Lignin-driven Advanced Materials: The State-of-the-Art

Meysam Madadi is an Associate Professor at the School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University (Wuxi, China), where he leads research in sustainable biomass conversion and waste valorization technologies. He earned his Ph.D. in Biomass and Bioenergy from Huazhong Agricultural University (Wuhan, China), establishing a strong foundation in renewable energy systems. With expertise spanning pretreatment technologies, catalytic pyrolysis, and green chemistry approaches, Dr. Madadi has developed innovative methods for converting agricultural and industrial waste into value-added biofuels, biochemicals, and functional biomaterials. His significant scholarly contributions include over 60 SCI-indexed publications in prestigious journals such as Nature Food, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Chemical Engineering Journal, and Green Chemistry. Recognized for his research excellence, Dr. Madadi was awarded the competitive Jiangsu High-Level Talent title in 2024, one of the province's most prestigious academic honors. His additional distinctions include the Excellent Young Researcher award from Jiangnan University (2023) and Excellent Postdoctoral Fellow recognition from Jiangsu Province (2022). Through his interdisciplinary work combining biotechnology, chemical engineering, and environmental science, Dr. Madadi continues to advance sustainable solutions for global energy and waste management challenges while fostering international research collaborations

Mahdy Elsayed received his master's degree in Biosystems Engineering from the Agricultural Engineering Department at Cairo University, Egypt, and a Ph.D. in Environmental and Energy Engineering from the College of Engineering at Huazhong Agricultural University, China. His primary research interests lie in biosystems engineering and biorefineries, with a focus on cleaner and sustainable production of biofuels and bioproducts. Currently, he serves as an Associate Professor at the Department of Environmental Engineering, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chengdu University, China. His interdisciplinary expertise lies in energy and environmental engineering. Dr. Elsayed is currently dedicated to researching the pretreatment and conversion of biowaste, along with other second-generation feedstocks, for efficient utilization in biofuel production. He is the Editor of the Book Volumes " Biogas - Recent Advances and Integrated Approaches", published by IntechOpen. Dr. Elsayed has published over 45 publications, including book chapters, original research papers, and reviews in journals such as Progress in Energy and Combustion Sciences, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Chemical Engineering Journal, and Environmental Chemistry Letters (h-index: 22, i10 index: 27; June 2025, Google Scholar).

Mortaza Aghbashlo is a Professor of Biosystems Engineering at the University of Tehran (Iran) and a Visiting Professor at Henan Agricultural University (China), where he helps lead an international platform for high-profile research collaborations. He has authored more than 300 publications, including papers and reviews in Nature Food, Joule, Progress in Energy and Combustion Sciences, Trends in Biotechnology, Biotechnology Advances, Nano Energy, and Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews. As of June 2025 (Google Scholar), his work has attracted 26,200 citations, with an h-index of 88 and an i10-index of 291. Dr Aghbashlo was named a Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher in the Cross-Field category (2021). He co-edited the Springer Nature volumes Biodiesel: From Production to Combustion and Fungi in Fuel Biotechnology (both 2018). His editorial service includes membership on the boards of Progress in Energy and Combustion Sciences (Elsevier), Biofuel Research Journal (BRJ), and e-Prime (Elsevier), as well as a term as Associate Editor of Cleaner Environmental Systems (Elsevier). He has also guest-edited special issues for the Journal of Hazardous Materials and Environmental Research.

Meisam Tabatabaei is a Professor of Environmental Biotechnology at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Malaysia. From 2010 to 2019, he worked closely with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to promote waste-oriented biofuels in the developing world. Since 2016, he has been the lead collaborator of the Lancet Commission on Public Health and Climate Change (UCL, UK). He has published over 450 works, including original research papers and reviews in leading journals such as The Lancet, Progress in Energy and Combustion Sciences, Nature Food, Trends in Biotechnology, and Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. He currently serves as a Visiting Professor at Henan Agricultural University (China), Visiting Professor & Global Ambassador at the University of Saskatchewan (Canada), and Distinguished Adjunct Professor at Zhengzhou University (China). He has held top editorial roles in journals with impact factors above 30 and is currently Associate Editor of Critical Reviews in Biotechnology and an editorial board member of the International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. As of June 2025, Prof. Tabatabaei has led and collaborated on 24 research projects with a focus on waste valorisation and biorefineries, sustainable aquaculture, climate change, and food security.