Researcher to receive R&D award from paper industry

In Georgia, Dr. Junyong Zhu will receive 2014 Research and Development Technical Award from TAPPI, the leading association for the worldwide pulp, paper, packaging, tissue and converting industries. This award is given for outstanding accomplishments or contributions which have advanced the technology of the paper and related industries in the field of research and development. Dr. Zhu joined the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Products Laboratory in 2003, where he’s currently a team leader for studies in woody biomass utilization for sugar/biofuel, chemicals, fiber, and cellulose nanomaterials production. Zhu is also an Adjunct Professorship in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His work has included upgrading and pretreatment of forest residues for biofuel production and novel methods for the production of cellulose nanomaterials. It has also included research on understanding the fundamentals of cellulase enzyme interactions with lignocelluloses for woody biomass bioconversion.