Dan Levy has spent more than thirty years turning environmental challenges into opportunities. A hydrogeologist by training, he began his career in the late 1980s restoring contaminated sites and waterways. But Florida’s 2016 Harmful Algal Bloom crisis shifted his focus from remediation to regeneration.
In response, Levy founded AECOM’s algae practice— pioneering solutions to harvest algae, recover nutrients, and convert pollution into renewable fuels and fertilizers. He also created the Blue Cycle framework, a model for integrating nature-based systems into modern infrastructure that is gaining traction across the environmental sector as a blueprint for scalable, regenerative water and carbon solutions. Collaborating with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Energy, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Levy is advancing a breakthrough hydrothermal liquefaction program to transform biosolids and other organic waste into renewable fuels—including sustainable aviation fuel—and valuable resources for a circular economy.
Recognizing Levy’s decades of expertise in hydrogeology and environmental innovation, this profile highlights his shift from remediation to regeneration. His work spearheads algae-based solutions, advances hydrothermal liquefaction technology, all converging in the Blue Cycle framework- a holistic regenerative model that transforms pollution into renewable fuels, sustainable infrastructure and valuable resources for a resilient circular economy.
The Evolving Role of Algae in Climate Action
As a geologist, I often look back to our planet’s earliest chapters – when algae stood as Earth’s original climate engine, shaping the very conditions that made life possible. Long before trees existed, algae captured carbon and produced oxygen. Even today, they pull CO₂ from the atmosphere, extract nutrients from waterways and lock them into biomass, a service that’s becoming increasingly vital as a growing population accelerates nutrient runoff and carbon emissions. Left unchecked, that biomass decomposes and releases methane, a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. This “doing nothing” cycle accelerates climate change, and it’s what inspired me to envision the “blue cycle” — a name that reflects both our water systems and the regenerative loop we need to restore. From the start, I knew if we could find a way to harness algae’s power in a scalable, nature-based way, we’d have a fighting chance to combat the impacts of climate change.
We can’t be single-minded. We must work with end users, bring multiple disciplines into the conversation, and build solutions collaboratively
Now, our focus is on harvesting algae before they decompose- capturing valuable nutrients and carbon, then converting them into low-carbon biofuel and bio-fertilizer using technologies such as hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). This isn’t theory; it’s already happening. We’re building it, and we’re working to lead this movement at a scale that is both economical and viable.
By integrating algae harvesting and HTL into the broader climate strategy, we can tackle water pollution, carbon capture and renewable energy generation in one process. The challenge now is to scale these solutions beyond pilot projects and make them a permanent part of ecological infrastructure.
Challenges in Ecological Infrastructure Development
One of the biggest challenges is the gap between short-term funding priorities and long-term needs. Everyone wants a quick fix, something simple and easy, but our current permitting frameworks at the federal and state levels weren’t built for innovative systems like algae harvesting or HTL. Funding still tilts heavily toward concrete-and-steel projects, while biology and regeneration solutions remain underfunded. The result is a system built to solve yesterday’s problems, while today’s water, carbon, and climate challenges demand 21st-century solutions that can scale quickly.
We’ve seen what a new approach can achieve. Recently, we partnered with the EPA and a grower to demonstrate how nutrient-rich farm runoff- once a source of water pollution – can be transformed into a valuable biofertilizer and soil amendment. By capturing these nutrients before they reached nearby waterways, we not only reduced the risk of harmful algal blooms but also returned them to the soil to reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers. The research proved the concept, but widespread adoption still moves far too slowly—and with climate and water quality challenges accelerating, we need faster pathways to bring solutions like this into practice.
That’s why we can’t be single-minded. We must work with end users, bring multiple disciplines into the conversation and build solutions collaboratively. That’s how we build public trust, secure funding, and ensure these projects move forward.
Technologies and Mindsets for Sustainable Development
I see three key areas essential for the next decade: resource recovery, bio-integrated design, and regulatory innovation.
Resource recovery means capturing and reusing what we now treat as waste— nutrients from wastewater, carbon from algae and energy from biosolids. HTL is an excellent example of converting wet waste and municipal biosolids into renewable fuels and fertilizers. The future lies in closed-loop systems that generate economic value.
Bio-integrated design requires us to break down the silos between engineering, agriculture, material science and ecology into one connected system. A 21st-century climate crisis can’t be solved with 1970s regulations. That’s where regulatory innovation comes in. We need frameworks bold enough to match the scale of our environmental challenges.
My advice for the next generation of innovators and leaders: stay curious and stay in the field. My best ideas came when I was knee-deep in algae or talking with a grower about runoff patterns. Don’t be afraid to color outside the lines; sometimes, you must invent a new box entirely. And never take no for an answer. I’ve been told that algae has no value, that transforming waste to energy is science fiction, that it’s too risky or costly. The truth is, few are willing to take risks – and even fewer are willing to invest in emerging technologies that challenge the status quo. But if you believe in your actions and have the courage to stand alone, you can make a difference. Failure isn’t the end – it’s the proving ground for breakthrough ideas. Every setback has only sharpened my vision and strengthened my resolve. Breakthroughs require more than good science; they demand bold leadership to bring them to life.
That’s exactly what Blue Cycle represents—a scalable, regenerative model that unites these three priorities into one integrated approach for tackling today’s most pressing water, carbon, and climate challenges.
