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Washington State University
Biological Systems Engineering News: Lei

Graduate School Announces Rongge Zou as a Winner of Albrecht Scholarship

Stewart Bohnet

WSU Insider

The graduate school announces that Rongge Zou is a winner of The Richard R. and Constance M. Albrecht Scholarship.

This award is for all active doctoral graduate students in good standing who have successfully passed their preliminary examination.

The winners had peer-reviewed publications/shows/recital. They also have successful grant proposals/awards while showing service to the institution, profession, and community.

Each awardee was given $1500.

Dr. Hanwu Lei Featured by USDA NIFA

Stewart Bohnet

June 12, 2019  |   NIFA Update

A research group led by Washington State University (WSU) scientists has found a way to turn daily plastic waste products into jet fuel.

In a new paper published in the journal Applied Energy, WSU’s Hanwu Lei and colleagues melted plastic waste at high temperature with activated carbon, a processed carbon with increased surface area, to produce jet fuel.

“Waste plastic is a huge problem worldwide,” said Lei, a professor in WSU’s Department of Biological System Engineering.

 

Read the Article : Making a difference. NIFA Update.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plastic water bottles may one day fly people cross-country

Stewart Bohnet

June 4, 2019  |   WSU Insider

A research group led by Washington State University scientists has found a way to turn daily plastic waste products into jet fuel.

In a new paper published in the journal Applied Energy, WSU’s Hanwu Lei and colleagues melted plastic waste at high temperature with activated carbon, a processed carbon with increased surface area, to produce jet fuel.

“Waste plastic is a huge problem worldwide,” said Lei, a professor in WSU’s Department of Biological System Engineering. “This is a very good, and relatively simple, way to recycle these plastics.”

In the experiment, Lei and colleagues tested low-density polyethylene and mixed a variety of waste plastic products, like water bottles, milk bottles, and plastic bags, and ground them down to around three millimeters, or about the size of a grain of rice…

Read the Article : Plastic water bottles may on day fly people cross-country.  WSU Insider

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WSU researchers creating catalyst to improve jet biofuel production

Graham Barnett

RICHLAND, Wash. – Efforts to create an environmentally friendly catalyst that will lower the cost and increase the efficiency in producing bio-based jet fuels has netted Washington State University researchers a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

WSU Tri-Cities professor Hanwu Lei and his research team aim to develop the catalyst — a substance that increases the rate of chemical reactions and lowers the energy needed to perform the reaction — from forestry and agricultural waste products.

 

[ Read full article in WSU Insider ]

 

Highly Cited Research

College of Veterinary Medicine

Biosystems Engineering Journal CoverCongratulations to Professor Hanwu Lei and his group members and co-authors who won “Highly Cited Research” from Biosystems Engineering. Dr. Hanwu Lei’s paper, “Thermal behaviour and kinetic study for woody biomass torrefaction and torrefied biomass pyrolysis by TGA”, published in 2013 is one of the most highly cited papers during 2014, 2015 and up until June 2016 according to data from Scopus. Dr. Lei’s paper is one of the 5 most highly cited papers published in Biosystems Engineering. A certificate for Highly Cited Research in Biosystems Engineering was awarded to Dr. Lei in recognition of the contribution to the quality of the Elsevier journal.

Dr. Shoujie Ren is the first author who is the WSU graduate (2012) of Biological Systems Engineering. The award paper is co-authored with his advisor Dr. Hanwu Lei and his graduate committee members Dr. Joan Wu and Dr. Shulin Chen. Dr. Ren is currently a post-doctoral research at the University of Tennessee.

The internationally respected Biosystems Engineering (formerly JAER) is the official scientific journal of The European Society of Agricultural Engineers (EurAgEng).

Student represents U.S. at sustainable chemistry school

College of Veterinary Medicine

October 4, 2016 | WSU News, by Maegan Murray, WSU Tri-Cities

zhu-leiRICHLAND, Wash. – A doctoral student at Washington State University Tri-Cities is one of 15 worldwide, and the only U.S. student, selected to participate in a recent week-long school in Germany about developing safe, reliable chemicals in a sustainable way.

“One of the biggest challenges for sustainability sciences is to find solutions that do not threaten economic growth, the environment, and public welfare,” said Lei Zhu, who studies biological systems engineering at WSU Tri-Cities. “In particular, developing countries are seemingly faced with the dilemma of economic growth versus sustainability. Sustainability Sciences is all about coming up with ways out of dilemmas.”

[read full article in WSU News ]

 

Bioresource Technology, Best Paper Award 2015

College of Veterinary Medicine

Congratulations to Dr. Hanwu Lei and his group members and co-authors who won “Best Paper Award 2015” from Bioresource Technology. The published paper “A review of catalytic hydrodeoxygenation of lignin-derived phenols from biomass pyrolysis” appears among the ten top cited papers contributing to the Bioresource Technology 2014 Impact Factor, receiving 31 citations (Web of Science) during 2014 which puts the paper in Joint 5th place. Dr. Lei and his co-authors are contributing such high-quality work to the journal and helping to secure Bioresource Technology’s continued position as a high impact journal in its field.

Dr. Quan Bu is the first author who is the WSU graduate (2013) of Biological Systems Engineering. The awarded paper is co-authored with his advisor Dr. Hanwu Lei and his graduate committee members Dr. Juming Tang and Dr. Qin Zhang. Quan won 2012 WSU BSE Graduate Studies Achievement Award – Alfred and Genevieve Gallucci. He is currently an associate professor at Jiangsu University in China.

Bioresource Technology’s aim is to advance and disseminate knowledge in all the related areas of biomass, biological waste treatment, bioenergy, biotransformations and bioresource systems analysis, and technologies associated with conversion or production. Bioresource Technology’s 5-Year Impact Factor is 5.330. It ranked #2 in Waste Management and Disposal in 2014 among all high impact journals from SCImago Journal and Country Rank. The awarded paper will be made free promotional access for 3 months by the journal, so that non-subscribers can also access and read the work free of charge, to ensure even more researchers in the field benefit from the paper and findings.

Tri-Cities Student Selected for Sustainable Energy Program

College of Veterinary Medicine

June 8, 2015 | By Maegan Murray, WSU Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. – Lei Zhu, a doctoral student at Washington State University Tri-Cities, is one of 33 United States-based students to be selected for the June 17-24 American Chemical Society Summer School on Green Chemistry and Sustainable Energy.

He will explore scientific solutions to the global challenges of sustainable energy through presentations by leading researchers, collaborative projects and discussions. [read full article]

Early Career Award

College of Veterinary Medicine

Lei-200Dr. Hanwu Lei, Professor of Biological Systems Engineering received the Early Career Award from the Association of Overseas Chinese Agricultural, Biological, and Food Engineers (AOCABFE) in 2014. The purpose of this award is to recognize outstanding career achievement by a young AOC member in the profession of Agricultural, Biological and Food Engineering. The award is to honor achievement through education, research, innovation, development, extension, consulting, administration, international collaboration, and other professional activities. AOC is a professional organization of hundreds members from all over the world. The regular members are composed of university faculty members, post graduated research associates, and professionals working in government agencies, research institutes and industry. AOC has become a well-recognized professional society in worldwide biological, agricultural, and food engineering.