The group's emphasis on energy and the environment focuses on several broad areas:

Active projects:

• Advanced methods of rock drilling using thermal spallation and fusion
• Thermal-hydraulic modeling of fractured geothermal reservoirs using reactive tracers
• Co-generation and electricity generation using geothermal and biomass resources
• Low temperature thermal energy demand in the U.S.
• Geothermal resource assessment
• Use of geothermal heat pumps for cell tower equipment shelter cooling
• Geothermal energy recovery process and economic modeling
• Quantifying Uncertainty in LCA of algal biofuels

Other areas of research:

• Life-cycle assessment of biomass and other renewable energy technologies
• Generation of electricity using solar-geothermal hybrid systems
• Sustainable communities

Active projects:

• Sonochemical processing of high lipid content microalgae

Other areas of research:

• Organic synthesis in multiphasic systems of supercritical CO₂ / CO₂-expanded liquids
• Particle milling and encapsulation in supercritical CO₂ mixtures
• Acoustically stimulated reactions in biphasic CO₂ / H₂O media
• Salt nucleation and crystallization in supercritical water

Other areas of research:

• Chemistry and transport in hydrothermal flames
• Conversion of biomass into fuels and energy under hydrothermal conditions
• Oxidation and hydrolysis of model compounds in supercritical water
• Extraction and upgrading of heavy oils in hydrothermal and supercritical water and carbon dioxide
• Thermodynamic equation of state modeling and simulation of hydrocarbon-water-carbon dioxide mixtures