Lijun Wang, Ph.D.

Dr. Lijun Wang, professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, is part of a University of North Carolina system research team that recently snagged a $2 million grant to convert animal and food waste into carbon-neutral gasoline. Awarded by the UNC System’s Research Opportunities Initiative (ROI), the project will vet technology that uses solar energy to convert biogas to gasoline.

The research team is led by N.C. A&T chemistry professor, Dr. Debasish Kuila. He is also the research director of the National Science Foundation CERST Bioenergy Center, and an adjunct professor at both the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering (JSNN) and the Wake Forest School of Medicine.

Wang is leading phase 1 of the research project, which involves converting agricultural solid wastes and waste water into biogas. Kuila is focused on the second part of the research, which involves converting biogas into liquid biofuels.

In addition to waste-to-energy technologies, Wang’s research interests also include bioenergy processing technologies and bio-refinery design and analysis, among other areas. His research is also supported by USDA-NIFA.