Dr. Liangcheng Yang
Professor of Environmental Health and Sustainability
Office
FHS Felmley Hall of Science
Office Phone
Email
- About
- Education
- Awards & Honors
- Selected Research
Biography
Dr. Yang is a Professor in the Department of Health Sciences Environmental Health Program and Department of Agriculture at the Illinois State University. He received Ph.D. degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Master degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He worked as an Environmental Engineer for two years after receiving his Bachelor degree from Zhejiang University in China. Dr. Yang was a Research Associate at The Ohio State University before joining the Illinois State University.
Current Courses
HSC 257.001 Air Quality And Pollution Control
HSC 257.002 Air Quality And Pollution Control
AGR 287.021 Independent Study
HSC 248.001 Occupational Health
AGR 225.001 Renewable Energy & Agriculture
Teaching Interests & Areas
Air quality, water quality, renewable energy, waste management, occupational health
Research Interests & Areas
(1) Converting agricultural and municipal organic waste into bioenergy and bioproducts;
(2) Recovering nutrients from waste and reusing them in agricultural and horticultural systems;
(3) Monitoring air quality and developing control technologies.
Ph D Agricultural & Biological Engineering
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Urbana, IL
MS Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville, TN
BS Environmental Science
Zhejiang University
Hangzhou, China
College Research Fellow
CAST
2025
Researchers to Know Award
Illinois Science and Technology Coalition
2025
2024-2025 Illinois State University Environmental Stewardship Award
Illinois State University
2025
College Outstanding Researcher award
CAST
2023
Outstanding Cross-Disciplinary Team Research Award
ISU
2023
Advisor of the Year
Dean of Students Office
2023
Most Cited Articles
Bioresource Technology
2021
CAST Outstanding Teacher (pre-tenure)
CAST
2020
Member of the Year
IEHA Central Chapter
2019
CAST Outstanding Researcher Award
College of Applied Science and Technology
2017
Illinois State University Research Initiative Award
Illinois State University
2017
Grants and Contracts
BNCRC: Bloomington Normal Climate Responsive Community
Guang Jin, David Kopsell, Liangcheng Yang, John Christian Kostelnick, Frank Dwight Beck.
US Environmental Protection Agency. August 1 2024 - April 30 2025
Enhancing Sustainable Urban Agriculture Education Through Project-based Experiential and Service-learning
David Kopsell, Liangcheng Yang, Maria Boerngen.
USDA. January 2024 - December 2026
Bloomington Normal Community Air Research and Education (BN-CARE)
Liangcheng Yang, Alicia Wodika.
EPA. August 1 2023 - July 31 2026
Research and education capacity building for energy and nutrients recovery from vegetable farm wastes
Liangcheng Yang, David Kopsell.
USDA. September 1 2023 - August 30 2026
Research and education capacity building for anaerobic digestion of agricultural wastes
David Kopsell, Liangcheng Yang.
USDA. July 1 2020 - June 30 2023
Scott M. Elliott Cross-Disciplinary Pilot Grant
Jin Jo, Eric Godoy, Matt Ryan Aldeman, David G Loomis, Frank Dwight Beck, Liangcheng Yang.
Department of Economics, College of Arts and Sciences. August 1 2020 - June 1 2021
Test the filtration efficiency of N95 masks recovered using an electrostatic charging device
Liangcheng Yang.
F. N. Smith Corporation. November 1 2020 - May 31 2021
Modeling phosphors pricing and its effects on the economic feasibility of nutrients recovery from waste waters
Susan Chen, Liangcheng Yang, Guang Jin, Tom Bierma.
Scott M. Elliott Cross-Disciplinary Pilot Program. 2018 - 2019
Development of a novel anaerobic digestion system with stable biogas production and no liquid waste generation
Liangcheng Yang.
Illinois State University Cross-disciplinary Grant Development Grant. January 1 2016 - December 31 2016
Book, Chapter
Rethinking Anaerobic Digestion for Bioenergy and Biopolymers Production: Challenges and Opportunities
Liangcheng Yang.
(2024), 9, Elsevier Book series on Advance in Bioenergy
Integration of algae cultivation to anaerobic digestion for biofuel and bioenergy production
Liangcheng Yang.
(2021), Advances in Bioenergy
Biogas and Syngas Upgrading
Liangcheng Yang, X Ge.
(2016), 1, 125--188, Advances in Bioenergy, Elsevier
Conference Proceeding
Monitoring moisture content of gas-phase biofilter based on impedance under different conditions
Zhonghua Zheng, Liangcheng Yang, Xinlei Wang.
