Edison said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a way to create environmental stewardship within our community.鈥�

Edison is an environmental steward himself, involved in multiple gardening groups. These groups, like the听, are all aimed at making an environmental impact in Louisville.

Though he has high hopes for the future of his home garden and waystation, Edison has already impacted UofL with his gardening passion. The tranquility garden, located on the northwest corner of Stevenson Hall, has been a steppingstone for students to get involved with gardening and has allowed Edison to combine two of his favorite things, UofL and gardening.

鈥淭here are organizations on campus for those who feel like gardening is their passion,鈥� Edison said. 鈥淚 encourage those who are interested to look around because there are always opportunities and a need for people who are interested.鈥�

Physical Plant began transitioning toward sustainable energy more than 10 years ago when it converted to propane-fueled lawn mowers. Propane is an alternative energy source that produces next to zero greenhouse gas emissions or air pollutants; this is due to the compound’s low carbon content. The department later offered its expertise to other organizations, including Louisville Metro Government, as it began transitioning to propane-powered landscaping equipment.

As technology continued to advance, Physical Plant began working with companies and developers within the industry to procure even more environmentally-conscious equipment. According to Greg Schetler, superintendent of grounds, UofL was the first institution in the commonwealth to start incorporating battery-powered tools into its day-to-day operations.

鈥淲e鈥檙e all here at the University of Louisville for research and education, and that鈥檚 what the Physical Plant is here to support. We have pushed our suppliers to stock, promote and sell sustainable, battery-powered equipment. We鈥檙e proud to be the first in the state to move toward these alternatives because it鈥檚 absolutely the direction we need to go in,鈥� Schetler said.

Physical Plant currently owns over 25 pieces of battery-powered equipment, including leaf blowers, chainsaws, weed eaters, hedge trimmers and shop tools. In addition to the several propane-fueled lawn mowers, Physical Plant recently acquired a battery-powered, commercial-grade zero turn lawnmower in March of 2020. This made UofL the first organization in the state to purchase and utilize this particular innovation in green landscaping technology.

Despite the host of benefits offered by sustainable alternatives, the adoption of battery-powered equipment does come with its own set of challenges. In addition to an increased price point, some tools are not functional on a commercial level due to their short battery lives. Physical Plant has been able to cross these hurdles through industry research and strong relationships with various suppliers.

鈥淲e consider ourselves early adopters of the technology and we want to support it, but we are not willing to overpay for it; we have to be a fiscally responsible department. So, we work with our vendors to demo products before purchasing, or we do a trial run with the product to make sure the battery life can meet the needs of our groundskeepers.鈥�

Physical Plant has served as a champion for sustainability within the industry for the past decade, and the department plans to honor its commitment to the environment by researching and acquiring the newest and cleanest innovations in the coming years.

鈥淚t鈥檚 only going to continue to get better. The equipment will only become more affordable and reliable with time,” Schetler said. “The Physical Plant team is keeping an eye on what the future of the green industry is going to look like and how we can continue to become even more sustainable moving forward.”

And it gets sweeter: the process also results in a bio-mass 鈥渃oal鈥� alternative that burns up to 20 times cleaner than the regular stuff.

The technology was invented at the UofL , biomass conversion and biofuels group in collaboration with Michael Nantz and his team in the UofL chemistry department. The newly-issued patent for the technology is now licensed to Louisville-based startup, BioProducts, which is working to get it to market.

Brian Walsh, the company鈥檚 CEO, said the potential environmental benefits of the technology are huge. According to the , burning traditional coal can cause emissions linked to smog, acid rain and other negative environmental and health side effects

鈥淭here鈥檚 a better way to do it,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have to harm the earth. We don鈥檛 have to pollute.鈥�

The process isolates xylose 鈥� a low-calorie sugar from the biomass. Xylose sugar is widely used as a diabetic sweetener in food and beverage applications. It is also used as a diagnostic agent to observe malabsorption in the gastrointestinal tract.听

Once the xylose is extracted, the team turns the remnant agriculture waste products into a cleaner 鈥渄rop-in鈥� replacement for coal 鈥� a 鈥渂io-coal鈥� product.

BioProducts licensed the technology from UofL鈥檚 , which handles intellectual property resulting from university research and forges partnerships with companies for commercialization.

