Seminar: “Bioenergy and Availability” by Dr. Duu-Jong Lee (NTUST, Taiwan)

Tuesday, August 20, 2013 3:30 pm - 3:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)


Abstract: The world is faced with energy challenges with depleting fossil fuel reserves. Although with successful exploitation of shale gas and shale oil, the long-term economic benefits on shale fuels use considering the environmental damage are unknown. Biomass is abundant worldwide and its derived energy is regarded renewable and cost-effective. Additionally, the use of bioenergy from biomass is claimed to be carbon neutral since the biomass has supreme capability to biofixation of CO2. However, the cost of biodiesel production from biomass is high.

Availability counts whether the target substance/energy is ready to serve at hand. The first and second law analysis together with social impact analysis provides a measure of availability of bioenergy in specific scenarios. This talk will briefly summarize the energy issue and the availability of bioenergy for use. Comments will be made on the development strategy on bioenergy based on availability analysis.

Bio: Duu-Jong Lee is currently a University Professor of National Taiwan University (NTU) and Chair Professor and Dean of College of Engineering of National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST). He obtained his Bachelor (1984) and PhD (1989) degrees both at Chemical Engineering Department, NTU. Prior to joining NTU in 1992, Dr Lee was serving as Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Yuan-Ze Institute of Technology, Taiwan and Director of the YZIT Environmental Engineering Research Centre in 1991.

Professor Lee has strong research interest in the area of industrial wastewater treatment, biomass to energy and environmental management, especially in microscale transporft/reaction process in biomass matrix. During the past 25 years of his career, he has completed several projects successfully and developed various processes with full-scale applications in China. It has also led the successful supervision of five Ph D and 46 M Sc thesis.The research carried out till-date has credited himwith 1011 publications/communications, which include patents (5), books (1), special issues of the journals as Guest Editor (14), technical reports (78), chapters in the books/proceedings (8) original and review papers (540) and research communications in conferences/symposia (365). The citations in SCOPUS on Dr Lee’s work has exceeded 8300 with h=41.

Professor Lee is the recipient of many national and international awards and fellowships. He is co-author of several Best Papers of Journal of The Chinese Insititute of Chemical Engineers (1996 and 2007) and of Journal of Chemical Engineering of Japan (2002). He is currently the President of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers with 3500 members in Taiwan and overseas. He is member in various national and international committees. He is also the Visiting Professor of a few world class universities. He is Associate Editor of Bioresource Technology, the Elsevier Science journal from UK.