Ning Yan, Professor, University of Toronto

"Bio-based Chemicals and Materials for a Sustainable Future"

Abstract: 

As we move towards UN Sustainable Development Goals, there is a growing interest to produce chemicals and materials from renewable feedstock to lower our reliance on fossil fuels. Over the years, my research team has developed a portfolio of bio-based chemicals and industrial materials using natural polymers as the building block. By taking advantage of some distinctive properties of biomolecules, including cellulose, lignin, starch, and chitosan, we have designed and engineered bio-based resins, adhesives, polyols, foams, and composites for applications in automotive, construction, packaging, energy storage, and wearable electronics. By integrating dynamic bonds in the molecular structure, we have designed various bio-based covalent adaptable network (CAN) materials that can be closed-loop recycled with a higher material circularity. These novel self-healing, recyclable, and reprocessable bio-based vitrimer materials possess extended product service life spans and generate less wastes. An overview of some latest findings from our research activities will be presented. 

Bio:

Professor Ning Yan holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Bioproducts at the University of Toronto. She has also held the University of Toronto Distinguished Professorship in Forest Biomaterials Engineering and an Endowed Chair in Value Added Wood and Composites, previously. Professor Yan’s expertise is in bio-based material science, green chemistry, and biopolymer science with more than 235 peer-reviewed publications in leading scientific journals. She is currently serving as an associate editor of the ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering journal. Professor Yan obtained her PhD degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto in 1997 and joined the University of Toronto as a faculty member in 2001 after working for various companies in Canada and United States. She is an elected Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC), International Academy of Wood Science (IAWS), and the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE).