Work with Dr. Venkatesh Balan, Ph.D. | NotedSource
Dr. Balan has been Associated with the Department of
Engineering Technology, Cullen College of Engineering,
University of Houston, since September 2017. His research
focuses on biomass conversion to fuels, chemicals, edible
mushrooms, animal feed, and biomaterials. He also
specializes in CO2 sequestration using algae, processing
algal biomass into proteins, biofuels, and biochemicals,
and adding value to mushroom industry waste. Additionally,
he works on annotating fungal genes to identify novel
enzymes for industrial applications. Dr. Balan has
published over 192 papers, holds 9 patents, and has more
than 17,500 citations. He has also edited books on biomass
conversion and microbial lipids and served as an expert
reviewer for numerous scientific journals and review
panels. - Ph.D., Biophysical chemistry (Indian
Institute of Technology, Chennai, 1999; India) -
Post-doctoral experience: Five year in Japan (Osaka
university, Oji Paper Company and National Institute of
Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 1999-2004)
- Visiting Assistant Professor at Bruce Dale Lab,
MSU (2005-2009) - Research Associate Professor at
Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Science,
MSU (2009-2017) - Assistant Professor at Department
of Engineering Technology at University of Houston
(2017-2022) and Associate Professor at UH (since 2022).
- Awards and Honors: - Dr. Balan was recipient
of Center for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
5-year fellowship to do his Ph.D., from Government of
India in 1992. - Recipient of two prestigious
fellowships in Japan from the Japanese Society for
Promotion of Science (JSPS) in the year 1999 and 2022 for
doing research. - Recipient of research excellence
award and teaching excellence award given by the UH
College of Technology in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
- Joint appointments with UH Department of
Biomedical Engineering in 2017 and Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering in 2023. - Recipient of
the ‘Advanced Materials Award’ from the International
Association of Advanced Materials (IAMM), Sweden in
January 2024. - Recipient of USDA E. Kika De La
Garza Fellowship in May 2024.
https://cv.notedsource.io/me/97L21Q9J
Dr. Venkatesh Balan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Engineering Technology
Research Expertise
biofuels
biochemicals
microbial fermentation
About
Dr. Balan has been Associated with the
Department of Engineering Technology, Cullen
College of Engineering, University of Houston,
since September 2017. His research focuses on
biomass conversion to fuels, chemicals, edible
mushrooms, animal feed, and biomaterials. He
also specializes in CO2 sequestration using
algae, processing algal biomass into proteins,
biofuels, and biochemicals, and adding value
to mushroom industry waste. Additionally, he
works on annotating fungal genes to identify
novel enzymes for industrial applications. Dr.
Balan has published over 192 papers, holds 9
patents, and has more than 17,500 citations.
He has also edited books on biomass conversion
and microbial lipids and served as an expert
reviewer for numerous scientific journals and
review panels. - Ph.D., Biophysical
chemistry (Indian Institute of Technology,
Chennai, 1999; India) - Post-doctoral
experience: Five year in Japan (Osaka
university, Oji Paper Company and National
Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and
Technology, 1999-2004) - Visiting
Assistant Professor at Bruce Dale Lab, MSU
(2005-2009) - Research Associate
Professor at Department of Chemical
Engineering and Material Science, MSU
(2009-2017) - Assistant Professor at
Department of Engineering Technology at
University of Houston (2017-2022) and
Associate Professor at UH (since 2022).
- Awards and Honors: - Dr. Balan
was recipient of Center for Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR) 5-year fellowship
to do his Ph.D., from Government of India in
1992. - Recipient of two prestigious
fellowships in Japan from the Japanese Society
for Promotion of Science (JSPS) in the year
1999 and 2022 for doing research. -
Recipient of research excellence award and
teaching excellence award given by the UH
College of Technology in 2019 and 2020
respectively. - Joint appointments with
UH Department of Biomedical Engineering in
2017 and Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering in 2023. - Recipient of the
‘Advanced Materials Award’ from the
International Association of Advanced
Materials (IAMM), Sweden in January 2024.
- Recipient of USDA E. Kika De La Garza
Fellowship in May 2024.
