Tom Richard

Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Tom Richard

Research Summary

Application of fundamental engineering science to microbial ecosystems, developing innovative strategies for a more sustainable agriculture and the emerging bio-based economy.

Huck Affiliations

Links

Most Recent Publications

Harvested winter rye energy cover crop: multiple benefits for North Central US

Robert W. Malone, Anna Radke, Steph Herbstritt, Huaiqing Wu, Zhiming Qi, Bryan D. Emmett, Matthew J. Helmers, Lisa A. Schulte, Gary W. Feyereisen, Peter L. O’Brien, John L. Kovar, Natalia Rogovska, Eileen J. Kladivko, Kelly R. Thorp, Tom C. Kaspar, Dan B. Jaynes, Douglas L. Karlen, Tom L. Richard, 2023, Environmental Research Letters

Compaction effects on greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from solid dairy manure

Fangle Chang, Eileen Fabian-Wheeler, Tom L. Richard, Michael Hile, 2023, Journal of Environmental Management

Rye as an Energy Cover Crop: Management, Forage Quality, and Revenue Opportunities for Feed and Bioenergy

Steph Herbstritt, Tom L. Richard, Sergio H. Lence, Huaiqing Wu, Peter L. O’Brien, Bryan D. Emmett, Tom C. Kaspar, Douglas L. Karlen, Keith Kohler, Robert W. Malone, 2022, Agriculture (Switzerland)

Meeting global challenges with regenerative agriculture producing food and energy

Lisa A. Schulte, Bruce E. Dale, Stefano Bozzetto, Matt Liebman, Glaucia M. Souza, Nick Haddad, Tom L. Richard, Bruno Basso, Robert C. Brown, Jorge A. Hilbert, J. Gordon Arbuckle, 2022, Nature Sustainability on p. 384-388

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on pharmaceuticals in wastewater treated for beneficial reuse: Two case studies in central Pennsylvania

Kathryn Hayden, Matthew Jones, Kyle Elkin, Michael Shreve, William Clees, Shirley Clark, Michael L. Mashtare, Tamie Veith, Hershel Elliott, J Watson, Justin Silverman, Thomas L. Richard, Andrew F. Read, Heather E. Preisendanz, 2022, Journal of Environmental Quality on p. 1066-1082

IMPACT OF TORREFACTION AND ALKALI PRETREATMENT ON GLUCOSE PRODUCTION FROM WHEAT STRAW

Daniel Ciolkosz, Berrak Memis, Tom L. Richard, 2022, Journal of the ASABE on p. 1201-1209

Redefining marginal land for bioenergy crop production

Madhu Khanna, Luoye Chen, Bruno Basso, Ximing Cai, John Field, Kaiyu Guan, Chongya Jiang, Tyler Lark, Thomas Richard, Seth Spawn‐Lee, Seth A. Spawn-Lee, Pan Yang, Katherine Y. Zipp, 2021, GCB Bioenergy on p. 1590-1609

Designing circularity into corn-soybean systems

Bruno Basso, James Jones, Tom Richard, Charles Sukup, Lalit Verma, Marty Matlock, Rabi Mohtar, Stephanie Herbstritt, Rafael Martinez-Feria, 2021, Resource: Engineering and Technology for Sustainable World on p. 10-14

A semi-commercial case study of willow biomass production in the northeastern United States

Felipe Montes, Eric S. Fabio, Lawrence B. Smart, Tom L. Richard, A. Rodrigo Masip, Armen R. Kemanian, 2021, Journal of Production Agriculture on p. 1287-1302

The composting process

Cary Oshins, Frederick Michel, Pierce Louis, Tom L. Richard, Robert Rynk, 2021, on p. 51-101

Most-Cited Papers

Review: Role of chemistry, mechanics, and transport on well integrity in CO<sub>2</sub> storage environments

Susan Carroll, J. William Carey, David Dzombak, Nicolas J. Huerta, Li Li, Tom Richard, Wooyong Um, Stuart D.C. Walsh, Liwei Zhang, 2016, International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control on p. 149-160

Robust paths to net greenhouse gas mitigation and negative emissions via advanced biofuels

John L. Field, Tom L. Richard, Erica A.H. Smithwick, Hao Cai, Mark S. Laser, David S. LeBauer, Stephen P. Long, Keith Paustian, Zhangcai Qin, John J. Sheehan, Pete Smith, Michael Q. Wang, Lee R. Lynd, 2020, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. 21968-21977

