Prof John Zhu
Professor
z.zhu@uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 53528
School of Chemical Engineering
The University of Queensland
St Lucia, 4072
BIOGRAPHY
A Professor of Chemical Engineering in the UQ School of Chemical Engineering, John’s research interests and expertise include advanced catalysis, gas adsorption and separation, carbon nanotube membranes, direct carbon fuel cells and molecular simulations with strong focus on applications in clean energy production and storage, as well as air pollution control. He currently leads the Energy and Environmental Catalysis group. He has published six book chapters, over 100 international journal papers and many international conference papers. He has filed four American patents, and two Australian patents. His research has been strongly supported by ARC (Australian Research Council), four Australian companies, the Queensland state government and CSIRO Flagship. John’s total research funding amounts to over $8 million.
RESEARCH
John Zhu is advancing important research into clean energy and greenhouse gas reduction to secure the future health of our planet. He hopes to see his groundbreaking research applied in the areas of clean energy production and storage techniques, as well as for air pollution control. His current projects include research into direct carbon fuel cells, hydrogen storage in mesoporous carbon-related composites and advanced plasma-assisted catalytic processes for hydrogen production, gas to liquid conversion, and air pollution control.
TEACHING AND LEARNING
John has taught several engineering courses including Research Methods (CHEE7200), Heat and mass transfer (CHEE3002), and Engineering investigation and analysis (CHEE3010). He is currently lecturing a third year course, Reaction Engineering (CHEE3005).
PROJECTS
1. Transport Processes in Flexible Porous Materials for Gas Separation and Storage
2. Scale up of Direct Carbon Fuel Cells
3. Development of a novel technology for DSP separation and soda recovery in alumina refineries
4. Development of Superflux Carbon Nanotube Membranes for Gas Separation
5. Development of a Novel One Step Process for Gas Conversion to Liquid
6. Plasma-Catalytist Hybrid Process for Simultaneous Removal of NOx and SOx
KEY PUBLICATIONS
1. Zhu, ZH. Molecular Simulations applied to adsorption on and reaction with carbon, Carbon Materials for Catalysis, Philippe Serp and José Luis Figueiredo (Eds), J. Wiley & Sons, Hoboken (NJ) 2009, pp 93-129.
2. Zhu, Z.H.; Lu, G.Q. A Comparative Study of Alkali Metal Adsorptions on Graphite Using Quantum Mechanical Calculations. Langmuir, 20, 10751-10755(2004).
3. Zhu, Z.H; Radovic, L.R; Lu, G.Q. Effects of Acid Treatments of Carbon on N2O and NO Reduction by Carbon-supported Copper Catalysts, Carbon, 38, 451 (2000).
4. Li, X; Zhu ZH; Chen, JL; De Marco R; Dicks A; Bradley J; Lu GQ Surface modification of carbon fuels for direct carbon fuel cells, Journal of Power Sources, 186, 1-9 (2009).
5. Zhu, Z.H; Lu,. G.Q. Catalytic Conversion of N2O to N2 over Potassium Catalyst supported on Activated Carbon, J. Catal. 187, 262 (1999).