Legacy Map
Full ViewPublications
Physical and chemical characterizations of
corn stover and poplar solids resulting
from leading pretreatment technologies
Bioresource Technology
2009
‘Cradle-to-grave’ assessment of existing
lignocellulose pretreatment technologies
Current Opinion in Biotechnology
2009
Current Challenges in Commercially
Producing Biofuels from Lignocellulosic
Biomass
ISRN Biotechnology
2014
Multi-scale visualization and
characterization of lignocellulosic plant
cell wall deconstruction during
thermochemical pretreatment
Energy & Environmental
Science
2011
Effect of particle size based separation
of milled corn stover on AFEX pretreatment
and enzymatic digestibility
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
2006
Restructuring the Crystalline Cellulose
Hydrogen Bond Network Enhances Its
Depolymerization Rate
Journal of the American Chemical
Society
2011
Process and technoeconomic analysis of
leading pretreatment technologies for
lignocellulosic ethanol production using
switchgrass
Bioresource Technology
2011
Lignocellulosic Biomass Pretreatment Using
AFEX
Methods in Molecular Biology
2009
Microbial lipid-based lignocellulosic
biorefinery: feasibility and challenges
Trends in Biotechnology
2015
Hemicellulases and auxiliary enzymes for
improved conversion of lignocellulosic
biomass to monosaccharides
Biotechnology for Biofuels
2011
Process optimization to convert forage and
sweet sorghum bagasse to ethanol based on
ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX)
pretreatment
Bioresource Technology
2010
Multifaceted characterization of cell wall
decomposition products formed during
ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) and dilute
acid based pretreatments
Bioresource Technology
2010
Evaluation of ammonia fibre expansion
(AFEX) pretreatment for enzymatic
hydrolysis of switchgrass harvested in
different seasons and locations
Biotechnology for Biofuels
2010
Review of US and
EU initiatives toward
development, demonstration, and
commercialization of lignocellulosic
biofuels
Biofuels, Bioproducts and
Biorefining
2013
Influence of physico-chemical changes on
enzymatic digestibility of ionic liquid
and AFEX pretreated corn stover
Bioresource Technology
2011
Optimization of Ammonia Fiber Expansion
(AFEX) Pretreatment and Enzymatic
Hydrolysis of Miscanthus x giganteus to
Fermentable Sugars
Biotechnology Progress
2007
A comparative study of ethanol production
using dilute acid, ionic liquid and AFEX™
pretreated corn stover
Biotechnology for Biofuels
2014
Mixture optimization of six core glycosyl
hydrolases for maximizing saccharification
of ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX)
pretreated corn stover
Bioresource Technology
2010
Alkali‐based AFEX pretreatment for the
conversion of sugarcane bagasse and cane
leaf residues to ethanol
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
2010
Comparative genomics of xylose-fermenting
fungi for enhanced biofuel production
Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences
2011
Next-generation ammonia pretreatment
enhances cellulosic biofuel production
Energy & Environmental
Science
2016
Enzyme hydrolysis and ethanol fermentation
of liquid hot water and AFEX pretreated
distillers’ grains at high-solids loadings
Bioresource Technology
2008
Enzymatic digestibility and pretreatment
degradation products of AFEX‐treated
hardwoods (Populus nigra)
Biotechnology Progress
2009
Optimization of enzymatic hydrolysis and
ethanol fermentation from AFEX-treated
rice straw
Applied Microbiology and
Biotechnology
2009
Comparison of Different Biomass
Pretreatment Techniques and Their Impact
on Chemistry and Structure
Frontiers in Energy Research
2015
Enzyme characterization for hydrolysis of
AFEX and liquid hot-water pretreated
distillers’ grains and their conversion to
ethanol
Bioresource Technology
2008
Comparative data on effects of leading
pretreatments and enzyme loadings and
formulations on sugar yields from
different switchgrass sources
Bioresource Technology
2011
Increased enzyme binding to substrate is
not necessary for more efficient cellulose
hydrolysis
Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences
2013
Comparing the fermentation performance of
Escherichia coli KO11, Saccharomyces
cerevisiae 424A(LNH-ST) and Zymomonas
