SpecialSession

Tentative Title: Innovations in Circular Economy Systems for Net-Zero Transitions

Short Biography of Organizers
Shu-Yuan (Sean) Pan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, College of Bioresources and Agriculture at National Taiwan University (NTU). He also serves as the vice Chief Executive Officer of the Agricultural Net Zero Technology and Management Innovation Research Center at NTU. He received his Ph.D. in environmental engineering from NTU in 2016. At NTU, he leads the Green Technology Lab, where his team focuses on advancing circular bioeconomy technologies to support a net-zero future. Their work spans bench-scale experiments, pilot-scale demonstrations, thermodynamic–kinetic modeling, and economic–environmental analyses. Notable research areas include water-resource-energy recovery, CO₂ removal, anaerobic digestion, and life cycle assessment. He has authored over 130 articles in SCI-indexed journals, such as Nature Sustainability, Environmental Science & Technology, and Bioresource Technology. He holds 10 patents and is the author of the book CO2 Mineralization and Utilization. He was recognized with several awards, including the “40 Under 40 Recognition” from AAEES USA (2026), the “Rising Stars” from ACS Engineering Au (2025), the “Ta-You Wu Memorial Award” from the National Science and Technology Council of Taiwan (2024), the “Class of Influential Researchers” from I&EC Research (2023), the “ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Lectureship” (2022), and listing among the World’s Top 2% Scientists since 2020. He was also named a Green Talent by the German BMBF.

Short description of the proposed topic:
As global efforts to mitigate climate change continue to accelerate, circular bioeconomy systems are becoming key drivers for advancing long-term environmental resilience. This Special Session brings together researchers and policymakers to discuss innovative developments in sustainable chemistry and engineering for circular resource management. Topics will include technologies and strategies for closing the carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and water cycles through integrated approaches spanning molecular design to industrial-scale implementation. Emphasis will be placed on agricultural and biomass-based systems that promote resource recovery, carbon mitigation, and sustainable production pathways toward a low-carbon and circular future.

Novelty and motivation:
This Special Session is unique in its integration of circular bioeconomy, sustainable practices, and climate mitigation strategies specifically tailored to the agro-food, energy, industrial, and domestic sectors. Unlike regular program sessions that often focus on individual technologies or isolated environmental challenges, this Session emphasizes interdisciplinary and system-level approaches linking chemical, biochemical, and engineering innovations with carbon neutrality and resource circularity goals. Emerging topics such as agricultural biomass valorization, biomass with carbon dioxide capture and storage (bio-CCS), accelerated weathering, mineralization, and enhancement of natural carbon sinks through soil carbon sequestration will be highlighted. The Session will provide a dedicated platform for discussing both technological advances and practical implementation challenges, including economic feasibility, environmental impacts, and policy implications. By connecting academia, industry, and policymakers, the Session aims to stimulate collaboration and inspire actionable solutions for building a resilient, circular, and low-carbon bioeconomy.