Lecture: Integrated Pathways for Green Hydrogen, CO? Conversion, and Biocrude Co-Processing in a Circular Carbon Economy
Lecturer: Professor Hu Jingguang
Time: 10:30-12:00, Dec. 5th, 2025
Venue: A403, State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation
Bio.: Professor Hu Jingguang is a College Member of the Royal Society of Canada and Research Chair Professor at the Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary. He leads the Biomass and Biorefinery Research Laboratory, focusing on developing cutting-edge technologies to convert renewable bio-based feedstocks into clean energy, green chemicals, and advanced biomaterials. His pioneering research on the synergistic production of biofuels and hydrogen through sunlight-driven biomass photorefining has opened significant new avenues in the field of sustainable chemical engineering.
Abstract: The global transition toward carbon-neutral energy systems demands integrated solutions that simultaneously reduce emissions, harness renewable resources, and enhance the value of existing energy infrastructures. This presentation highlights recent advances from our research program at the University of Calgary that address these challenges through three complementary technological pathways. First, green hydrogen production strategies based on sunlight-driven catalytic systems will be discussed. These Biomass Photorefining (BPR) platforms couple solar energy with renewable carbon feedstocks to enable ambient-condition hydrogen evolution alongside the production of value-added biochemicals, offering a low-energy alternative to conventional thermochemical methods. Second, the presentation will feature our CO? Conversion System for clean fuels and sustainable chemical production. Through tailored catalyst design, multi-field reaction engineering, and bicarbonate-stabilized electrolyzer configurations, our team has developed highly selective CO?-to-ethylene, CO?-to-formate, and CO?-to-oxygenate pathways with strong potential for industrial deployment. These advances outline scalable approaches for integrating carbon capture with carbon-negative fuel and materials synthesis. Finally, recent progress in biocrude pretreatment and co-processing technologies will be showcased. This work enhances the compatibility of bio-oils with petroleum refining systems by reducing catalyst poisoning, improving stability, and increasing co-processing yields, providing a practical route for lowering carbon intensity within existing refineries. Collectively, these innovations demonstrate how renewable carbon utilization, catalytic engineering, and clean-energy technologies can converge to support a circular, low-emission energy future.
Organizer and Sponsor：
State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation
School of New Energy and Materials
Institute of Science and Technology Development
Xindu district of chengdu in sichuan province xindu road no. 8 | 
610500 | 
86-28-83032846 