mobilis AX101 for cellulosic ethanol
production
Biotechnology for Biofuels
2010
Comparative material balances around
pretreatment technologies for the
conversion of switchgrass to soluble
sugars
Bioresource Technology
2011
Lignin Conversion to Low-Molecular-Weight
Aromatics via an Aerobic
Oxidation-Hydrolysis Sequence: Comparison
of Different Lignin Sources
ACS Sustainable Chemistry &
Engineering
2018
Mushroom spent straw: a potential
substrate for an ethanol-based biorefinery
Journal of Industrial Microbiology
& Biotechnology
2008
High‐throughput microplate technique for
enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic
biomass
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
2008
Two-step SSCF to convert AFEX-treated
switchgrass to ethanol using commercial
enzymes and Saccharomyces cerevisiae
424A(LNH-ST)
Bioresource Technology
2010
Enhanced conversion of plant biomass into
glucose using transgenic rice-produced
endoglucanase for cellulosic ethanol
Transgenic Research
2007
Consolidated bioprocessing (CBP)
performance of
Clostridium phytofermentans on
AFEX‐treated corn stover for ethanol
production
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
2011
Evaluating the impact of ammonia fiber
expansion (AFEX) pretreatment conditions
on the cost of ethanol production
Bioresource Technology
2011
Effects of changes in chemical and
structural characteristic of ammonia fibre
expansion (AFEX) pretreated oil palm empty
fruit bunch fibre on enzymatic
saccharification and fermentability for
biohydrogen
Bioresource Technology
2016
Lignin triggers irreversible cellulase
loss during pretreated lignocellulosic
biomass saccharification
Biotechnology for Biofuels
2014
Comparative lipid production by oleaginous
yeasts in hydrolyzates of lignocellulosic
biomass and process strategy for high
titers
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
2016
Ethanolic fermentation of hydrolysates
from ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX)
treated corn stover and distillers grain
without detoxification and external
nutrient supplementation
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
2007
Heterologous Acidothermus cellulolyticus
1,4-β-Endoglucanase E1 Produced Within the
Corn Biomass Converts Corn Stover Into
Glucose
Applied Biochemistry and
Biotecnology
2007
A novel integrated biological process for
cellulosic ethanol production featuring
high ethanol productivity, enzyme
recycling and yeast cells reuse
Energy & Environmental
Science
2012
Comparative study on enzymatic
digestibility of switchgrass varieties and
harvests processed by leading pretreatment
technologies
Bioresource Technology
2011
Engineering and Two-Stage Evolution of a
Lignocellulosic Hydrolysate-Tolerant
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strain for
Anaerobic Fermentation of Xylose from AFEX
Pretreated Corn Stover
PLoS ONE
2014
Comparison of enzymatic reactivity of corn
stover solids prepared by dilute acid,
AFEX™, and ionic liquid pretreatments
Biotechnology for Biofuels
2014
Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste:
Overview of Treatment Methodologies to
Enhance Anaerobic Biodegradability
Frontiers in Energy Research
2018
Proteomics-based Compositional Analysis of
Complex Cellulase–Hemicellulase Mixtures
Journal of Proteome Research
2011
Conversion of apple pomace waste to
ethanol at industrial relevant conditions
Applied Microbiology and
Biotechnology
2016
Isolation and characterization of new
lignin streams derived from
extractive-ammonia (EA) pretreatment
Green Chemistry
2016
Sugar loss and enzyme inhibition due to
oligosaccharide accumulation during high
solids-loading enzymatic hydrolysis
Biotechnology for Biofuels
2015
A Comprehensive Review of Tropical Milky
White Mushroom (Calocybe indica
P&C)
Mycobiology
2015
Performance of AFEX™ pretreated rice
straw as source of fermentable sugars: the
influence of particle size
Biotechnology for Biofuels
2013
Consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) of
AFEX™‐pretreated corn stover for ethanol
production using
Clostridium phytofermentans at a
high solids loading
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
2012
Evaluation of agave bagasse recalcitrance
using AFEX™, autohydrolysis, and ionic
liquid pretreatments
Bioresource Technology
2016
Enzymatic digestibility and ethanol
