Many municipalities are using legacy wastewater treatment systems that are three or four decades old. While these systems can still get the job done, advancements in the technology offer significant opportunities to improve efficiency, performance, reliability and cost savings. By attacking these challenges head on, forward-thinking engineers are helping to advance the industry.
Turn to Centrisys Corporation’s Hiroko (Yoshi) Yoshida, an innovative R&D Director, on how to improve dewaterability in various applications.
Biography
In her short time with Centrisys, Yoshida worked on the award winning THK Sludge Thickener launch, analyzed sludge in the process lab and now leads the R&D team. Working her way up the ranks allows Yoshida to be a key developer for customized dewatering solutions with emerging, innovative technology. As Yoshida says “It’s easy to have a dewatering process detailed on paper, but you need to get your hands dirty to make it a reality.”
Yoshida is also passionate about educating colleagues, as well as passing down knowledge to the next generation. She provides numerous presentations at various events throughout the year. She has over 10 published articles with her most recent “Long-Term Emission Factors for Land Application of Treated Organic Municipal Waste” published in Environmental Modeling & Assessment (2016). Yoshida implemented a internship program and Centrisys. She supervises the interns from Carthage College, located also in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and hopes to expand the program to include other local colleges, as the youth are the leaders of tomorrow.
Yoshida earned her PhD in Environmental Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark; a Masters in Water Resources Management and a Masters in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Awards
- 2019 Frost & Sullivan Product Leadership Award for the North America Sludge Treatment
- 2019 CIOReview for the 20 Most Promising Metals and Mining Technology Solution Providers
- 2019 Salvation Army Other’s Award Recipient for “Resources Supporting Others”
- 2018 Utility of the Future Today Recognition Program for the Kenosha WWTP Optimization Project
- 2018 W&WD Young Professionals Recipient
- 2017 W&WD Top Project for the Kenosha WWTP Optimization Project
- 2017 ACEC Grand Award Winner for the Kenosha WWTP Optimization Project
- 2016 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Nutrient Recycling Challenge Award
- 2013 WEF Innovative Technology Award – THK Thickening System
- 2013 Water Management and Research Editor's Choice
- 2011 Sustainable Phosphorus Summit Scholarship
- 2007 Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year
- 2004/2006 UNL Woman in Science Award
Affiliations
- Water Environment Federation (WEF)
- The Water Research Foundation (WRF)
- Leaders Innovation Forum for Technology (LIFT)
- Mid-Atlantic Biosolids Association (MABA)
- Public Education and Awareness Committee Chair for CSWEA Wisconsin
- Bioresource Technologies, Waste Management, Water Research Reviewer
- Kenosha Area Business Alliance (KABA)
- Kenosha Area Chamber of Commerce
- The Water Council
- Made in Wisconsin - Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC)
