Philip W. Westerman, Ph.D., PE

Biographical

Phil Westerman

Philip W. Westerman is a professor, researcher and extension engineer in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Ddepartment at North Carolina State University and is internationally recognized for his contributions to the understanding of the principal mechanisms important to animal waste management and for meticulous work in determining the basic properties of waste products and their interactions with the environment. His research publications on land treatment of animal wastes, nutrient availability for crop fertilization, effects of animal waste utilization on quality of runoff and drainage waters, and alternative waste treatment technologies are widely referenced. He has also made significant contributions in the areas of water treatment and waste management for intensive fish production systems.

He was selected as one of three NCSU faculty members to serve on a 20-member multi-disciplinary advisory panel to provide input for the development and implementation of a $17.5 million project for developing "Environmentally Superior Technologies" for management of swine manure.

ERT site solids seperation and
ammonia removal

The result of Westerman's work has been applied to the development of guidelines for users, extension publications, and environmental regulations. He and a former graduate student have a patent for the "Apparatus and Method for Removing Phosphorus from Waste Lagoon Effluent." He has authored or co-authored over 200 refereed journal articles, conference proceedings, technical papers and reports, and abstracts.

Westerman is a Fellow member of ASAE, and has a long record of continuous committee work involving the Structures and Environment and Soil and Water divisions. He has served as associate editor for both divisions, and chaired the Agricultural Waste Management (SE-412), Land Application of Waste (SW-263) committees and the Fellows (E-08)committee.

Solids Seperation System
He has received citations for excellence in manuscript review by both ASABE and the Journal for Environmental Quality. Other awards and honors include a USDA Honors award; University of Kentucky - Alpha Epsilon Outstanding Alumni award; NC Cooperative Extension Service - Extension Education award; and he received the ASABE Gunlogson Countryside Engineering Award for his outstanding contributions to the agricultural community through the development of livestock waste management and treatment systems. Ho also received a Certificate of Appreciation that honors his program committee work involved with three international symposia on agricultural and food processing wastes, one as program chair.

An aerial of the Ekokan® Biofiltration Treatment System a demonstration system for swine manure management. The Ekokan ® LLC waste treatment system was constructed in 2002 and consists of solids/liquid separation and biofiltration of the liquid with upflow aerated biological filters.