fermentability of AFEX-treated starch-rich
lignocellulosics such as corn silage and
whole corn plant
Biotechnology for Biofuels
2010
Surface and ultrastructural
characterization of raw and pretreated
switchgrass
Bioresource Technology
2011
Identification of oleaginous yeast strains
able to accumulate high intracellular
lipids when cultivated in alkaline
pretreated corn stover
Applied Microbiology and
Biotechnology
2014
An integrated paradigm for cellulosic
biorefineries: utilization of
lignocellulosic biomass as self-sufficient
feedstocks for fuel, food precursors and
saccharolytic enzyme production
Energy & Environmental
Science
2012
Optimizing harvest of corn stover
fractions based on overall sugar yields
following ammonia fiber expansion
pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis
Biotechnology for Biofuels
2009
Novel thermostable endo-xylanase cloned
and expressed from bacterium Geobacillus
sp. WSUCF1
Bioresource Technology
2014
Simultaneous saccharification and
co-fermentation (SSCF) of AFEXTM
pretreated corn stover for ethanol
production using commercial enzymes and
Saccharomyces cerevisiae 424A(LNH-ST)
Bioresource Technology
2012
Extraction of Proteins from Switchgrass
Using Aqueous Ammonia within an Integrated
Biorefinery
Applied Biochemistry and
Biotechnology
2007
Ethanol production potential from AFEX™
and steam-exploded sugarcane residues for
sugarcane biorefineries
Biotechnology for Biofuels
2018
Conversion for Avicel and AFEX pretreated
corn stover by Clostridium thermocellum
and simultaneous saccharification and
fermentation: Insights into microbial
conversion of pretreated cellulosic
biomass
Bioresource Technology
2011
Toward lower cost cellulosic biofuel
production using ammonia based
pretreatment technologies
Green Chemistry
2016
Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Distiller's Dry
Grain and Solubles (DDGS) Using Ammonia
Fiber Expansion Pretreatment
Energy & Fuels
2006
Complex Physiology and Compound Stress
Responses during Fermentation of
Alkali-Pretreated Corn Stover Hydrolysate
by an Escherichia coli Ethanologen
Applied and Environmental
Microbiology
2012
Ammonia Fiber Expansion (AFEX)
Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass
Journal of Visualized Experiments
2020
Effects of enzyme loading and
β-glucosidase supplementation on enzymatic
hydrolysis of switchgrass processed by
leading pretreatment technologies
Bioresource Technology
2011
Application of cellulase and hemicellulase
to pure xylan, pure cellulose, and
switchgrass solids from leading
pretreatments
Bioresource Technology
2011
Phenotypic selection of a wild
Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain for
simultaneous saccharification and
co-fermentation of AFEX™ pretreated corn
stover
Biotechnology for Biofuels
2013
Comparative metabolic profiling revealed
limitations in xylose‐fermenting yeast
during co‐fermentation of glucose and
xylose in the presence of inhibitors
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
2013
Polyurethanes preparation using proteins
obtained from microalgae
Journal of Materials Science
2014
Binding characteristics of
Trichoderma reesei cellulases on
untreated, ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX),
and dilute‐acid pretreated lignocellulosic
biomass
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
2011
Comparative Performance of Leading
Pretreatment Technologies for Biological
Conversion of Corn Stover, Poplar Wood,
and Switchgrass to Sugars
Aqueous Pretreatment of Plant Biomass
for Biological and Chemical Conversion
to Fuels and Chemicals
2013
Cellulose–hemicellulose interactions at
elevated temperatures increase cellulose
recalcitrance to biological conversion
Green Chemistry
2018
Incorporating anaerobic co-digestion of
steam exploded or ammonia fiber expansion
pretreated sugarcane residues with manure
into a sugarcane-based bioenergy-livestock
nexus
Bioresource Technology
2019
Effect of compositional variability of
distillers’ grains on cellulosic ethanol
production
Bioresource Technology
2010
In-house cellulase production from AFEX™
pretreated corn stover using Trichoderma
reesei RUT C-30
RSC Advances
2013
Studying the rapid bioconversion of
lignocellulosic sugars into ethanol using
high cell density fermentations with cell
recycle
Biotechnology for Biofuels
