Energy- and Biorefining

Supervisor or instructor in Ph.D. Theses (9 completed, 4 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 65 Master'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.

• 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

• Singhal A., Goossens M., Fantozzi D, Raiko A., Konttinen J., Joronen T. (2021): Step washing: A modified pretreatment approach for industrial applications to improve chemical composition of agricultural residues. Bioresource Technology, Vol. 341 December. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125753

• 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. 

• 2023 World's Top 2% Scientists (list source: Stanford University)
• Academy Research Fellow, Research Council of Finland, 2021 to 2026
• ESI highly cited paper in eight consecutive years (Years 2015 to 2022)
• 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

Developing low-carbon clean technologies for Sustainable Waste Management and Bio-refinery towards Circular Economy and Carbon Neutrality based on multidisciplinary sciences.

• 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., He C.*, Ruan R., Yu Z., Jiang L., Zeng Z., Wu Q. (2020), “A review on selective production of value-added chemicals via catalytic pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass”, Science of The Total Environment, 749. 
• Ma D., Liang L., Hu E., Chen H., Wang D., He C.*, Feng, Q.* (2020), “Dechlorination of Polyvinyl Chloride by Hydrothermal Treatment with Cupric Ion”, Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 146, 108-117.
• He C.*, Lin H., Dai L., Qiu R., Tang Y., Wang Y., Ok Y. (2020), “Waste shrimp shell-derived hydrochar as an emergent material for methyl orange removal in aqueous solutions”, Environment International, 134.
• He C.*, Tang C., Liu W., Dai L., Qiu R. (2020), “Co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge and hydrochar with coals: Pyrolytic behaviors and kinetics analysis using TG-FTIR and a discrete distributed activation energy model”, Energy Conversion and Management, 203. 
• Oh W., Wong Z., Chen X., Lin, K., Veksha A., Lisak G., He C., Lim T. (2020), “Enhanced activation of peroxydisulfate by CuO decorated on hexagonal boron nitride for bisphenol A removal”, Chemical Engineering Journal, 393.
• Nguyen Q., Nguyen D., He C., Bach Q. (2020), “Isothermal torrefaction kinetics for sewage sludge pretreatment”, Fuel, 277.
• He C.*, Zhang Z., Ge C., Liu W., Tang Y., Zhuang X., Qiu R. (2019), “Synergistic effect of hydrothermal co-carbonization of sewage sludge with fruit and agricultural wastes on hydrochar fuel quality and combustion behavior”, Waste Management, 100, 171-181.
• Tang C., Li Y., He C.*, Acharya K. (2019), “Dynamic behavior of sediment resuspension and nutrients release in the shallow and wind-exposed Meiliang Bay of Lake Taihu”, Science of The Total Environment, 708.
• 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.
• Dai, L., He, C., Wang, Y., Liu, Y., Yu, Z., Zhou, Y., Fan, L., Duan, D., Ruan, R. (2017), “Comparative study on microwave and conventional hydrothermal pretreatment of bamboo sawdust: Hydrochar properties and its pyrolysis behaviors”, Energy Conversion and Management, 146, 1-7.
• 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.*, Zhao, J., Yang, Y.H., Wang, J.-Y. (2016), “Multiscale characteristics dynamics of hydrochar from hydrothermal conversion of sewage sludge under sub- and near-critical water”, Bioresource Technology, 211, 486-493.
• Zhao, J., Zhou, C., He, C., Dai, Y., Jia, X., Yang, Y. (2016), “Efficient dehydration of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural over sulfonated carbon sphere solid acid catalysts”, Catalysis Today, 264, 123–130.
• 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., Zheng, J.W., Wang, K., Lin, H.Q., Wang, J.-Y., Yang, Y.H. (2015), “Sorption enhanced aqueous phase reforming of glycerol for hydrogen production over Pt-Ni supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes”, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 162, 401-411.
• He, C.*, Chen, C.-L., Giannis A., Yang, Y.H., Wang, J.-Y. (2014), “Hydrothermal gasification of sewage sludge and model compounds for renewable hydrogen production: A review”, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 39, 1127-1142.
• He, C.*, Wang, K., Yang, Y.H., Wang, J.-Y. (2014), “Utilization of sewage-sludge-derived hydrochars toward efficient cocombustion with different-rank coals: effects of subcritical water conversion and blending scenarios”, Energy & Fuels, 28(9), 6140-6150.
• 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)
• Zhu, W., Xu, Z.R., Li, L., He, C. (2011), “The behavior of phosphorus in sub- and super-critical water gasification of sewage sludge”, Chemical Engineering Journal, 171(1), 190-196.

• Circular Economy Innovation research group