Prof. FANG Zhen, PI for bio-refinery research group, found that using hydrothermal water to rapidly dissolve 99% wood and subsequently hydrolyze it to hydrolysates in a diamond anvil cell. He designed a continuous process to fast hydrolyze wood to hydrolysates without catalyst. His findings make it possible to design and build up a flow system for the fast, continuous and controllable production of hydrolysates.
His findings are reported entitled “Noncatalytic fast hydrolysis of wood” in Bioresource Technology in October 2010. A monograph - “Complete dissolution and oxidation of organic wastes in water” authored by Prof. FANG Zhen has been published by VDM Verlag Dr. Müller GmbH & Co. KG in April 2009. 
