C-CJCBERI received Chinese Academy of Sciences Delegation

C-CJCBERI received the visiting of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) delegation on Dec 2nd, 2016. The delegation is led by Mr. Weiping Liu, Party Vice Secretary and Vice President of CAS. President Liu introduced the up-to-date policy and progress of CAS's oversea talent recruiting and personel training, and emphasized CAS's important role during the 13th Five-Year Plan years. CAS is going to have more openings for oversea and returning scholars and experts and further collaborate with international organizations and individuals on research and training.

Dr. Xiaotao Bi gave a presentation on the clean energy and bioenergy research of BC province, UBC, and C-CJCBERI. He also had discussions with the delegation on the joint programs of talent recruiting and training, and provided feedback and suggestions on these programs.

Other delegation members include staff members from International Collaboration Department and Personnel Department of CAS. Consul for Science and Technology, Ms. Haiying Yu from Chinese Consulate General in Vancouver also joint the visiting. After the meetings, President Liu presented the certificate to Dr. Bi for winning the title of 2016 "CAS Oversea Expert Assessor". Then Dr. Bi guided the delegation for a lab tour in UBC Chemical and Biological Engineering Department and the UBC Clean Energy Research Centre.

C-CJCBERI Co-organized the 6th Asia-Pacific Forum on Renewable Energy

The 6th Asia-Pacific Forum on Renewable Energy (AFORE 2016), also the 2016 Conference on Engineering Thermodynamics and Energy Utilization of Chinese Society of Engineering Thermophysics was successfully completed on Nov 9th to 12th in Guangzhou, China. This was the first AFORE held in China. It was hosted by Chinese Society of Engineering Thermophysics (CSET), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), and Korean Society for New and Renewable Energy (KSNRE). Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences (GIEC) is an organizer and C-CJCBERI is a co-organizer. Dr. Xiaotao Bi was invited to attend the forum and give a keynote speech on “Heat Transfer in Pulsed Fluidized Bed of Biomass”. Our Centre’s member Dr. Longlong Ma served as the Forum’s Organizing Committee Chair. He gave a keynote speech on “Biomass Catalytic Liquefaction for Aviation Fuels” and introduced the recent research and technology in GIEC on producing aviation fuels from biomass.

Nowadays, the world is challenged by the high consumption of fossil fuels. Renewable fuels are an undeniable alternative. Asia-Pacific area has 60% of the world’s population and consumes more than 40% of the global energy demand. It has been the largest and fastest growing market of clean energy and renewable energy. This forum had youth forum, keynote speeches, and seminars. Near 600 attendees from China, South Korea, Japan, Canada, and France discussed around the theme of “Development, Challenges, and Outlook of Clean Energy and Renewable Energy.” Specific areas covered included Engineering Thermophysics, Energy Utilization, Basic Mechanics, Thermodynamic System Circulation, Heat Pump and Refrigeration, Thermophysical Properties of Materials, Renewable Energy, Decarbonization, and Energy Storage, etc.

Opening ceremony guests include Dr. Hongguang Jin, Fellow of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Board Chairman of CSET; Dr. Jianzhong Xu, Fellow of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Honorary Board Chairman of CSET; Dr. Jinsoo Song, former Chairman of KSNRE; and Dr. Li Zhang, Vice President of Guangdong University of Technology. Other keynote speeches include “Asian Collaboration History on Renewable Energy” by Dr. Jinsoo Song which reviewed the collaborative work among the Asian countries on renewable energy’s research and development. Also “Research of Key Issues on High-efficient Photothermal Conversion, Heat Conduction, Thermal Storage, and Integrated Solar Energy System” by Professor Yaling He, Fellow of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University.

