Overview

Microalgae have received much interest as a biofuel feedstock in response to the uprising energy crisis, climate change and depletion of natural sources. High-value co-products have been produced through the extraction of a fraction of algae to improve the economics of a microalgae biorefinery. Apart from that, the rapid urbanisation occurring around the world has led to a demand for clean energy resources. This is where green cities play a vital role in building a sustainable future for the citizens, where the adaptation of algae as the source of renewable plants, we can create a better outlook of green cities.

Speaker

Chew Kit Wayne, Assistant Professor, Xiamen University Malaysia

Dr Chew is an Assistant Professor at Xiamen University Malaysia involved in the research field of bioprocesses and bioproducts recovery from renewable sources. His dedication for quality research is the driving force which encourages him to do cutting edge research in algae technology and sustainability. He now has more than 150 publications in just 6 years of his academic career. He expertise are in the area of biorefinery of microalgae for production of bioproducts and bioenergy, waste management and renewable energy. He is currently working on developing a multiphase system which can be utilized as a biorefinery tool for multiple products generation, and at the same time, find a possible usage for the waste biomass created to complete a circular bioeconomy of microalgae.

His passion for sustainability has also led to him to constantly be in the lookout for potential developments on a more efficient cultivation system, in order to obtain the highest possible biomass productivity with use of waste sources. He performed studies on wastewater sources for microalgae cultivation and found an increase in biocompounds composition and biomass productivity. He has various collaborations with international researchers from Taiwan, Japan, China, India, Vietnam, New Zealand and United Kingdom. He is also part of several industrial collaborative works, focusing on industrial wastewater treatment, biomass valorization and novel bioproducts synthesis. His is working with industries to commercialize the cultivation of microalgae in waste sources from the industry to assist in bioremediation and bioproducts generation.

The material presented in this webinar has not been peer-reviewed. Any opinions are the presenter’s own and do not necessarily represent those of IChemE or the Malaysia Member Group. The information is given in good faith but without any liability on the part of IChemE.