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International Symposium on Bioresources
and Biorefinery-ISBB 2026
HONG KONG, NOV. 27-29, 2026
Plenary speaker(s)
01
Presentation Title: Valorization of lignocellulose to diols and N-containing compounds
Prof. Tao ZHANG
Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences
International Fellow of Canadian Engineering Academy
Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
Email: taozhang@dicp.ac.cn
Prof. Tao Zhang received his PhD in 1989 from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). After one year in University of Birmingham as a post-doctoral fellow, he joined DICP again where he was promoted to a full professor in 1995. He was the director of DICP from 2007 to 2016, and the vice president of CAS from 2016 to 2023.
Prof. Zhang’s research interests focus on Single-Atom Catalysis and Catalytic Conversion of Biomass. He first proposed a new concept of “Single-Atom Catalysis” and has devoted great efforts to the development of this field which has now grown as one of the most active frontiers in heterogeneous catalysis. He discovered a new process for the direct conversion of cellulose to ethylene glycol and has successfully built a pilot demonstration (1000 ton/year), which opened up a new avenue for the sustainable production of bulk chemicals from biomass. Prof. Zhang is the author or co-author of more than 600 peer-reviewed publications and 150 patents (H-index 130 and more than 80,000 citations).
Prof. Zhang has won great honors and important awards, including academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences (2013), fellow of TWAS (2018), ChinaNano Award (2018), international fellow of Canadian Engineering Academy (2020), Distinguished Award of CCS-Sinopec (2022), Advance of Catalysis Award of the Asian-Pacific Association of Catalysis Societies (2023), Future Science Prize(2024), Tang Aoqing Award (2024) of Chinese Chemical Society (CCS), China Catalysis Achievement Award (2025), Citation Laureates award (2025), Tan Kah Kee Science Award (2026), and Humboldt Research Award (2026).
Prof. Zhang serves as the co-Editor-in-Chief of Chinese Journal of Catalysis, Associate Editor of the Journal of American Chemical Society, co-chair of the Editorial Advisory Board of Chemistry – A European Journal, editorial board members of Applied Catalysis B, Green Chemistry, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, ChemPhysChem and Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.
02
Presentation Title: Microwave-Assisted Catalytic Conversion of Carbon-Rich Wastes and Bioresources into Fuels, Chemicals, and Carbon Materials
Prof. Roger Ruan
Member of the US National Academy of Engineering (NAE)
Director, Center for Biorefining
University of Minnesota
Email: ruanx001@umn.edu
R. Roger Ruan, Professor and Director of the Center for Biorefining at the University of Minnesota, is a globally recognized scientist renowned for his pioneering work in catalytic microwave processing and microalgae research. His innovative contributions to converting solid and liquid waste have been instrumental in advancing sustainable circular economy development. Dr. Ruan is a Member of the US National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and a Fellow of the US National Academy of Inventors (NAI), as well as a Fellow of several other professional organizations.
His research focuses on renewable energy and environmental technologies, including biomass and plastic waste conversion, wastewater treatment through utilization and non-thermal plasma for pollution control. Dr. Ruan has authored over 600 peer-reviewed papers, holds 21 U.S. patents, and maintains an h-index of 115 with over 53,000 citations. A dedicated mentor, he has trained over 100 graduate students and 150 postdoctoral fellows and delivered more than 400 invited lectures. As a principal investigator, he has managed over US$50 million in research funding. Dr. Ruan has also served as an editor-in-chief and editorial board member for numerous prestigious journals and has chaired multiple international conferences.
03
Presentation Title: LCA-Guided Research and Development of Biomass Conversion Processes
Prof. Philip G. Jessop
Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
Canada Research Chair of Green Chemistry
Queen’s University, Canada
Email: jessop@queensu.ca
Dr. Philip Jessop is the head of the Department of Chemistry and the Canada Research Chair of Green Chemistry at Queen’s University in Canada, honorary professor of the University of Jordan, adjunct professor at the Hashemite University in Jordan, the executive research director of Forward Water Technologies Inc, and co-director of the Contaminants of Emerging Concern Research Excellence Network. His research interests include green solvents, biomass conversion and CO2-responsive materials. Distinctions include the NSERC Polanyi Award (2008), Canadian Green Chemistry & Engineering Award (2012), the Eni Award (2013), NSERC Brockhouse Prize (2019), and Fellowships in the Royal Society of Canada, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Chemical Institute of Canada, and the American Chemical Society. He served as the Chair of the Editorial Board for the journal Green Chemistry (2017-2022), has chaired three major international conferences and helped create two spin-off companies and GreenCentre Canada, a centre for the commercialization of green chemistry technologies. His TikTok video series “Jessop’s Which Is Greener?” has over 100,000 views.
