Carol Sze Ki LIN

Prof. Lin focuses on technological advancement of circular waste-based biorefinery for sustainable production of chemicals, materials and fuels, that contributes to reduction of environmental burden of waste disposal and resource efficiency.

Prof. Carol Sze Ki Lin is a Professor at the School of Energy and Environment at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK). She received her Bachelor’s degree in Chemical and Materials Engineering with 1st class honours from The University of Auckland, New Zealand. She was awarded with PhD in 2008 in Chemical Engineering at The University of Manchester, England. After one year as a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University in Belgium, she returned to Hong Kong and joined the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) as a Visiting Assistant Professor. In July 2011, she began her academic career in School of Energy and Environment at City University of Hong Kong, and she was promoted to Full Professor in July 2024.

Her research interests lie in technological advancement and development of circular waste-based biorefinery for sustainable production of chemicals, materials and fuels, that contributes to reduction of environmental burden of waste disposal and enhancement of resource efficiency. Her research covers the following areas:

(i) Biosynthesis of high value-added products and organic pollutant removal via microalgae-based biorefinery;
(ii) Development of Yarrowia lipolytica yeast as a promising host;
(iii) Novel bioprocess for recycling textile waste for sustainable production of high value-added products;
(iv) Biosurfactants production from industrial food waste feedstocks;
(v) Identification of microplastics in municipal solid waste landfill leachates
(vi) Adaptive laboratory evolution of microbial strains, green and sustainable downstream processes, techno-economic and life cycle assessment.

Prof. Lin is a recipient of a number of innovation awards, including two Gold Medals in Geneva Invention Exhibition (2018, 2024), Gold Medal with Jury’s Commendation in Geneva Invention Exhibition (2016), and the President’s Awards (2017). She awarded the Milliporesigma Green Chemistry Education Challenge Awards 2024 by Beyond Benign, Inc. in Wilmington, Massachusetts, USA. Also, she has been selected for the High-end Foreign Experts Program in Tongji University, Shanghai, China 2023-2024.

Since 2020, she has been ranked in the top 2% scientists in the World (i.e. the sub-field of ‘Biotechnology’) in term of career-long citation impact, according to a study published by Stanford University.

Prof. Lin is currently an Associate Editor for Biochemical Engineering Journal (Elsevier), Executive Editor for Chemical Engineering Journal (Elsevier), and Editorial Board Member of Sustainable Energy & Fuels (RSC). Also, she has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) since July 2024.

Selected publications

Mou, J.-H., Yan, W., Qin, Z.-H., Haque, M.A., Miao, Y.-H., Xin, F.-X., Wang, X., Fickers, P., Lin, C.S.K.* 2024. Food waste from various origins as feedstocks for recombinant protein production by Yarrowia lipolytica using in situ fibrous bed bioreactor. Chemical Engineering Journal, 481, 148408.
Wang, X., He, G.-H., Wang, Z.-Y., Xu, H.-Y., Mou, J.-H., Qin, Z.-H., Lin, C.S.K.*, Yang, W.-D., Zhang, Y., Li, H.-Y. 2024. Purple acid phosphatase promoted hydrolysis of organophosphate pesticides in microalgae. Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, 18, 100318.
Bank, M.S.*, Mitrano, D.M., Rillig, M.C., Lin, C.S.K., Ok, Y.S. 2022. Embrace complexity to understand microplastic pollution. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 3(11), 736-737.
Li, C., Ong, K.L., Yang, X., Lin*, C.S.K. 2019. Bio-refinery of waste streams for green and efficient succinic acid production by engineered Yarrowia lipolytica without pH control. Chemical Engineering Journal, 371, 804-812.
Hu, Y., Du, C., Leu, S.Y., Jing, H., Li, X., Lin, C.S.K.* 2018. Valorisation of textile waste by fungal solid state fermentation: An example of circular waste-based biorefinery. Resources, Conservation & Recycling. 129, 27-35.
Kwan, T.H., Hu, Y., Lin, C.S.K.* 2018. Techno-economic analysis of a food waste valorisation process for lactic acid, lactide and poly(lactic acid) production. Journal of Cleaner Production. 181, 72-87.
Yang, X., Wang, H., Li, C., Lin, C.S.K.* 2017. Restoring of Glucose Metabolism of an engineered Yarrowia lipolytica for Succinic Acid Production via a Simple and Efficient Adaptive Evolution Strategy. 2017. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 65(20), 4133-4139.
Kwan, T.H., Hu, Y., Lin, C.S.K.* 2016. Valorisation of food waste via fungal hydrolysis and lactic acid fermentation with Lactobacillus casei Shirota. Bioresource Technology. 217, 129-136.
Koutinas, A.A., Pleissner, D., Vlysidis, A., Kopsahelis, N., Lopez Garciac, I., Kookosd, I., Papanikolaou, S., Kwan, T.H., Lin, C.S.K.* 2014. Valorization of industrial waste and by-product streams via fermentation for the production of chemicals and biopolymers, Chemical Society Reviews. 43(8), 2587-2627. (Invited review)
Pleissner, D., Lam, W.C., Sun, Z., Lin, C.S.K.* 2013. Food waste as nutrient source in heterotrophic microalgae cultivation. Bioresource Technology, 137, 139-146.
Zhang, A.Y.-z., Sun, Z., Leung, C.C.J., Han, W., Lau, K.Y., Li, M., Lin, C.S.K.* 2013. Valorisation of bakery waste for succinic acid production. Green Chemistry, 15(3), 690-695.
Lin, C.S.K., Pfaltzgraff, L.A., Herrero-Davila, L., Mubofu, E.B., Abderrahim, S., Clark, J.H.*, Koutinas, A.A., Kopsahelis, N., Stamatelatou, K., Dickson, F., Thankappan, S., Mohamed, Z., Brocklesby, R., Luque, R.* 2013. Food waste as a valuable resource for the production of chemicals, materials and fuels. Current situation and global perspective. Energy & Environmental Science, 6(2), 426-464.