BPI Seminar by Dr. Jikai Zhao
March 18, 2026, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Precision Conversion of Agricultural and Dairy Waste to Value-Added Products
LOCATION: KAIS #2020 on the 2nd Floor of Fred Kaiser Building located at 2332 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
Agenda
- 12:00 PM Introduction - Dr. Feng Jiang
- 12:05 PM Featured Presentation - Dr. Jikai Zhao, Assistant Professor, Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Kansas State University, USA
- 12:45 PM Q&A
- 1:00 PM Closing
*Sandwiches and coffee will be available from 11:45 AM. Please arrive early to enjoy refreshments and connect with colleagues.
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Abstract
Agricultural residues and dairy byproducts are produced in large quantities every year, yet much of this material remains underused or converted into low-value products. In this talk, I will present our research on developing practical and economically viable ways to transform these waste streams into fuels, chemicals, advanced materials, and healthy food ingredients. First, I will discuss strategies to break down plant biomass, such as corn stover and brewer’s spent grain, into fermentable sugars for producing bioethanol and other platform chemicals. By improving pretreatment methods and optimizing microbial fermentation, we are able to increase product yields while reducing inhibitory compounds that limit industrial performance. Second, I will introduce our work on converting cellulose and lignin into functional materials, including strong adhesive gels and conductive materials. These materials demonstrate how agricultural byproducts can move beyond fuels into high-value material applications. Finally, I will describe a catalytic process that converts yogurt acid whey into tagatose, a low-calorie, rare sugar with strong potential for healthier food products. Process design, technoeconomic analysis, and life-cycle assessment are used to evaluate scalability and sustainability. Overall, this work aims to close the loop in agricultural systems by transforming low-value waste into valuable and sustainable products.
About the Speaker
Dr. Jikai Zhao is an assistant professor in the Carl and Melinda Helwig Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Kansas State University (K-State). Dr. Zhao earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in food science and engineering from Henan University of Technology before obtaining his doctorate in biological and agricultural engineering from K-State in 2022. He subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering under the supervision of Dr. George Huber at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Zhao's research group focuses on advancing biological and catalytic technologies for the conversion of agricultural, food, and plastic waste into valuable biofuels, platform chemicals, and biomaterials. His group is also engineering microorganisms for the biosynthesis of value-added products from hydrolysates. Moreover, he employs technoeconomic analysis and life-cycle assessment to determine the economic viability and environmental impact of biorefinery processes. Since 2024, Zhao has secured more than $14 million in funding as either principal investigator or co-principal investigator from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). He has authored or co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed journal articles and 2 book chapters since 2020. His exceptional academic performance, research excellence, and leadership have been recognized through several prestigious awards, including Faculty Scholar of the Week, Graduate Student of the Year, Graduate Student of the Month, and the Robert I-Jen and Sophia Shui-Kan Jung Graduate Scholarship from the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering at K-State.