Innovations in Thermochemical Technologies for Biofuel Processing

Dr. Sonil Nanda is a Research Associate in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He received his Ph.D. degree in Biology from York University, Canada; M.Sc. degree in Applied Microbiology from Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT University), India; and B.Sc. degree in Microbiology from Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, India. Dr. Nanda’s research areas are related to the production of advanced biofuels and biochemicals through thermochemical and biochemical conversion technologies such as gasification, pyrolysis, carbonization and fermentation. He has gained expertise in hydrothermal gasification of a wide variety of organic wastes and biomass including agricultural and forestry residues, industrial effluents, municipal solid wastes, cattle manure, sewage sludge and food wastes to produce hydrogen fuel. His parallel interests are also in the generation of hydrothermal flames for the treatment of hazardous wastes, agronomic applications of biochar, phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soils, as well as carbon capture and sequestration. Dr. Nanda has published over 80 peer-reviewed journal articles, 30 book chapters and has presented at many international conferences. Dr. Nanda serves as a Fellow Member of the Society for Applied Biotechnology in India, as well as a Life Member of the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers; Association of Microbiologists of India; Indian Science Congress Association; and the Biotech Research Society of India. He is also an active member of several chemical engineering societies across North America such as the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Chemical Institute of Canada, and the Combustion Institute-Canadian Section. Dr. Nanda is an Assistant Subject Editor for the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (Elsevier). He has also edited several Special Issues in renowned journals such as the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (Elsevier), Chemical Engineering Science (Elsevier) Waste and Biomass Valorization (Springer), Topics in Catalysis (Springer), SN Applied Sciences (Springer), Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery (Springer), and Chemical Engineering & Technology (Wiley).

Dr. Dai-Viet N. Vo is currently the Director of the Center of Excellence for Green Energy and Environmental Nanomaterials at Nguyen Tat Thanh University in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He received his Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering from The University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia in 2011. He has worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of New South Wales in Sydney and Texas A&M University at Qatar, Doha. Formerly, he was a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Chemical & Natural Resources Engineering in the Universiti Malaysia Pahang in Kuantan, Malaysia (2013-2019). His research areas are in the production of green synthetic fuels via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis using biomass-derived syngas from various reforming processes. He is also an expert in advanced material synthesis and catalyst characterization. During his early career, he has worked as the principal investigator and co-investigator for 21 different funded research projects related to sustainable and alternative energy. He has published 6 books, 15 book chapters, more than 110 peer-reviewed journal articles and 80 conference proceedings. He has served in the technical and publication committees of numerous international conferences in chemical engineering, catalysis and renewable energy. Dr. Vo is an Assistant Subject Editor for the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (Elsevier) and a Guest Editor for several Special Issues in high-impact factor journals such as the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (Elsevier), Comptes Rendus Chimie (Elsevier), Chemical Engineering Science (Elsevier), Waste and Biomass Valorization (Springer), Topics in Catalysis (Springer), Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery (Springer), Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology (Wiley) and Chemical Engineering & Technology (Wiley). He is also an Editorial Board Member of many international journals including PLOS One, SN Applied Sciences (Springer) and Scientific Reports (Springer Nature).