Yanwen SHEN

Long-term Associate Professor

Email: yanwenshen@sjtu.edu.cn
Address: 400 Environmental Science Building, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China

Education

• Ph.D. Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, 2013
  
• M.S. Biological Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, 2010
• B.S. Environmental Science, Tongji University, 2008

Work experience

• 2017.02-present, Associate Professor, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
• 2014.02-2017.01, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Energy Systems Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, USA

Research Interest

Dr. Shen works in the field of environmental biotechnology with an interest using reactor microbiomes, functional mixed culture, or pure cultures of microbes for generation or conversion of C1 gases (CH4, CO, CO2). Specifically, her research focuses on interspecies electron transfers in methanogenic process, syngas fermentation and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox).

Area of interest:

1. Anaerobic digestion biotechnology: producing methane and medium-chain fatty acids using short-chain fatty acids
2. Syngas fermentation: gas-to-liquid mass transfer and carbon flows in autotrophic and mixotrophic growth
3. Anammox-based biological nutrient removal: electron transfer mechanism of anammox communities
4. Biomolecular tools for microbiomes, metabolic flux analysis, meta-omics integrative analysis

Courses taught

• EV360: Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recovery
• ENVR7106: Biomass Processing Technologies

Selected Publications

1. Xu, J.; Li, C.; Shen, Y.*; Zhu, N. Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) promoted by pyrogenic biochar: Deciphering the interaction with extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Sci. Total Environ. 2022, 802, 149884.
2. Li, W.; Li, C.; Zhu, N.; Yuan, H.; Shen, Y.* The extent of sludge solubilization allows to estimate the efficacy of ozonation for removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in municipal sewage sludge. J. Hazard. Mater. 2021, 413, 125404.
3. Luo, J.; Yu, D.*; Hristovski, K.D.; Fu, K.; Shen, Y.; Westerhoff, P.; Crittenden, J.C.* Critical review of advances in engineering nanomaterial adsorbents for metal removal and recovery from water: Mechanism identification and engineering design. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2021, 55, 8, 4287-4304.
   
4. Xu, J.; Li, C.; Zhu, N.; Shen, Y.*; Yuan, H. Particle size-dependent behavior of redox-active biochar to promote anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox). Chem. Eng. J. 2021, 410, 127925.
5. Shen, Y.; Yu, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Urgun-Demirtas, M.; Yuan, H.; Zhu, N.*; Dai, X. Role of redox-active biochar with distinctive electrochemical properties to promote methane production in anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge. J. Clean. Prod. 2021, 278, 123212.
6. Lü, C.; Shen, Y.*; Li, C.; Zhu, N.; Yuan, H. Redox-active biochar and conductive graphite stimulate methanogenic metabolism in anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge: beyond direct interspecies electron transfer. ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 12626-12636.
7. Yin, C.; Shen, Y.*; Zhu, N.; Huang, Q.; Lou, Z.; Yuan, H. Anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge with incineration bottom ash: Enhanced methane production and CO2 sequestration. Appl. Energy 2018, 215, 503-511.
8. Shen, Y.; Brown, R. C.; Wen, Z.* Syngas fermentation by Clostridium carboxidivorans P7 in a horizontal rotating packed bed biofilm reactor with enhanced ethanol production. Appl. Energy 2017, 187, 585-594.
9. Shen, Y.; Linville, J. L.; Urgun-Demirtas, M.*; Schoene, R. P.; Snyder, S. W. Producing pipeline-quality biomethane via anaerobic digestion of sludge amended with corn stover biochar with in-situ CO2 removal. Appl. Energy 2015, 158, 300-309.
10. Shen, Y.; Linville, J. L.; Urgun-Demirtas, M.*; Mintz, M. M.; Snyder, S. W. An overview of biogas production and utilization at full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the United States: Challenges and opportunities towards energy-neutral WWTPs. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 2015, 50, 346-362.
11. Shen, Y.; Jarboe, L.; Brown, R.; Wen, Z.* A thermochemical-biochemical hybrid processing of lignocellulosic biomass for producing fuels and chemicals. Biotechnol. Adv. 2015, 33(8), 1799-1813.
12. Shen, Y.; Brown, R.; Wen, Z.* Enhancing mass transfer and ethanol production in syngas fermentation of Clostridium carboxidivorans P7 through a monolithic biofilm reactor. Appl. Energy 2014, 136, 68-76.

Selected Research Projects

• Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai, 2021-2024
• National Natural Science Foundation of China, 2020-2022
• Shanghai Pujiang Program (Level A), 2018-2020
• Program for Professor of Special Appointment (Eastern Scholar) at Shanghai Institutions of Higher Learning, 2018-2020
• Major Science and Technology Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment, 2017-2020

Professional Honors, Awards, and Recognitions

• 2015 LDRD Director's Competitive Grants Proposal, Argonne National Laboratory
• 2014 R&D 100 Award Winner: Enhanced Renewable Methane Production System
• 2013 Poster Competition 1st Place Winner, 2nd Annual Hybrid Processing Symposium, NSF-Iowa EPSCoR, Iowa State University
• 2012 ASABE Superior Paper Award, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE)
• 2009 Pratt Presidential Fellowship, Virginia Tech