Website of AFOER 2016: http://ciccst.org.cn/AFORE2016/

Reference: http://news.sciencenet.cn/htmlnews/2016/11/360745.shtm

Dr. Hui Li from Hunan Academy of Forestry Visits UBC

Dr. Hui Li, our member from Hunan Academy of Forestry, is visiting UBC from October to November 2016. Dr. Li is an Associate Professor and the Associate Director of the Institute of Biological and Environmental Engineering at Hunan Academy of Forestry (HAF) in China. He visited Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering of UBC from 2009 to 2011. His research is on biomass pelletization, torrefaction, removal of heavy metal from soil, and liquefaction. This time he visits Dr. Bi’s and Dr. Jim Lim’s projects of “Novel reactor for biomass torrefaction” and “Biomass torrefaction in a dual-column slot-rectangular spouted bed”. He will discuss upcoming and potential collaborations between UBC and HAF for 2017. 

C-CJCBERI Received Delegation led by President of South University of Science and Technology of China

On Nov 7th 2016, C-CJCBERI received a delegation led by the president of South University of Science and Technology of China (SUSTech), Dr. Shiyi Chen. The delegation visited UBC to meet with UBC president Dr. Santa J. Ono to sign a Memorandum of Understanding. The MOU is between the Faculty of Applied Science of UBC and the College of Engineering of SUSTech for funding support and research exchanges. SUSTech will select and fund outstanding PhD candidates in engineering field to pursue PhD degrees at UBC. These students will be jointly supervised by professors from UBC and SUSTech. There will be 10 students being supported as the first cohort of this funding next year.

Before the MOU signing ceremony with President Ono, the delegation visited C-CJCBERI and Dr. Xiaotao Bi held a meeting for the delegation to introduce SUSTech to some UBC professors. Dr. Bi also introduced C-CJCBERI and UBC Faculty of Applied Science to the delegation and led them to a campus tour.

In the afternoon, the delegation also with the Dean and Associate Deans of UBC Applied Science discussing about further collaboration opportunities between the two universities.

The members of the delegation include: Dr. Shiyi Chen, President; Dr. Tao Tang, Vice President Research; Dr. Yifan Chen, Head of the Department Electric and Electronic Engineering; Hua Gu, Global Engagement Specialist.

Here is a slides presentation introducing SUSTech.

Members invited to Seminar on Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Consulate-General of China in Vancouver

On October 31, our members Dr. Xiaotao Bi, Dr. Anthony Lau, and Dr. Jim Lim were invited by Vancouver Consul General Ms. Fei Liu to attend a dinner seminar on Science and Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Vancouver China Consulate-General.

During the seminar, Dr. Bi introduced C-CJCBERI and presented progresses and plans. After the G20 Summit in Hangzhou and Chinese PM Keqiang Li’s visit to Canada, China and Canada have expressed great interest in cooperation and collaboration. Clean energy is one of the major topics. Vancouver China Consulate-General has been very supportive to C-CJCBERI since its opening and Consul Liu also expressed encouragement and confidence of its strong growth.

Other attendees include professors, researchers, consultants, entrepreneurs, investors, and media from areas of energy, chemistry, medical technology, and internet technology. C-CJCBERI attracted great interest during the networking after dinner.

Hunan Province Delegation visited C-CJCBERI

On October 24th, a delegation led by Ms. Wan Zhu, Associate Director of Hunan Province Science and Technology Department visited C-CJCBERI at UBC. Other members of the delegation include Division Director of Hunan Province Science and Technology Department, professors from China Central South University and Hunan Agricultural University, and scientist from Hunan Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Research.

A seminar meeting and lab tours were held to welcome the delegation. Our members Dr. Jim Lim, Dr. Anthony Lau, and Dr. Hui Li from Hunan Academy of Forestry who is visiting UBC attended the seminar. Dr. Yonghua Li from UBC spin-off company Highbury Energy Inc. and Dr. Wenli Duo from FPInnovations were also invited.

