Hawaii Natural Energy Institute
School of Ocean And Earth Science And Technology
University of Hawaii at Manoa
COURSES TAUGHT
Ocean and Resources Engineering 620: Marine Bioprocess Engineering
Bioengineering 431: Environmental Biotechnology
Bioengineering 634: Biological treatment
Bioengineering 413: Transport Phenomena
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
Biopolymers and bioplastics … bioethanol and biofuels … microbial metabolism and fermentation … enzymatic catalysis and enzyme-polymer conjugation … bioreactor engineering and bioprocessing, process simulation and life-cycle assessement
INVENTIONS
Green technology to produce biodegradable thermoplastics and elastomers from organic wastes (Patent Cooperation Treaty Patent Application PCT/US03/01202, 1/15/2003, International Publication No. WO 03/062439, 7/31/2003; US Patent Application No. 10/501,502, 7/9/2004; Japan Patent Application No. 2003-562306, 7/14/2004; China Patent Application No. 3802258.3, 7/15/2004)
Recovery and purification of polyhydroxyalkanoates from PHA-containing cell mass (US Provisional Patent Application, 5/24/2005).
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
Graduate assistantships are availabel to students with background and interest in applied microbiology, biochemistry, process engineering,and chemical engineering. Please send inquiry emails to jianyu@hawaii.edu [2].
RESEARCH PROJECTS
Advanced water and waste management in biomass refining for sustainable cellulosic ethaol production
Green production of PHA bioplastics from renewable feedstocks: feedstock pretreatment, novel bioreactor, non-solvent polymer recovery, process simulation, scale-up economics
Proteomics and metabolic engineering of microbial biosynthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates
Associate Professor, Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, Aug. 2002 - Present
Associate Professor, Department of Ocean and Resources Engineering, Sept. 2001 - July 2002
Graduate Faculty, Department of Molecular Bioscience and Bioengineering, Oct. 2001- Present
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Sept. 1994 - Aug. 2001
Research Associate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Windsor (Canada), Apr. 1993 - Aug. 1994
Postdoctoral Fellow, Science Council of British Columbia/Pacific Fermentation Industries Ltd. Sept. 1991- Feb. 1993.
Ph.D., Biochemical Engineering, University of British Columbia, 1991
M.S., Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University, 1985
B.Eng., Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, 1982
Book chapters
Jian Yu (2012). Generation and utilization of microbial biomass hydrolysates in recovery and production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate). In: M.D. Matovic (editor), Biomass/Book 2, ISBN 980-953-307-506-3, INTECH (in print).
Jian Yu (2010). Biosynthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates from 4-ketovaleric acid in bacterial cells. In: H N Cheng & Richard A Gross (editors), Green Polymer Chemistry: Biocatalysis and Biomaterials, ACS Symposium 1043, Pp161-173.
Jian Yu 2009). Production of green bioplastics from agri-food chain residues and co-products. In: Keith Waldron (editor), Handbook of Waste Management and Co-product Recovery in Food Processing, Vol 2. Pp 515-531, Woodhead Publishing Ltd. Cambridge, UK.
Jian Yu and Pat Takahashi (2007). Biophotolysis-based hydrogen production by cyanobacteria and green microalgae. In: A. Mendes-Vilas (editor), Communicating Current Research and Educational Topics and Trends in Applied Microbiology. Microbiology Series No.1 Vol. 1, Pp 79-89, Formatex, Badajoz, Spain.
Peer-reviewed research articles
Nuttapol Tanadchangsaeng, Jian Yu (2013). Miscibility of natural polyhydroxyalkanoate blend with controllable material properties. Journal of Applied Polymer Science DOI:10.1002/APP.38906.
Nuttapol Tanadchangsaeng, Jian Yu (2012). Microbial synthesis of polyhydroxybutyrate from glycerol: gluconeogenesis, molecular weight and material properties of biopolyester. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 109: 2808-2818.
Jian Yu (2012). Artificial photosynthetic system for high efficiency capture and conversion of solar energy and carbon dioxide. IERI Lecture Notes in Information Technology: Power and Energy Systems Vol 13: 64-69.
Matt Jaremko, Jian Yu (2011). The initial metabolic conversion of levulinic acid in Cupriavidus necator. Journal of Biotechnology 155:293-298.
Michael Porter, Jian Yu (2011). Crystallization kinetics of poly(3-hdyroxybutyrate) granules in different environmental conditions. Journal of Biomaterials and Nanobiotechnology 2:301-310.
Michael Porter, Jian Yu (2011). Monitoring in situ crystallization of biopolyester granules in Ralstonia eutropha via infrared spectroscopy. Journal of Microbiological Methods 87:49-55.
Jian Yu, Lilian X L Chen, Shun Sato (2009). Biopolyester synthesis and protein regulations in Ralstonia eutropha on levulinic acid and its derivatives from biomass refining. Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy 3:113-122.
Sung-Eun Lee, Qing X Li, Jian Yu (2009). Diverse protein regulations on PHA formation in Ralstonia eutropha on short chain organic acids. International Journal of Biological Sciences 5(3):215-225.
Jian Yu and Lilian Chen (2008). The greenhouse gas emissions and fossil energy requirement of bioplastics from cradle to gate of a biomass refinery. Environmental Science & Technology 42(18): 6961-6966.
