Title 1: Innovative technologies to convert lignocellulosic biomass to fuels, chemicals and materials
Time：3:00-5:00 PM, May 25, 2015
Location：Conference Room, 4th Floor, Shaw Engineering Building
Title 2：Biomass production and conversion: status quo and future directions
Time：7:00-9:00 PM, May 26, 2015
Location：Rm 408, Building 35#, North campus
Brief Introduction of the Speaker：
Dr. Xuejun Pan is an associate professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned his PhD degree in Applied Bioscience at Hokkaido University, Japan. Dr. Pan conducted postdoctoral research at Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Minnesota, and University of British Columbia. Dr. Pan’s research interests include biomass pretreatment and fractionation, enzymatic and chemical saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass for sugars production, high-value and functional products from cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, catalytic conversion of biomass sugars to chemicals, and drop-in hydrocarbon fuels from biomass. He was elected as Fellow of International Academy of Wood Science in 2013 and won Alfred Toepfer Faculty Fellow Award in 2011 and NSF Career Award in 2009.
Abstract of Lecture 1：
This presentation is to introduce a few new technologies they developed recently for biomass conversion: (1) cellulose hydrolysis to glucose by cellulase-mimetic porous polymeric solid acids; (2) one-pot method for converting lignocellulosic biomass to drop-in hydrocarbon fuels; and (3) functional materials from cellulose and lignin.
Abstract of Lecture 2：
This presentation is to briefly overview the production and conversion of lignocellulosic biomass. The topics covered include biomass availability, challenges and opportunities in biomass production, and biorefining platforms for biomass conversion to fuels, chemicals and materials. Research, development and commercialization of cellulosic ethanol as transportation fuel will be addressed in detail as a case study.
