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Dr. Liangcheng Yang

Professor of Environmental Health and Sustainability
Health Sciences
Office
FHS Felmley Hall of Science
  • About
  • Education
  • Awards & Honors
  • 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

257.001Air Quality And Pollution Control

257.002Air Quality And Pollution Control

287.021Independent Study

248.001Occupational Health

225.001Renewable Energy & Agriculture

145.001Environmental Health and Sustainability Practice

285.011Honors Undergraduate Research I

499.020Independent Research For The Masters Thesis

287.021Independent Study

248.001Occupational Health

291.021Undergraduate Teaching Experiences In Agriculture

Teaching Interests & Areas

Air quality, water quality, renewable energy, waste management, occupational health

Research Interests & Areas

(1) developing anaerobic digestion technologies to manage wastes and to produce bioenergy, (2) understanding the effects of air and water pollutants on human health and developing mitigation methods, and (3) recovering nutrients from wastes.

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 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

Boyd-Scott Graduate Research Award–Ph.D. Dissertation Competition Award, First Place

American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers
2013

Book, Chapter

Yang, L. Rethinking Anaerobic Digestion for Bioenergy and Biopolymers Production: Challenges and Opportunities. Elsevier Book series on Advance in Bioenergy 9 (2024)
Yang, L. Integration of algae cultivation to anaerobic digestion for biofuel and bioenergy production. Advances in Bioenergy (2021)
Yang, L., & Ge, X. Biogas and Syngas Upgrading. Advances in Bioenergy. Elsevier 1 (2016): 125--188.

Conference Proceeding

Zheng, Z., Yang, L., & Wang, X. Monitoring moisture content of gas-phase biofilter based on impedance under different conditions. 2016 ASABE Annual International Meeting (2016): 1.
Yang, L., Wang, X., Funk, T., Shi, S., Gates, R., & Zhang, Y. A feasible biofilter media moisture sensor. 2012 Dallas, Texas, July 29-August 1, 2012 (2012): 1.
Yang, L., Wang, X., Funk, T., Gates, R., & Jiang, N. Optimization of Livestock Air Pollutants Removal Biofilter Part: Media Selection. 2010 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 20-June 23, 2010 (2010): 1.

Journal Article

Yang, L. Effects of hydrothermal pretreatment on sulfadiazine degradation during two-stage anaerobic digestion of pig manure. Chemosphere (2024)
Yang, L. A Review on Potential Biofuel Yields from Cover Crops. Fementation 9 (2023)
Fiddes, K., & Yang, L. A narrative review on environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation. Journal of Cannabis Research 3.1 (2021): 1-10.
Yang, L., & Moran, T. Comparison of Operating Methods in Cartridge Anaerobic Digestion of Corn Stover. BioEnergy Research (2021)
Kong, X., Ying, S., & Yang, L. Microbial and isotopomer analysis of N2O generation pathways in ammonia removal biofilters. Chemosphere (2020)

Other

Sheets, J., Yang, L., Ge, X., Wang, Z., & Li, Y. Beyond land application: Emerging technologies for the treatment and reuse of anaerobically digested agricultural and food waste. WASTE MANAGEMENT. PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD 44 (2015): 94-115.
Yang, L., Xu, F., Ge, X., & Li, Y. Challenges and strategies for solid-state anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass. RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS. PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD 44 (2015): 824-834.
Yang, L., Ge, X., Wan, C., Yu, F., & Li, Y. Progress and perspectives in converting biogas to transportation fuels. RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS. PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD 40 (2014): 1133-1152.
Yang, L. Gas-phase biofiltration for livestock building ammonia emission mitigation. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2013)

Presentations

Bloomington-Normal Community Air Quality Research and Education (BN-CARE). Illinois Innovation Network Sustainability Research Conference. (2024)
Converting Cover Crop Biomass to Biogas and Volatile Fatty Acids. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting. (2024)
Energy and nutrient recovery from vegetable farm wastes using a cartridge anaerobic digester. 2024 ASABE Annual International Meeting. (2024)
Nutrient Transport and Cycling in Anaerobic Co-digestion of Cover Crops, Soybean Stalks, and Swine Manure. Illinois Innovation Network Sustainability Research Conference. (2024)
Nutrients transport and cycling in anerobic co-digestion of soybean residue, cover crops, and swine manure. 2024 ASABE Annual International Meeting. (2024)
Perceptions of anaerobic digestion lecture and laboratory exercises by Horiculture, Renewable Energy, and Environmental Health students. 70th Annual NACTA Conference. (2024)
A new anaerobic digestion system to reduce wastewater. Water Wedesday. (2023)
Cover crops for bioenergy production. Elsevier-Advance in Bioenergy International Conference. Elsevier. (2023)
Pre- and Post-learning Perceptions of Anaerobic Digestion by Horticultural, Renewable Energy, and Environmental Health Undergraduate Students. ASHS Annual Conference. (2023)
Anaerobic digestion of cereal rye cover crop. 9th annual Integrative Plant Biology and Bioenergy (IPBB). (2022)

Grants & Contracts

BNCRC: Bloomington Normal Climate Responsive Community. US Environmental Protection Agency. Federal. (2024)
Enhancing Sustainable Urban Agriculture Education Through Project-based Experiential and Service-learning. USDA. Federal. (2024)
Bloomington Normal Community Air Research and Education (BN-CARE). EPA. Federal. (2023)
Cover Crop Nutrients Transport in Anaerobic Digestion. Iowa Soybean Association. State. (2023)
Research and education capacity building for energy and nutrients recovery from vegetable farm wastes. USDA. Federal. (2023)