The goal of the visiting was to learn about C-CJCBERI’s research on biomass and bioenergy and experiences on technology demonstration and commercialization. Our members gave presentations on their recent work on biomass pretreatment, gasification, torrefaction, pelletization, as well as biogas production from agriculture wastes. Dr. Yonghua Li and Dr. Wenli Duo also talked about the projects in their companies and industry differences between Canada and China. The delegation mentioned that Hunan Province has similar geological characteristics with BC and is also rich in forestry resources. It is facing opportunities and challenges on biomass utilization and bioenergy production. And they hope to form long-term connections with researchers and experts from C-CJCBERI and BC. At the end of the seminar, the group planned to collaboratively apply for funding by Hunan Province in 2017.

Dr. Jack Saddler and Dr. Vikramaditya Yadav visited Chinese partners

After attending the 5th International Conference on Biomass Energy in Beijing, our members Dr. Jack Saddler and Dr. Vikramaditya Yadav visited our Chinese members Dr. Xu Zhang at Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Dr. Yinhua Wan at Institute of Process Engineering of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Dr. Xuebing Zhao at Tsinghua University. This team all work on biological and biochemical conversion of biomass. They presented the recent research projects and had seminar discussion. The two UBC professors also networked with other researchers and students in the three institutions.

The 5th International Conference on Biomass Energy successfully held in Beijing

The 5th International Conference on Biomass Energy was successfully held on Oct 16th – 19th at Beijing National Convention Center. It was co-organized by BUCT and co-chaired by two of our members Dr. Zhenhong Yuan from Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dr. Jack Saddler from Faculty of Forestry, UBC. Dr. Tianwei Tan chaired the conference’s scientific committee and hosted the opening ceremony. Dr. Xiaotao Bi hosted the keynote speech session and the graduate student workshop. Other C-CJCBERI members that attended this conference include: Dr. Xu Zhang, Dr. Hanping Chen, Dr. Changzhu Li, Dr. Vikramaditya Yadav, and Dr. Bingxue Zhao.

The conference provided a forum with information on research development, demonstration, innovation and industrialization of biomass energy field. Scholars, officials, professionals, and investors shared ideas and knowledge together for a sustainable future. The topics covered in this conference include:

(1) Policies & strategies
(2) Biomass polygeneration
(3) Liquid biofuel
(4) Biomass briquettes & pellets
(5) Gaseous biofuel
(6) Biomass power
(7) Platform technology
(8) Microalgae
(9) Others

The conference's website was: http://icbe.csp.escience.cn

C-CJCBERI received Deputy Director of Science Technology and Innovation Commission of Shenzhen Municipality

C-CJCBERI received the visit of Ms. Wei Huang, Deputy Director, Science, Technology and Innovation Commission of Shenzhen Municipality and Mr. Yi Ding, Shenzhen Science, Technology and Innovation Commission from Shenzhen, Guangzhou, China on Sep 18th.

Ms. Huang gave a presentation to introduce City of Shenzhen and the “Peacock Plan”. Shenzhen is the first Special Economic Zone of China and is known as “the most innovative city in China”. Its location links Hong Kong to mainland China and it’s an open and fast-growing city. Its development has been strongly focused on new science and technology and in the recent years, it has received talents, entrepreneurs, and companies from all over the world. “Peacock Plan” is a program by Shenzhen Municipal Government with large amount of funding to attract competent experts, talents, teams, and start-up companies from abroad.

Dr. Xiaotao Bi presented C-CJCBERI and the recent work in clean energy field at UBC which was of great interest to the guests. Shenzhen Government identifies Clean Energy field as an important sector to support. The city and the “Peacock Plan” are surely attractive to outstanding graduates from UBC to start a career in China as well as to established experts who want to leap to a new level. There are likely collaboration opportunities between Shenzhen and C-CJCBERI in the near future.

Here is the slides introducing City of Shenzhen and the “Peacock Plan”.