04
Presentation Title: Perspectives and Practices on the Development of Bioresource Chemical Engineering
Prof. Xueqing QIU
International Fellow of Canadian Academy of Engineering
President of Guangdong University of Technology, China
Guangdong University of Technology, China
Email: qxq@gdut.edu.cn
Prof. Xueqing QIU leads the research group on efficient utilization of lignocellulose at Guangdong University of Technology (GDUT). Prof. QIU serves as the president of GDUT and is recognized as a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. He serves as the vice chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Association for Science and Technology, fellow of the Global Chinese Scholars Association for Chemical Engineering, executive director of the Guangdong Provincial Chemical Society, and Associate Editor of Carbon Research and Journal of Chemical Engineering of Chinese Universities
Renowned for his expertise in lignocellulose biorefinery, particularly lignin into green fine chemicals and advanced materials, Prof. QIU has 500+ journal papers, holds 200+ patents, has established 13 production bases and produced 20+ lignin-based fine chemical products. He has won two second-class National Technological Invention Awards, eight provincial/ministerial first/second-class awards, four China Patent Excellence Awards, two Guangdong Patent Gold Awards, and multiple teaching achievement awards. Recipient of Ho Leung Ho Lee Prize, Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Award, and Min Enze Energy & Chemical Industry Outstanding Contribution Award.
05
Presentation Title: Development of heterostructured catalysts for pyrolysis bio-oil upgrading
Prof. Guoqing GUAN
Fellow of the Engineering Academy of Japan
Professor
Hirosaki University, Japan
Email: guan@hirosaki-u.ac.jp
Dr Guoqing Guan is a full professor of Hirosaki University, a fellow of the Engineering Academy of Japan and a Distinguished Fellow of International Association for Carbon Capture (IACC). He received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D degrees in Chemical Engineering from Sichuan University, China, and Kyushu University, Japan, in 1990, 1993,1995 and 2004. His research interests include coal/biomass/plastics pyrolysis and gasification, biorefinery, heterogeneous catalysts for energy conversion, electrochemical reduction of CO2, urea electrosynthesis, electro-upgrading of biomass intermediates, seawater electrolysis, and sustainable energy system. He has published over 560 international peer reviewed papers, 65 patents and 30 book chapters. He is now serving as Editor-in-Chief of Resources Chemicals and Materials, Associate Editors of Carbon Resources Conversion and MetalMat, and editorial board members of Fuel Processing Technology and other 6 international journals.
06
Presentation Title: Research updates on organic kitchen wastes for energy and fertilizer/carbon resources
Prof. Guanyi CHEN
President and Distinguished Professor
Tianjin University of Commerce
Email: chen@tju.edu.cn;
Guanyi Chen is a distinguished professor of Bioenergy and Environment, and president of Tianjin University of Commerce, as well as a joint professor at Tianjin University and Tibet University. His research has focused on organic wastes to energy technologies and related carbon-environmental emission control. He has published 600+ papers in peer-reviewed journals and 90+ patents (China, USA and Japan etc). Prof. Chen has been responsible for a large number of research and development projects at local, national and international level. He serves as the China Representative for the International Energy Agency (IEA) Task 33 on Biomass Gasification, as an associate editor for Biomass & Bioenergy, and as the convener for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) TC 255 Working Groups 4 and 6. He has been awarded the second prize for National S&T Progress twice (as the first participant), the National Award for Excellence in Innovation,and Pandey Outstanding Contribution Award from the International Bioprocessing Association (IBA). He has been the Chairman of International Symposium on Biomass/waste Energy and Environment since 2017 for five times, and the chairman of 6th/7th International Symposium on Gasification and Its Applications in 2018 and 2021,respectively.
07
Presentation Title: From Case Studies to Investment Strategy: Where Large-Scale Biofuel Plants Should Be Built
Prof. Paul STUART
Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE)
Professor of Chemical Engineering
Polytechnique Montréal, CANADA
Email: paul.stuart@polymtl.ca
After an early career in engineering design and strategic consulting, Paul joined the Chemical Engineering Department at Polytechnique to become Chairholder of the first NSERC Chair in Design Engineering. In 2010 Paul co-founded and is today Principal Consultant of EnVertis Consulting, a global consultancy that assists companies with their business transformation in the bioeconomy – working with the forest products and allied sector companies, technology developers, and government. In his consulting activities as well as in his university research program, Paul addresses industry-driven problems using product and process design methodologies and systems analysis tools, targeting the forest products industry and its transformation to new business models for the production of biofuels, biochemicals and biomaterials. Paul is a founding Fellow of the Pulp and Paper Technical Association of Canada (PAPTAC), a past President of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE), and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE).
08
Presentation Title: Biomass Utilization in the Era of Intelligent Materials
Prof. Ning YAN
Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Bioproducts
Professor of Chemical Engineering
University of Toronto, CANADA
Email: ning.yan@utoronto.ca
Professor Ning Yan is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Bioproducts. She is internationally recognized for pioneering research at the interface of biomass utilization, polymer science, and materials engineering. Her research focuses on harnessing the unique chemistry and hierarchical structures of biomass-derived macromolecules to develop sustainable chemicals and advanced materials. Professor Yan is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE), the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC), and the International Academy of Wood Science (IAWS). She has published more than 260 peer-reviewed papers in high impact scientific journals and is an inventor of multiple patents and patent applications. Her outstanding contributions to sustainable materials have been recognized through numerous honors, including the 2026 Macromolecular Science and Engineering Award from the Chemical Institute of Canada. She currently serves as Associate Editor of ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.
Keynote speaker(s)
To be available
01
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