Jian Yu and Heiko Stahl (2008). Microbial utilization and biopolyester synthesis of bagasse hydrolysates. Bioresource Technology 99:8042-8046.
Zhe Xu and Jian Yu (2008). Hydrodynamics and mass transfer in a novel multiple airlifting membrane bioreactor. Chemical Engineering Science 63:1941-1949.
Jian Yu and Pat Takahashi (2007). Biophotolysis-based hydrogen production by cyanobacteria and green microalgae. In: A. Mendes-Vilas (editor), Communicating Current Research and Educational Topics and Trends in Applied Microbiology. Microbiology Series No.1 Vol. 1, Pp 79-89, Formatex, Badajoz, Spain.
Jian Yu and Lilian Chen (2006). Cost effective recovery and purification of polyhydroxyalkanoates by selective dissolution of cell mass. Biotechnology Progress 22, 547-553.
Sun-En Lee, Qing X. Li and Jian Yu (2006). Proteomic examination of Ralstonia eutropha in cellular response to formic acid inhibition. Proteomics 6(15):4259-4268.
Jian Yu, David Piklet, Lilian X L Chen (2005). Mechanism and kinetics of the monomeric products from abiotic hydrolysis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) under acidic and alkaline conditions. Polymer Degradation and Stability 89:289-299.
Lilian X. L. Chen and Jian Yu (2005). Abiotic hydrolysis of biopolyester poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] in acidic and alkaline media. Macromolecular Symposium 224:35-46.
Gary Delanoy, Qingxiao Li and Jian Yu (2005). Activity and stability of laccase in Conjugation with Chitosan. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 35:89-95.
Jian Yu and Yingtao Si (2004). Metabolic carbon fluxes and biosynthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates by Ralstonia eutropha on short chain fatty acids. Biotechnology Progress 20(4):1015-1024.
Guochen Du, Lilian Chen and Jian Yu (2004). High efficiency production of bioplastics form biodegradable organic solids. Journal of Polymers and the Environment, 12:89-94
Jian Yu and Shuwah Tse (2003). Adsorptive immobilization of a Pseudomonas strain and its effective population for augmented dye decomposition in a continuous flow activated sludge reactor. Biofouling, 19(4): 223-233.
Jian Yu (2003). Biodegradation-based polymer surface erosion and surface renewal for foul release at low ship speeds. Biofouling, 19(suppl.): 83-90.
Tommy W. Lo and Jian Yu (2003). The environmental factors and microbial degradation kinetics of poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) in aqueous medium. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 87(2):205-213.
Guocheng Du and Jian Yu (2002). Metabolic analysis on fatty acids utilization by Pseudomonas oleovorans: mcl-poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) synthesis versus b-oxidation. Process Biochemistry, 38:325-332.
Guocheng Du and J. Yu (2002). Green technology for conversion of food scraps to biodegradable thermoplastics polyhydroxyalkanoates. Environmental Science & Technology, 36(24):5511-5516.
J. Yu, Y. Si and W.K. Wang (2002). Kinetics modeling on inhibition and utilization of mixed volatile fatty acids in formation of polyhydroxyalkanoates by Ralstonia eutropha, Process Biochemistry, 37(7):731-738.
W. Lo and J. Yu (2002). Effects of energy dissipation rate and surface erosion on biodegradation of poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) and its blends with synthetic polymers in aqueous medium. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 83, 1036-1045.
G. Du, Y. Si and J. Yu (2001). Inhibition by medium-chain-length fatty acids of formation of polyhydroxyalkanoates from volatile fatty acids by Ralstonia eutropha. Biotechnology Letters, 23(19):1613-1617.
G. Du, J. Chen, J. Yu and S. Lun (2001). Kinetic studies on poly-3-hydroxybutyrate formation by Ralstonia eutropha in a two-stage continuous culture system. Process Biochemistry 37(3):219-227.
M. Ji, J. Yu, H. Chen and P.L. Yue (2001). Removal of slowly biodegradable COD in combined thermophilic UASB and moving bed biofilm reactors. Environmental Technology, 22(9): 1069-1080.
J. Yu and Y. Si (2001). Dynamic study and modeling on formation of polyhydroxyalkanoates coupled with treatment of high strength wastewater, Environmental Science & Technology, 35:3584-3588.
G. Du, J. Chen, J. Yu and S. Lun (2001). Feeding strategy of propionic acid for production of poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) with Ralstonia eutropha. Biochemical Engineering Journal, 8:103-110.
J. Yu, X. Wang and P.L. Yue (2001). Optimal decolorization and kinetic modeling of synthetic dyes by Pseudomonas strains. Water Research, 35(15):3579-3586.
G. Du, J. Chen, J. Yu and S. Lun (2001). Continuous production of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate by Ralstonia eutropha in a two-stage culture system. Journal of Biotechnology, 88:59-65.
J. Yu and J. Wang (2001). Metabolic flux modeling of detoxification of acetic acid by Ralstonia eutropha at slightly alkaline pH levels. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 73(6):458-464.
J. Wang and J. Yu (2001). Kinetic analysis of formation of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) from acetic acid by Ralstonia eutropha under chemically defined conditions. Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, 26:121-126.
J. Yu (2001). Production of PHA from starchy wastes via organic acids. Journal of Biotechnology. 86:105-112.
