Energy- and Biorefining

• Bio4all (Business Finland)
• BL2F (EU Horizon)
• CNESS - Climate Neutral Energy Systems and Society

Supervisor or instructor in Ph.D. Theses (10 completed, 3 in progress): Bajamundi Cyril: Academic Dissertation in May, 2015. Kramb Jason: January, 2017. Keipi Tiina: December, 2017. Doppaneni Tharak: April 2018. Lampio Kaj: August 2018. Pääkkönen Anna: December 2019. Bhatnagar Anubhuti: September 2022, Niemelä Niko: April 2022, Abhishek Singhal: May 2023. Kanellis Georgios: 2012 – 2024, Losoi, Pauli: 2018-2023. Avishek Goel 2021 – 2025, Babak Arjmand 2022 – 2026. Also supervisor in 70 Master's Theses and 25 Bachelor's Theses.

Supervisor of Best Academic Dissertation (Tiina Keipi), awarded in 2019 both by Tampere University and Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland TEK.

Since 2010: Pre-examiner or opponent in 15 academic dissertations, also external reviewer of 7 academic professorship/expert positions.  

Years 1999 – 2006 and 2009-2012: Carbona Inc. as part-time Consultant. Key merit: Successful process design related with a 20 MW Skive gasification CHP plant in Skive, Denmark. Years 1992- 1995: Enviropower Inc., Research engineer: Succesful pilot-scale demonstration of a renegenative sulfur removal process.

• Singhal A., Roslander C., Goel A., Ismailov A., Erdei B., Wallberg O., Konttinen J., Joronen T. (2024): Combined leaching and steam explosion pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass for high quality feedstock for thermochemical applications. Chemical Engineering Journal, Volume 489, 1 June 2024, 151298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2024.151298

• Losoi P., Konttinen J., Santala V. (2022): Substantial gradient mitigation in simulated large-scale bioreactors by optimally placed multiple feed points. Accepted for publication in Biotechnology and Bioengineering. https://doi.org/10.1002/bit.28232

• Bhatnagar, A., Khatri, P., Krzywonos, M., Tolvanen, H. & Konttinen, J. (2022): Techno-economic and environmental assessment of decentralized pyrolysis for crop residue management: Rice and wheat cultivation system in India. Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132998

• Goel A., Moghaddam E. M., Liu W., He C., Konttinen J. (2022), Biomass chemical looping gasification for high-quality syngas: A critical review and technological outlooks. Energy Conversion and Management, Vol. 268, 15 September 2022, 116020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2022.116020

• Lappalainen J., Baudouin D., Hornung U., Schuler J., Melin K., Bjelić S., Vogel F., Konttinen J. and Joronen T. (2020): Sub- and Supercritical Water Liquefaction of Kraft Lignin and Black Liquor Derived Lignin. Energies, 13(13), 3309. https://doi.org/10.3390/en13133309

• Doddapaneni T., Ramasamy P., Tolvanen H., Rintala J., Konttinen J. (2018): Techno-economic evaluation of integrating torrefaction with anaerobic digestion. Applied Energy Volume 213 (March), pp.272–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.01.045 

• Keipi T., Li T., Løvås L.T, Tolvanen H., Konttinen J. (2017): methane thermal decomposition in regenerative heat exchanger reactor: Experimental and modelingstudy. Energy. Energy 135 (September), pp. 823-832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2017.06.176 

• Kramb, J., Konttinen, J.T., Gomez-Barea, A., Moilanen, A., Umeki, K. (2014) Modeling biomass char gasification kinetics for improving prediction of carbon conversion in a fluidized bed gasifier. Fuel 132 (September), pp. 107–115. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2014.04.014 

• Konttinen J., Backman R., Hupa M., Moilanen A., Kurkela E., (2013) Trace element behaviour in the fluidized bed gasification of solid recovered fuels – A thermodynamic study. Fuel 106 (April), pp. 621–631. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2012.10.009 

• Konttinen, J.; Zevenhoven, C.A.P.; Hupa M.M. (1997): Hot Gas Desulfurization with Zinc Titanate Sorbents in a Fluidized Bed. 2. Reactor Model. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 36 (6), pp. 2340-2345. 

