UCLA Engineering’s Hydrogen Research Consortium
Partners With L.A. City Government to Host Forum on Conversion of Waste Into Renewable Energy

The Hydrogen Engineering Research Consortium (HERC) at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science partnered with the Los Angeles Mayor’s office as well as a broad spectrum of Los Angeles city offices and officials to host the first-ever Southern California Emerging Waste Technologies Forum on July 27.

The forum examined the issue of municipal solid waste and the growing need to convert waste into renewable energy, clean fuels, chemicals or other useful products.

Collaborating on the event were UCLA Engineering, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s office, Councilman Greig Smith, State Senator Richard Alarcon, the City Bureau of Sanitation and Environmental Affairs Departments, and the County Department of Public Works, among others.

The first of its kind in Southern California, the event brought together government officials, academia, environmentalists, regulators and industry professionals to examine the current status of solid waste statewide, regionally and locally. Overviews of the various technologies were presented, as well as practical applications and opportunities for emerging waste technologies in the City of Los Angeles.

Presentations and information from the event can be found online at by clicking here.

Vasilios Manousiouthakis, Director of HERC and Chair, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UCLA City of Los Angeles Councilman Greig Smith , UCLA Vice Chancellor for Research Roberto Peccei, and UCLA School of Engineering Dean Vijay Dhir at the Emerging Waste Forum.

HERC, headquartered at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, seeks to conduct research, build partnerships between industrial and academic resources, and conduct public outreach activities that will accelerate the realization of a “Hydrogen Economy.”

With the climbing price of gasoline and ever-increasing pollution, alternative transportation solutions that also benefit our environment are needed. A sustainable energy solution, hydrogen-based transportation promises significant reductions in air emissions of toxic substances.

The July 27 Southern California Emerging Waste Technologies Forum was modeled after a similar conference held in Sacramento in the spring, hosted by the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

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