1, (2016)
A feasible biofilter media moisture sensor
Liangcheng Yang, Xinlei Wang, Ted L Funk, Sijie Shi, Richard S Gates, Yuanhui Zhang.
1, (2012)
Optimization of Livestock Air Pollutants Removal Biofilter Part: Media Selection
Liangcheng Yang, Xinlei Wang, Ted L Funk, Richard S Gates, Nan Jiang.
1, (2010)
Journal Article
Recycling energy and nutrients from anaerobic co-digestion of swine manure with crop residues in soybean-winter cover crop-corn rotation
Shelby Stoner, Robert Rhykerd, David Kopsell, Liangcheng Yang.
Bioresource Technology, (2025)
Unraveling the Impacts of high solids content on hydrolysis and methane production through experimental and modeling approaches
Y. Niu, Liangcheng Yang.
Chemical Engineering Journal, (2025)
Effects of hydrothermal pretreatment on sulfadiazine degradation during two-stage anaerobic digestion of pig manure
Liangcheng Yang.
Chemosphere, (2024)
A Review on Potential Biofuel Yields from Cover Crops
Liangcheng Yang.
Fementation, 9, (2023), 10.3390/fermentation9100912
A narrative review on environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation
Kelsey Fiddes, Liangcheng Yang.
Journal of Cannabis Research, 3 (1), 1-10, (2021)
Comparison of Operating Methods in Cartridge Anaerobic Digestion of Corn Stover
Liangcheng Yang, Trevar Moran.
BioEnergy Research, (2021)
Microbial and isotopomer analysis of N2O generation pathways in ammonia removal biofilters
Xingwan Kong, Shihao Ying, Liangcheng Yang.
Chemosphere, (2020), 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.126357
A Case Study on Converting Organic Farm Waste Vegetables to Biogas Using a Cartridge Design Anaerobic Digester
Liangcheng Yang, Summer I Cosolini.
Applied biochemistry and biotechnology, 1--9, (2019)
Online removal of volatile siloxanes in solid-state anaerobic digester biogas using a biofilter and an activated carbon filter
Liangcheng Yang, Summer I Corsolini.
Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 7 (5), 103284, (2019)
Reactor performance and economic evaluation of singular, binary, and ternary mixing of feedstocks for anaerobic digestion
Yanqin Wang, Liangcheng Yang, Yangyang Li, Longyun Fu, Changbo Yuan, Li Yao, Jiafa Luo.
Environmental technology, (just-accepted), 1--29, (2019)
Anaerobic digestion of food waste - Challenges and opportunities
Fuqing Xu, Yangyang Li, Xumeng Ge, Liangcheng Yang, Yebo Li.
ELSEVIER SCI LTD, 247, 1047-1058, (2018), 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.09.020
Anaerobic digestion of food waste--challenges and opportunities
Fuqing Xu, Yangyang Li, Xumeng Ge, Liangcheng Yang, Yebo Li.
Bioresource technology, 247, 1047--1058, (2018)
Integrated processing of plant-derived waste to produce value-added products based on the biorefinery concept
Qing Jin, Liangcheng Yang, Nicholas Poe, Haibo Huang.
Trends in Food Science \& Technology, 74, 119--131, (2018)
Cell Immobilization: Fundamentals, Technologies, and Applications
Xumeng Ge, Liangcheng Yang, Jianfeng Xu.
Industrial Biotechnology: Products and Processes, 205--235, (2017)
Development of a cartridge design anaerobic digestion system for lignocellulosic biomass
Liangcheng Yang, David Kopsell, Alisha M Kottke, Matthew Q Johnson.
Biosystems engineering, 160, 134--139, (2017)
Impedance-Based Moisture Content Sensor Assessment for Gas-Phase Biofilter Media
Zhonghua Zheng, Liangcheng Yang, Richard S Gates, Jing Wu, Xinlei Wang.
Transactions of the ASABE, 60 (6), 2163--2173, (2017)
The uses and limitations of a hand-held germicidal ultraviolet wand for surface disinfection
George Byrns, Beverly Barham, Liangcheng Yang, Kathryn Webster, George Rutherford, Garrett Steiner, Daniel Petras, Michele Scannell.
JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE, 14 (10), 749-757, (2017), 10.1080/15459624.2017.1328106
Cap-and-Trade: Understanding and teaching a market-based approach to natural resource allocation
Guang Jin, Thomas Bierma, Liangcheng Yang.
Natural Sciences Education, 45 (doi:10.4195/nse2015.0030), (2016)
Cell Immobilization: Fundamentals, Technologies, and Applications
Xumeng Ge, Liangcheng Yang, Jianfeng Xu.