• Konttinen, J. T.; Salo, K.; Ghazanfari, R.; Feher, G.; Lehtovaara, A.; Mojtahedi, W.: Pilot Scale Experience on IGCC Hot Gas Cleanup. In: Proceedings of the Advanced Coal-Fired Power Systems '95 Review Meeting, Volume 1. June 1995. U. S. Department of Energy, Morgantown Energy Technology Center. Morgantown, WV, USA, 1995. 

• 2020-2024 World's Top 2% Scientists (list source: Stanford/Elsevier, Main Field: Enabling & Strategic Technologies)
• Academy Research Fellow, Research Council of Finland, 2021 to 2026
• ESI highly cited paper in eight consecutive years (Years 2015 to 2024)
• 2015 Applied Energy Award (Applied Energy, Elsevier)
• Co-founder of a Singapore spin-off start-up company in environmental and energy technologies
• 2014 Top 5 Poster Award in NTU Research Open House
• 2013 Best Poster Award, Bioenergy and Biorefinery Conference-Southeast Asia 2013 Biobased Fuels and Chemicals, Singapore

Resilience-enhancing and smart concepts of integrated energy driven bio-refineries for the co-production of advanced biofuels, bio-chemicals and biomaterials.

• Vo, T.-P.; Zhang, R.; Rintala, J.; Xiao, K.; He, C.* Effect of Thermochemical Treatment of Sewage Sludge on Its Phosphorus Leaching Efficiency: Insights into Leaching Behavior and Mechanism. Waste Management 2024, 190, 24–34.
• Lim, X.-X.; Low, S.-C.; Tan, K. Q.; Lin, K.-Y. A.; He, C.; Zhou, T.; Oh, W.-D. Impact of Nickel and Alkaline Earth Metals Interaction on Sustainable Carbon Nanotubes Generation from Plastic Face Masks via Catalytic Pyrolysis. Chemical Engineering Journal 2024, 497, 154693.
• Zhao, X.; Zhu, J.; Yin, K.; Ding, G.; He, C.* Quantitative Impact Analysis of Cross-Border Tourism on Global Food Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Resources, Conservation & Recycling Advances 2024, 22, 200215.
• Rasoulnia, P.; Kokko, M.*; Kinnunen, V.; He, C.* Integrated Valorization of Digestate and Concentrate from a Centralized Biogas Plant via Hydrothermal Co-Carbonization. Chemical Engineering Journal 2024, 496, 154061.
• Hu, Z.; Wang, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Wu, H.; Oh, W.-D.; Li, H.; He, C.* Boosting Photocatalytic Multi-VOCs Decontamination over COF-Based Heterojunction via Targeted Construction of Ov–M–N Charge Channel (M= Ti, Zn, W, Ce) and–NH2 Functionalization. Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy 2024, 124532.
• Zhou, K.; Li, Y.; Tang, Y.; Yang, Y.; Tian, G.; Liu, B.; Bian, B.; He, C.* A New Scheme for Low-Carbon Recycling of Urban and Rural Organic Waste Based on Carbon Footprint Assessment: A Case Study in China. npj Sustainable Agriculture 2024, 2 (1), 9.
• Yan, Z.; Zhao, H.; Zhu, P.; Wang, Y.; Hou, J.; Lu, G.; He, C.* Polystyrene Microplastics Alter the Trophic Transfer and Biotoxicity of Fluoxetine in an Aquatic Food Chain. Journal of Hazardous Materials 2024, 470, 134179.
• Zhang, R.; Liu, H.; Sariola-Leikas, E.; Tran, K.-Q.; He, C.* Practical Strategies of Phosphorus Reclamation from Sewage Sludge after Different Thermal Processing: Insights into Phosphorus Transformation. Water Research 2024, 255, 121524.
• Kaim-Sevalneva, V.; Sariola-Leikas, E.; He, C.* Highly Selective Extraction of Scandium (III) from Rare Earth Elements Using Quaternary Ammonium Based Ionic Liquids: Experimental and DFT Studies. Separation and Purification Technology 2024, 334, 126038.