Take a closer look: Biofuels can support environmental, economic and social goals

Bruce E. Dale, James E. Anderson, Robert C. Brown, Steven Csonka, Virginia H. Dale, Gary Herwick, Randall D. Jackson, Nicholas Jordan, Stephen Kaffka, Keith L. Kline, Lee R. Lynd, Carolyn Malmstrom, Rebecca G. Ong, Tom L. Richard, Caroline Taylor, Michael Q. Wang, 2014, Environmental Science & Technology on p. 7200-7203

Meeting global challenges with regenerative agriculture producing food and energy

Lisa A. Schulte, Bruce E. Dale, Stefano Bozzetto, Matt Liebman, Glaucia M. Souza, Nick Haddad, Tom L. Richard, Bruno Basso, Robert C. Brown, Jorge A. Hilbert, J. Gordon Arbuckle, 2022, Nature Sustainability on p. 384-388

Integrated acidogenic digestion and carboxylic acid separation by nanofiltration membranes for the lignocellulosic carboxylate platform

Boya Xiong, Tom L. Richard, Manish Kumar, 2015, Journal of Membrane Science on p. 275-283

Redefining marginal land for bioenergy crop production

Madhu Khanna, Luoye Chen, Bruno Basso, Ximing Cai, John Field, Kaiyu Guan, Chongya Jiang, Tyler Lark, Thomas Richard, Seth Spawn‐Lee, Seth A. Spawn-Lee, Pan Yang, Katherine Y. Zipp, 2021, GCB Bioenergy on p. 1590-1609

Economic and life cycle assessments of biomass utilization for bioenergy products

Weiguo Liu, Jingxin Wang, Tom L. Richard, Damon S. Hartley, Sabrina Spatari, Timothy A. Volk, 2017, Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining on p. 633-647

Techno-economic Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment of an Integrated Wastewater-Derived Duckweed Biorefinery

Ozgul Calicioglu, Pandara Valappil Femeena, Femeena Pandara Valappil, Christopher Mutel, Deborah Sills, Tom L. Richard, Rachel A. Brennan, 2021, ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering on p. 9395--9408

Imaging with the fluorogenic dye Basic Fuchsin reveals subcellular patterning and ecotype variation of lignification in Brachypodium distachyon

Nikki Kapp, William J. Barnes, Tom L. Richard, Charles T. Anderson, 2015, Journal of Experimental Botany on p. 4295-4304

Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in organic and conventional grain crop production: Accounting for nutrient inflows

Eric Hoffman, Michel A. Cavigelli, Gustavo Camargo, Matthew Ryan, Victoria J. Ackroyd, Tom L. Richard, Steven Mirsky, 2018, Agricultural Systems on p. 89-96

News Articles Featuring Tom Richard

Dec 05, 2023

Why some perople think California's Cow Manure methane plan sucks

California wants farms to capture methane from cow manure, neighbors say it's killing them

Full Article

Nov 01, 2022

Scientist sees Penn State as a 'living lab' for climate action

With the University working to draw down greenhouse gas emissions and reduce its carbon footprint, plant biologist Charlie Anderson is likewise advancing the cause of a greener, more-sustainable future through research and advocacy.

Full Article

Jul 11, 2022

Researcher gets grant to study biofilters to reduce livestock facility methane

A scientist in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has received a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to lead a team conducting research on using biofilters to mitigate methane from enteric emissions produced in livestock facilities.

Full Article

Mar 14, 2022

New art installation reflects Penn State research on energy and environment

Visitors to the Energy and the Environment Laboratory (EEL) on Penn State’s University Park campus will now find themselves greeted by a trio of large eels. A new metal wall sculpture featuring three individually themed eels has been permanently installed in the lobby of the EEL building.

Full Article

Sep 20, 2020

Wastewater sampling may give advanced warning of potential COVID-19 outbreaks

Wastewater sampling for coronavirus on campus and in the surrounding community could alert University decision makers to a potential outbreak several days before individuals exhibit symptoms of an infection. The initiative — part of Penn State’s multilayered approach to test, monitor and mitigate for COVID-19 — could enable leaders to take swift actions to minimize the virus’s spread with the goal of helping to protect the health and safety of the community.

Full Article

Aug 25, 2020

Advanced biofuels show promise for replacing some fossil fuels

Plant-based biofuels can play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and growing these crops in certain landscapes offers net climate benefits compared to other land use options, according to a team of international scientists.

Full Article