Industrial Biotechnology: Products and Processes, 205--235, (2016)
Fabrication of a sensitive gas sensor based on PPy/TiO2 nanocomposites films by layer-by-layer self-assembly and its application in food storage
Shaoqing Cui, Liangcheng Yang, Jun Wang, Xinlei Wang.
Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 233, 337--346, (2016)
Recovery of failed solid-state anaerobic digesters
Liangcheng Yang, Xumeng Ge, Yebo Li.
Bioresource technology, 214, 866--870, (2016)
Additional Yaw Moment Control of a 4WIS and 4WID Agricultural Data Acquisition Vehicle
Dawei Jiang, Li Danhua, Sanzhou Wang, Lei Tian, Liangcheng Yang.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCED ROBOTIC SYSTEMS, 12, (2015), 10.5772/60688
Beyond land application: Emerging technologies for the treatment and reuse of anaerobically digested agricultural and food waste
Johnathon P Sheets, Liangcheng Yang, Xumeng Ge, Zhiwu Wang, Yebo Li.
Waste Management, 44, 94--115, (2015)
Challenges and strategies for solid-state anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass
Liangcheng Yang, Fuqing Xu, Xumeng Ge, Yebo Li.
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 44, 824--834, (2015)
Co-digestion of spent mushroom substrate and corn stover for methane production via solid-state anaerobic digestion
Jiying Zhu, Menglong Han, Guokang Zhang, Liangcheng Yang.
JOURNAL OF RENEWABLE AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, 7 (2), (2015), 10.1063/1.4919404
Comparison of premixing methods for solid-state anaerobic digestion of corn stovere
Jiying Zhu, Liangcheng Yang, Yebo Li.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY, 175, 430-435, (2015), 10.1016/j.biortech.2014.10.095
Concentration, size, and density of total suspended particulates at the air exhaust of concentrated animal feeding operations
Xufei Yang, Jongmin Lee, Yuanhui Zhang, Xinlei Wang, Liangcheng Yang.
Journal of the Air \& Waste Management Association, 65 (8), 903--911, (2015)
Effect of Feedstock Components on Thermophilic Solid-State Anaerobic Digestion of Yard Trimmings
Long Lin, Liangcheng Yang, Yebo Li.
ENERGY & FUELS, 29 (6), 3699-3706, (2015), 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.5b00301
Predictive performance of a wastewater source heat pump using artificial neural networks
Chao Shen, Liangcheng Yang, Xinlei Wang, Yiqiang Jiang, Yang Yao.
Building Services Engineering Research and Technology, 36 (3), 331--342, (2015)
Qualitative and quantitative analysis on aroma characteristics of ginseng at different ages using E-nose and GC--MS combined with chemometrics
Shaoqing Cui, Jun Wang, Liangcheng Yang, Jianfeng Wu, Xinlei Wang.
Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis, 102, 64--77, (2015)
Taste characteristics based quantitative and qualitative evaluation of ginseng adulteration
Shaoqing Cui, Liangcheng Yang, Jun Wang, Xinlei Wang.
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 95 (7), 1535--1543, (2015)
An experimental and numerical study of a de-fouling evaporator used in a wastewater source heat pump
Chao Shen, Liangcheng Yang, Xinlei Wang, Yiqiang Jiang, Yang Yao.
Applied Thermal Engineering, 70 (1), 501--509, (2014)
Anaerobic digestion of giant reed for methane production
Liangcheng Yang, Yebo Li.
Bioresource technology, 171, 233--239, (2014)
Biological conversion of methane to liquid fuels: status and opportunities
Xumeng Ge, Liangcheng Yang, Johnathon P Sheets, Zhongtang Yu, Yebo Li.
Biotechnology advances, 32 (8), 1460--1475, (2014)
Characteristics of fouling development in shell-and-tube heat exchanger: Effects of velocity and installation location
Chao Shen, Chris Cirone, Liangcheng Yang, Yiqiang Jiang, Xinlei Wang.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER, 77, 439-448, (2014), 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2014.05.031
Comparison of premixing methods for solid-state anaerobic digestion of corn stover
Jiying Zhu, Liangcheng Yang, Yebo Li.
Bioresource Technology, (2014)
Comparison of solid-state anaerobic digestion and composting of yard trimmings with effluent from liquid anaerobic digestion
Long Lin, Liangcheng Yang, Fuqing Xu, Frederick C Michel, Jr, Yebo Li.
Bioresource technology, 169, 439--446, (2014)
Development of a 3D ego-motion estimation system for an autonomous agricultural vehicle
Dawei Jiang, Liangcheng Yang, Danhua Li, Feng Gao, Lei Tian, Liujun Li.
Biosystems Engineering, 121, 150--159, (2014)
Integration of wastewater source heat pump and solid-state anaerobic digestion for residential waste treatment and energy production
Liangcheng Yang, Chao Shen.
PostDoc Journal, 2 (5), (2014)
Moisture effects on gas-phase biofilter ammonia removal efficiency, nitrous oxide generation, and microbial communities
Liangcheng Yang, Angela D. Kent, Xinlei Wang, Ted L. Funk, Richard S. Gates, Yuanhui Zhang.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, 271, 292-301, (2014), 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2014.01.058
Progress and perspectives in converting biogas to transportation fuels
Liangcheng Yang, Xumeng Ge, Caixia Wan, Fei Yu, Yebo Li.
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 40, 1133--1152, (2014)
Strong influence of medium pH condition on gas-phase biofilter ammonia removal, nitrous oxide generation and microbial communities
Liangcheng Yang, Xinlei Wang, Ted L Funk.
Bioresource technology, 152, 74--79, (2014)
Impedance-based moisture sensor design and test for gas-phase biofilter applications
Liangcheng Yang, Xinlei Wang, Ted L Funk, Richard S Gates, Yuanhui Zhang.
Transactions of the ASABE, 56 (4), 1613--1621, (2013)
Moisture monitoring and control in gas-phase biofilters to achieve high ammonia removal efficiency and low nitrous oxide generation
Liangcheng Yang, X Wang, TL Funk, S Shi, RS Gates, Y Zhang.
Transactions of ASABE, 56 (5), (2013)
Transport and fate of nitrogen-containing compounds in gas-phase biofilters: a swing test to mitigate ammonia
Liangcheng Yang, Xinlei Wang, TL Funk, Richard S Gates, Yuanhui Zhang.
Transactions of the ASABE, 55 (5), 1951--1958, (2012)
Biofilter media characterization and airflow resistance test
Liangcheng Yang, Xinlei Wang, TL Funk, Richard S Gates.
Transactions of the ASABE, 54 (3), 1127--1136, (2011)
Aging of nanocarbons in ambient conditions: Probable metastability of carbon nanotubes
Liangcheng Yang, Pyoungchung Kim, Harry M Meyer, Sandeep Agnihotri.
Journal of colloid and interface science, 338 (1), 128--134, (2009)
Effect of Ambient Temperature and Humidity on Aging of Nanocarbons
Liangcheng Yang.
(2009)
Regioselective competitive adsorption of water and organic vapor mixtures on pristine single-walled carbon nanotube bundles
Sandeep Agnihotri, Pyoungchung Kim, Yijing Zheng, Mota, Jos\'e PB, Liangcheng Yang.
Langmuir, 24 (11), 5746--5754, (2008)
Absorption and accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in tea plant and its effect on chemical components
He Wei, Youying Tu, Daohui Lin, Liangcheng Yang.
Journal of Tea, 4, (2005)
Anaerobic digestion of cereal rye cover crop
Liangcheng Yang, Lucas Lamont, John Sedbrook, Nicholas Heller, David Kopsell.
Fermentation, https://doi.org/10.3390/ fermentation8110617
Impacts of Harvest Date and Concurrent Alkali Pretreatment and Ensiling on Anaerobic Digestion of Pennycress Biomass
Liangcheng Yang, Tuba Yasmin Lubna, Michael Moklak, Nicholas Heller, Robert Rhykerd, David Kopsell.
Fermentation
Other
Gas-phase biofiltration for livestock building ammonia emission mitigation
Liangcheng Yang.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, (2013)
Presentations
BNCARE Presentation
Alicia Wodika, Liangcheng Yang, Michael Bay, Michael Brown.
EPA Regional Meeting, Online, December, 2025
Who care? BNCARE! Bloomington-Normal Community Air Quality Research and Education
Abbie Gorsage, Liangcheng Yang.
Illinois Environmental Health Association Annual Meeting, Illinois, November, 2025
Prioritizing Air Quality for All: Updates from the BNCARE Project
Amelia Ennis, Abbie Gorsage, Alicia Wodika, Liangcheng Yang, Michael Bay, Michael Brown.
Illinois Public Health Association Annual Meeting, Normal, IL, September, 2025
A Preliminary Study on Using Soybean Hulls to Produce Biogas and VFAs
Kathryn Stahl, Liangcheng Yang.
