RESEARCH AREAS :

Development of value-added products from agro-based systems
Development of biorefinery process for production of fuels, chemicals, polymers, and materials from lignocellulosic biomass
Development of renewable energy systems
Food and bioprocess engineering

Biofuels: To improve the efficacy of ethanol production from cellulosic biomass, Dr. Yebo Li is developing strategies for concurrent wet storage and pretreatment of corn stover for ethanol production.  NaOH and microbial pretreatment are conducted at ambient temperature during wet storage to evaluate the dry matter loss and enzymatic hydrolysis yield of the treated corn stover. This project is funded by the US Department of Energy through the North Central Sun Grant Program. He is also studying the effect of hot water pretreatment on the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of corn stover and soybean straw, which is funded by Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) Seeds Grant Program. Collaborating with North Carolina A&T State University, Purdue University, and Alabama A&M University, He is developing an integrated process for producing ethanol and biobased products from lignocellulosic biomass. The research at OSU focuses on the development of cost-effective pretreatment methods for co-production of ethanol, lactic acid, and xylitol from lignocellulosic biomass. This project is funded by the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES).

Biomaterials: Dr. Li is developing processes to use renewable resources to produce bio-based materials. Current projects include: developing a membrane integrated system for lactic acid production from organic waste such as cheese whey and crop residues. Bifidobacteria longum has been found to be highly efficient for lactic acid production from cheese whey. He is also studying the conversion of both glucose and xylose in lignocellulosic biomass to lactic acid using mixed cultures of B. longum and Lactobacillus brevis which have been studied for lactic acid production from NaOH treated corn stover. Dr. Li has also developed an innovative process for polyurethane production from soybean processing waste. The patent for this process is pending.

Bioenergy: Dr. Li’s research in the bioenergy area focuses on maximizing energy production from organic wastes and renewable resources. Current project include: developing an innovative process for solid-state anaerobic digestion of organic waste.  Crop residues, yard trimmings, and organic fraction of municipal solid waste have been successfully tested for methane production at a total solid content between 20-40%. This project is funded by the OARDC Seeds grant program. The patent for this process is pending. He has closely collaborated with Schmack Bioenergy LLC to optimize the co-digestion process for methane production from mixed organic waste such as food processing waste, manure, and sewage sludge. He is also working on the development of an integrated engineering system for algae production using anaerobic digestion effluent as a nutrient source.

EDUCATION :

Ph.D., Biological and Agricultural Engineering, 1993
College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
B.S., Agricultural Engineering, 1988
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Shandong, China

EXTENSION PROGRAMS :