Hydrothermal Processing in Biorefineries (PDF)

their contribution to the development of biotechnology and bioengineering in Mexico.

Dr. Mette Hedegaard Thomsen, PhD, Assistant Professor, has worked with utilization of waste products and aquatic biomass for bio-fuels and green chemicals for more than 10 years. Dr. Thomsen has worked closely with European, American, and Middle Eastern industry to develop and scale up biorefinery processes, and has PI experience from several national research and international projects. Dr. Thomsen is author and co-author of more than 60 scientific papers including 38 ISI journal papers, five book chapters, and several conference contributions in areas related mainly to bio-energy and bio-chemicals production. Major contributions in the field of biorefineries: i) Application of amylolytic lactic acid bacteria in production of bio-polymers, ii) Part of team that developed acidification process for grass juice as substrate to produce l-lysine, iii) Part of team that developed demonstration scale hydrothermal treatment of wheat straw, iv) Chemical characterization and development of conversion processes for many different biomasses, v) Progress in biomass to ethanol fermentation technology, and vi) Isolation and application of natural antibiotics.

Dr. Heather L. Trajano is an Assistant Professor in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. She obtained her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the University of California Riverside. Dr. Trajano's focus is to explore and harness fundamental knowledge of biomass fractionation and conversion for maximum economic and environmental benefit. Specific research interests include i) Fundamentals of biomass deconstruction to separate carbohydrates from lignin, ii) Recovery and purification of extractives and iii) Heterogeneous catalysis for chemical production. Dr. Trajano searches for biorefining opportunities that complement existing forestry operations by utilizing waste streams and by-products in collaboration with leading Canadian forestry companies. Dr. Trajano has published numerous articles on biomass pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis in leading biorefining journals including: Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Biotechnology for Biofuels, Bioresource Technology, and Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining.