报告题目：Constructing the Carbon-Neutral Carbohydrate Economy for Sustainability
报告人：Dr. Yi-Heng Percival Zhang， 副教授
Department of Biological Systems Engineering of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Dr. Yi-Heng Percival Zhangis associate professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech, USA). He is an affiliated investigator of the DOE BioEnergy Science Center (BSEC). Now he is also a cofounder and Chief Scientific Officer of Gate Fuels Co. (USA).
Prior to joining Virginia Tech, he was a research scientist, postdoc associate, Ph.D. student at Dartmouth College, working with a biofuel pioneer – Prof. Lee R. Lynd, for validating feasibility of consolidated bioprocessing (CBP). (Consequently, Mascoma Co. was founded in 2005.) He received his bachelor and master degrees in Biochemical Engineering Department of East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China. His master thesis advisors are Profs. Jian-Jiang Zhong and Jun-Tang Yu.
His research topics include (1) cost-effective release of fermentable sugars from non-food biomass through lignocellulose fractionation and cellulase engineering, (2) most efficient conversion of sugars to 2ndliquid biofuels (e.g., hydrocarbons) and 3rdgeneration biofuels (e.g., hydrogen and electricity) through cell-free synthetic pathway biotransformation (SyPaB), (3) CO2utilization through artificial photosynthesis for the production of carbohydrate as a source of food, feed, biofuels, an electricity storage compound, and a high density hydrogen carrier, and (4) energy efficiency analysis for energy conversion and generation. Furthermore, he advocates sugar-hydrogen-fuel cell vehicles (Crazy Idea of Year 2006 of Esquire magazine) and the carbon-neutral carbohydrate economy.
He is a pioneer in cell-free synthetic biology. His breakthrough of the highest yield hydrogen production from biomass sugars has been highlighted by the Royal Society of the UK as “the beginning stage of a cheap, green and high-yield hydrogen production”. These chemical reactions can generate chemical energy (hydrogen) output 22% more than input by absorbing useless ambient-temperature thermal energy. Also, he has invented the lowest cost biohydrogenation technology for synthesis of chiral compounds and designed the highest energy efficiency and most water-saving (artificial) photosynthesis for producing sugars from CO2.
He has published more than 50 peer-reviewed journal papers, several invited feature articles, 10 book chapters, and filed 15 patents disclosures. Four of his patent disclosures have been licensed to two biofuels/biotechnology companies – Mascoma (USA) and Biomethodes (French) and five are on an option-to-license stage; five are under option-to-license by two other companies. He has received several distinctions, such as Biotechnology and Bioengineering Daniel IC Wang Award (2010), Sunkist Young Designer Award (2009), BP young scientist Award (2008), Dupont Young Faculty Award (2008), Air Force Young Investigator Award (2007), ACS PRF New Faculty Award (2006), Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award (2005), to name a few.