Illinois Innovation Network Annual Conference, Illinois, September 26, 2025
Biochar-absorbed Nutrients from Anaerobic Digestion Affect the Growth of Lactuca sativa ‘Newham’
David Kopsell, Liangcheng Yang, Tuba Yasmin, Mahadi Hasan.
American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA, July, 2025
Bioenergy Production from Cover Crops
Liangcheng Yang.
International Conference on Solid Wastes 2025: Waste Management for Carbon Neutrality and Circular Economy, China, June, 2025
Converting Cover Crop Biomass to Biogas and Volatile Fatty Acids
Tuba Lubna, Mahadi Hasan, Abbie Gorsage, Nicholas Heller, Robert Rhykerd, Liangcheng Yang.
ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, November, 2024
Bloomington-Normal Community Air Quality Research and Education (BN-CARE)
Abbie Gorsage, Alicia Wodika, Liangcheng Yang.
Illinois Innovation Network Sustainability Research Conference, Normal, IL, October, 2024
Nutrient Transport and Cycling in Anaerobic Co-digestion of Cover Crops, Soybean Stalks, and Swine Manure
Shelby Stoner, Liangcheng Yang.
Illinois Innovation Network Sustainability Research Conference, Normal, IL, October, 2024
Nutrients transport and cycling in anerobic co-digestion of soybean residue, cover crops, and swine manure
Shelby Stoner, Liangcheng Yang, Robert Rhykerd.
2024 ASABE Annual International Meeting, Anaheim, CA, July 31, 2024
Energy and nutrient recovery from vegetable farm wastes using a cartridge anaerobic digester
Liangcheng Yang, David Kopsell, Tuba Yasmin Lubna.
2024 ASABE Annual International Meeting, Anaheim, CA, July 30, 2024
Perceptions of anaerobic digestion lecture and laboratory exercises by Horiculture, Renewable Energy, and Environmental Health students
David Kopsell, Liangcheng Yang.
70th Annual NACTA Conference, Wooster, OH, June 24, 2024
Cover crops for bioenergy production
Liangcheng Yang.
Elsevier-Advance in Bioenergy International Conference, Online, October 7, 2023
A new anaerobic digestion system to reduce wastewater
Liangcheng Yang.
Water Wedesday, Normal, October 3, 2023
Pre- and Post-learning Perceptions of Anaerobic Digestion by Horticultural, Renewable Energy, and Environmental Health Undergraduate Students
David Kopsell, Liangcheng Yang.
ASHS Annual Conference, Orlando, Florida, July, 2023
Anaerobic digestion of cereal rye cover crop
Liangcheng Yang.
9th annual Integrative Plant Biology and Bioenergy (IPBB), Normal, November, 2022
Sustainability of Utility-Scale Solar PV Systems
Jin Ho Jo, Matthew Ryan Aldeman, Liangcheng Yang, Eric Godoy, Jamie Wieland.
Energy, Utility, and Environment Conference, Tucson, AZ, October 6, 2022
Effects of Applying Anaerobic Digestion Effluent to Leaf Compost
David Kopsell, Liangcheng Yang.
2022 ASHS Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, July 30, 2022
Recovering nutrients from wastewater
Rowan Carrol, Liangcheng Yang.
2022 ISU Research Symposium, Normal, March, 2022
Test the filtration efficiency of N95 masks recovered using an electrostatic charging device
Rowan Carroll, Gabi Ornelas, Liangcheng Yang.
NEHA Annual Educational Conference, online, April, 2021
COMPARISON OF BIOGAS PRODUCTION USING DIFFERENT DIGESTER OPERATIONAL STRATEGIES
Trevar Moran, Alicia Han, Liangcheng Yang.
2020 Online University Research Symposium, Online, April 9, 2020
The effects of employment on undergraduate student academic performance
Xingyu Zhang, Liangcheng Yang.
2020 ASEE North Central Section conference, Morgantown, West Virginia, March, 2020
Environmental Impacts of Marijuana Cultivation
Kelsey Fiddes, Summer Corsolini, Liangcheng Yang.
Illinois Environmental Health Association Central Chapter Annual Conference, Normal, IL, April 30, 2019
Converting Organic Farm Wastes to Energy
Summer Corsolini, Liangcheng Yang.
Illinois Environmental Health Association Annual Educational Conference, Oglesby, IL, November 5, 2018
Cartridge-Design Anaerobic Digestion of Lignocellulosic Biomass
Alisha Kottke, Matt Johnson, Liangcheng Yang.
Illinois State University Research Symposium, Normal, IL, March, 2017