Dr. Xiaotao Bi published high impact paper on Progress in Materials Science

Dr. Xiaotao Bi has recently co-authored a critical review titled “Progress in Modified Carbon Support Materials for Pt and Pt-Alloy Cathode Catalysts in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells” in the journal of Progress in Materials Science. Progress in Materials Science publishes authoritative and critical reviews of recent advances in the science of materials and their exploitation in engineering and other applications. Its Impact Factor is 31. The other authors are Dr. Yan-Jie Wang and Dr. Baizeng Fang from Chemical and Biological Engineering Department of UBC and Prof. Hui Li and Prof. Haijiang Wang from South University of Science and Technology of China (SUSTech).

H2-fed polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are the most advanced fuel cell technology to date and continue to be of great interest as prospective energy sources in numerous applications, including for low/zero-emission electric vehicles, distributed power generators in homes, and small portable electronic devices. However, the commercialization of PEMFC technology has been greatly hindered by certain challenges, mainly the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction at the cathode and the high cost of Pt-based cathode catalysts, the latter presently accounting for over 55% of the total PEMFC cost. To overcome the limited stability of state-of-the-art Pt/C, Pt and Pt-alloy catalysts supported on modified carbon materials have garnered significant interest in recent years. It is therefore timely to compile a review that focuses on Pt and Pt-alloy catalysts supported on modified carbon materials, examining their current R&D status, applications, challenges, and future prospects.

This review provides a systematic and comprehensive survey of current Pt and Pt-alloy PEMFC cathode catalysts in terms of materials selection and design, synthesis methods, and structural features, emphasizing how these various aspects relate to the catalysts’ physicochemical characterization and performance, and with the aim of shedding light on the future direction of PEMFC research.

Link to the paper: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0079642516300299

Back in 2015, this research team had published a highly cited review paper titled “Carbon-Supported Pt-Based Alloy Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells: Particle Size, Shape, and Composition Manipulation and Their Impact to Activity” in Chemical Reviews. Chemical Reviews is one of the most highly regarded and highest-ranked journals covering the general topic of chemistry which provides comprehensive, authoritative, critical, and readable reviews of important recent research. Its Impact Factor is 37.

Link to the paper: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/cr500519c

Dr. Shahab Sokhansanj received 2016 Founders’ Award in Bioenergy Excellence

Dr. Shahab Sokhansanj is the recipient of the prestigious Founders’ Award in Bioenergy Excellence. The Founder’s Award in Bioenergy Excellence is meant to be given to a leader for advancing the bioenergy industry in Canada and globally. The award was presented today at the 7th International Bioenergy Conference and Exhibition to acknowledge and celebrate his achievements as a champion of the bioenergy sector.

Director Xiaotao Bi co-chaired Fluidization XV Conference

Dr. Xiaotao Bi co-chaired Fluidization XV Conference in Montebello, Quebec, Canada during May 22-26, 2016. More than 200 participants attended the conference. Around 80 papers through rigorous peer review will be published as a special issue on Powder Technology.

The four-day conference consisted of 8 keynote speeches and 3 parallel sessions. Keynote speakers included our member Guangwen Xu (Institute of Process Engineering, CAS, China), along with Olivier Simonin (Institut de Mecanique des Fluides de Toulouse CNRS/INPT/UPS), Piero Salatino (Universita Degli Studi Di Napoli Federico II, Italy), Leslaw Mleczko (Bayer Technology Services GmbH, Germany), Thierry Gauthier (IFPEN, France),  Liang-Shih Fan (The Ohio State University, USA),  Ludvik Martinu (Polytechnique Montreal, Canada), and Guangxi Yue (CAE, Tsinghua University, China).

All participants presented their state of the art researches and exchanged thoughts and ideas. Topics included fluidization of irregular shape particles, micro-fluidized bed reactors, clean energy processes, fundamentals, coating technologies and fluidized nanoparticles, chemical looping combustion (CLC) and many more.

Reposted from UBC Fluidization Research Centre website