鈥淚鈥檓 blown away with how well UofL does integrating technology with business leaders,鈥� Walsh said. 鈥淚鈥檝e never seen anything like it. I don鈥檛 see other universities doing that better.鈥�

Dr. Jagannadh Satyavolu, theme leader for biomass and biofuels research at the UofL Conn Center, led this research effort and is the founder of BioProducts. Energy and value creation from waste products are his specialty.听

In the past, Satyavolu has partnered with industry to accelerate the commercialization of multiple bioproducts made from wood and agricultural biomass materials. His bio-coal work has been partly funded by U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities.听Dr. Satyavolu is continuing his bio-coal research work with Oregon Torrefaction LLC, John Day, Oregon and other industry partners.

The process technology behind those products, as with the technology licensed by BioProducts, was 鈥� essentially, 鈥渞oasting鈥� the biomass material to remove moisture and certain volatile compounds. A densification step needs to follow torrefaction to make the product denser, turning it into a coal replacement brick that鈥檚 easier to store and ship.

He said the xylose work started about seven years ago, after he took on a pilot project to find new uses for spent distiller鈥檚 grain 鈥� something Kentucky has in spades 鈥� and for corn. Walsh said the product could also create an additional revenue stream for farmers who might otherwise lose money on their agriculture waste.

鈥淲e鈥檙e always looking for new opportunities to add value and lower the cost of biofuels,鈥� Satyavolu said.

That鈥檚 what UofL freshman Cossondra Green observed from a canoe trip down the Ohio River and Beargrass Creek.

Green was one of a handful of UofL newcomers interested in environmental and sustainability issues who took part in a recent paddling tour.

鈥淲hat we鈥檙e introducing them to is the fact that we鈥檙e on the third largest river in the United States and so we鈥檙e going to acquaint them with the river and what goes on at the river and a little bit about the water quality of the river,鈥� said Russ Barnett, instructor for the environment and sustainable development.

As part of the tour, UofL students had the opportunity to learn about all the problems and environmental changes that have affected the Ohio River and Beargrass Creek due to pollution.

鈥淭he older generations kind of looks at the whole climate thing and saving the plant and the dirt and the trash in the waterways as a political thing for some reason,鈥� said Madelynn Bland, one of the freshmen on the trip. 鈥淚 think the younger generation looks at it as a necessity.”

Barnett says he鈥檚 seen an increase in students interested in the environment which prompted UofL to offer a sustainability degree.

鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping that they, as well as other students at the University of Louisville, will be interested in Louisville鈥檚 environmental conditions and study them and understand them and propose solutions to some of the problems we have,鈥� he said.

Check out more from the tour here:听

鈥淢ore than 90 million adults in the United States are obese and more than 30 million adults suffer from diabetes. Our faculty, staff and students work every day to understand the causes and impacts of both so that we can develop the next generation of preventions, cures and treatments,鈥� said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi, PhD. 鈥淭his group of dynamic researchers now is looking at how our environment, in the broadest sense of the word, plays a role. This understanding has the potential to change not just people in Louisville, but literally the world. This is some of what makes UofL a great place to learn, work and invest.鈥�

Aruni Bhatnagar, PhD, director of the UofL Diabetes and Obesity Center and the recently created Envirome Institute, which houses the Diabetes and Obesity Center, earned a competitive renewal grant that provides funding for essential core programs for all researchers in the center. Additionally, the center grant helps set the director of the research with an emphasis on metabolic and inflammatory mechanisms leading to diabetes, obesity and insulin resistance; stem cell biology; and environmental determinants of cardiometabolic disease. This marks the second successful five-year renewal that Bhatnagar has earned.

Petra Haberzettl, PhD, assistant professor of medicine, and Bradford Hill, PhD, associate professor of medicine, received funding to examine the effects of air pollution on stem cell health.

Jason Hellman, PhD, assistant professor of medicine, received funding to explore how exercise can reduce inflammation. His previous work has shown previously uncovered new mechanisms of sustained inflammation in atherosclerotic lesions in diet-induced obesity.

Matt Nystoriak, PhD, assistant professor of medicine, received support to study how the molecule carnosine can be activated in protecting humans against airborne particulate matter.

Timothy O鈥橳oole, PhD, assistant professor of medicine, earned a competitive renewal grant to gain a better understanding of how diabetic conditions and pollutant exposure affects small pieces of genetic materials that line blood vessels.