The International Joint Research Center for Biomass Resources and Low-Carbon Catalysis is established at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of Tianjin University of Technology, in partnership with the strong chemical engineering programs at Poznan University of Technology (Poland) and West Virginia University (USA). It was established in 2014 and was approved by Tianjin Science and Technology Commission in 2017. The research center focuses on the transformation of biomass, the utilization of low-carbon energy, and the efficient conversion of biomass-derived platform compounds.
Research Team and Facilities
The Center currently comprises 13 full-time research staff, including 4 professors, 3 associate professors, and 6 lecturers. Among them are one Tianjin Academic Discipline Leader, one awardee of the Ministry of Education’s New Century Excellent Talent program, one Tianjin Distinguished Professor, two scholars selected for the first tier of the Tianjin 131 Innovative Talent Development Program, one Young Science and Technology Outstanding Talent recognized under the Tianjin Innovative Talent Promotion Plan, and four scholars selected for the second or third tier of the Tianjin 131 Program. The Center also hosts 26 master’s students.Laboratory facilities cover an area of 800 m² and house instruments valued at approximately RMB 11 million. Major equipment includes a high-temperature pyrolyzer, a multi-channel photocatalytic reaction system, a fixed-bed catalytic cracking unit, a thermal evaporation vacuum coating system, an automatic physical and chemical adsorption analyzer, an X-ray diffractometer, a scanning electron microscope, and other preparation and characterization instruments. These resources provide a solid foundation for international collaboration and scientific innovation.
The Research Center carries out research on biomass catalytic conversion, low-carbon energy utilization, and the high-efficiency transformation and application of biomass-based platform compounds,and byleveraging the research characteristics and advantages of the three universities,four main research directions are formed:
1)Research on pretreatment technologies for biomass raw materials;
2)Research on the catalytic conversion of cellulose and hemicellulose to prepare valuable furanic chemicals;
3)Research on theefficient transformation of lignin to prepare value-added aromatics;
4)Development of biomass-based separation membrane technology.
Recent Achievements
Over the past five years, the Center has undertaken more than 40 research projects with a total funding of approximately RMB 5.5 million. It has published 85 academic papers in prominent domestic and international journals, 70 of which are indexed by SCI and EI. The Center has been granted 5 national invention patents and holds proprietary technologies in catalyst preparation methods and biomass feedstock conversion.
Contact Information
Address: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, 391 Binshui West Road, Xiqing District, Tianjin, China
Postal Code: 300384
Tel: 022-60214259
Fax: 022-60214259
Email: tongxli@sohu.com