• Zhang, Y.;  Wang, L.;  Zhang, R.;  He, C.;  Jia, L.;  Wang, X.;  Feng, X.;  Jiang, T.;  Xie, B.;  Ma, X.;  Cao, J.;  Ma, Y.;  Tan, X.; Yu, T. (2023), Steering Electron Density of Zr Sites Using Ligand Effect in Bio-Beads for Efficient Defluoridation. Advanced Functional Materials, 33 (20), 2213999.
• Vo, T.-P.; Rintala, J.; Dai, L.; Oh, W.-D.; He, C.* (2023), The role of ubiquitous metal ions in degradation of microplastics in hot-compressed water. Water Research, 245, 120672.
• Huang, W., Zhang, R., Giannis, A., Li, C., He, C.* (2023), "Sequential hydrothermal carbonization and CO2 gasification of sewage sludge for improved syngas production with mitigated emissions of NOx precursors", Chemical Engineering Journal, 454, 140239.
• Kaim, V., Rintala, J., He, C.* (2023), "Selective recovery of rare earth elements from e-waste via ionic liquid extraction: A review", Separation and Purification Technology, 306, 122699.
• Xie, C., Xiao, Y., He, C., Liu, W.-S., Tang, Y.-T., Wang, S., van der Ent, A., Morel, J.L., Simonnot, M.-O., Qiu, R.-L. (2023), "Selective recovery of rare earth elements and value-added chemicals from the Dicranopteris linearis bio-ore produced by agromining using green fractionation", Journal of Hazardous Materials, 443, 130253.
• Goel A., Moghaddam E. M., Liu W., He C.*, Konttinen J. (2022), “Biomass chemical looping gasification for high-quality syngas: A critical review and technological outlooks”, Energy Conversion and Management, 268, 116020.
• He C.*, Tang C., Oh W-D. (2022), “Reinforced degradation of ibuprofen with MnCo2O4/FCNTs nanocatalyst as peroxymonosulfate activator: Performance and mechanism”, Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 10, 107874.
• He C.*, Zhang Z., Xie C., Giannis A., Chen Z., Tang Y., Qiu R. (2021), “Transformation behaviors and environmental risk assessment of heavy metals during resource recovery from Sedum plumbizincicola via hydrothermal liquefaction”, Journal of Hazardous Materials, 410, 124588.
• Dai L., Wang Y., Liu Y., Ruan R., He C., Yu Z., Jiang L., Zeng Z., Tian X. (2019), “Integrated process of lignocellulosic biomass torrefaction and pyrolysis for upgrading bio-oil production”, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 107, 20-36. (ESI highly cited paper)
• Zhuang, X., Zhan, H., Song, Y., He, C., Huang, Y., Yin, X., Wu, C. (2019), “Insights into the evolution of chemical structures in lignocellulose and non-lignocellulose biowastes during hydrothermal carbonization (HTC)”, Fuel, 236, 960-974. (ESI highly cited paper)
• He, C.*, Tang, C., Li C., Yuan J., Tran K., Bach Q., Qiu R., Yang Y. (2018), “Wet torrefaction of biomass for high quality solid fuel production: A review”, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 91, 259-271.
• Xiao, K., Chen, Y., Jiang, X., He, C., Yin, Y., Zhou, Y. (2017), “Comparison of different treatment methods for protein solubilisation from waste activated sludge”, Water Research, 122, 492-502.
• He, C.*, Wang, K., Yang, Y.H., Amaniampong, P., Wang, J.-Y. (2015), “Effective nitrogen removal and recovery from sewage sludge using a novel integrated system of accelerated hydrothermal deamination and air stripping”, Environmental Science & Technology, 49 (11), 6872-6880.
• He, C.*, Giannis, A., Wang, J.-Y. (2013), “Conversion of sewage sludge to clean solid fuel using hydrothermal carbonization: Hydrochar fuel characteristics and combustion behavior”, Applied Energy. 111, 257-266. (ESI highly cited paper)

• Circular Economy Innovation research group