2014
Conversion of Extracted Oil Cake Fibers
into Bioethanol Including DDGS, Canola,
Sunflower, Sesame, Soy, and Peanut for
Integrated Biodiesel Processing
Journal of the American Oil Chemists'
Society
2008
Notes on Lorenzo Magnani Understanding
Violence
Mind & Society
2013
Evolved strains of Scheffersomyces
stipitis achieving high ethanol
productivity on acid- and base-pretreated
biomass hydrolyzate at high solids loading
Biotechnology for Biofuels
2015
Toward high solids loading process for
lignocellulosic biofuel production at a
low cost
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
2017
Strategy for Identification of Novel
Fungal and Bacterial Glycosyl Hydrolase
Hybrid Mixtures that can Efficiently
Saccharify Pretreated Lignocellulosic
Biomass
BioEnergy Research
2010
Strategies to improve solid state
anaerobic bioconversion of lignocellulosic
biomass: an overview
Bioresource Technology
2021
Biological treatment of lignocellulosic
biomass by Chaetomium globosporum: Process
derivation and improved biogas production
International Journal of Biological
Macromolecules
2019
Active-Site Properties of Phrixotrix
Railroad Worm Green and Red
Bioluminescence-Eliciting Luciferases
The Journal of Biochemistry
2006
Profiling of diferulates (plant cell wall
cross-linkers) using ultrahigh-performance
liquid chromatography-tandem mass
spectrometry
The Analyst
2013
Optimization of AFEX™ pretreatment
conditions and enzyme mixtures to maximize
sugar release from upland and lowland
switchgrass
Bioresource Technology
2012
Primer on Ammonia Fiber Expansion
Pretreatment
Aqueous Pretreatment of Plant Biomass
for Biological and Chemical Conversion
to Fuels and Chemicals
2013
Biochemical and Thermochemical Conversion
of Switchgrass to Biofuels
Green Energy and Technology
2012
Fourier transform Raman approach to
structural correlation in hemoglobin
derivatives
Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular
and Biomolecular Spectroscopy
1999
Techno-economic comparison of centralized
versus decentralized biorefineries for two
alkaline pretreatment processes
Bioresource Technology
2017
High throughput pretreatment of corn
stover using compacted biomass with
recycled ammonia (COBRA) process
Chemical Engineering Journal
2025
Fractionating Chitin-Glucan Complex and
Coproducts from Pleurotus Ostreatus
Mushrooms
Waste and Biomass Valorization
2023
Modeling the Production of Microalgal
Biomass in Large Water Resource Recovery
Facilities and Its Processing into Various
Commodity Bioproducts
Fermentation
2023
Fractionating Chitin and Coproducts from
Pleurotus ostreatus Mushrooms
Unknown Venue
2023
Potential of using microalgae to sequester
carbon dioxide and processing to
bioproducts
Green Chemistry
2023
Coupling AFEX and steam-exploded sugarcane
residue pellets with a room temperature
CIIII-activation step lowered enzyme
dosage requirements for sugar conversion
Chemical Engineering Journal
2022
Challenges and opportunities in producing
high-quality edible mushrooms from
lignocellulosic biomass in a small scale
Applied Microbiology and
Biotechnology
2022
Development of an ammonia pretreatment
that creates synergies between
biorefineries and advanced biomass
logistics models
Green Chemistry
2022
Nutritious mushroom protein crisp –
healthy alternative to starchy snack
Food Production, Processing and
Nutrition
2021
Biogas Production from Anaerobic
Co-Digestion of Spent Mushroom Substrate
with Different Livestock Manure
Energies
2021
Natural products as home‐based
prophylactic and symptom management agents
in the setting of COVID ‐19
Phytotherapy Research
2020
Impact of Ammonia Pretreatment Conditions
on the Cellulose III Allomorph
Ultrastructure and Its Enzymatic
Digestibility
ACS Sustainable Chemistry &
Engineering
2019
Conversion of lignocellulosic agave
residues into liquid biofuels using an
AFEX™-based biorefinery
Biotechnology for Biofuels
2018
Correction to: ‘The effect of
alkali-soluble lignin on purified core
cellulase and hemicellulase activities
during hydrolysis of extractive
ammonia-pretreated lignocellulosic
biomass’
Royal Society Open Science
2018
The effect of alkali-soluble lignin on
purified core cellulase and hemicellulase
activities during hydrolysis of extractive
ammonia-pretreated lignocellulosic biomass
Royal Society Open Science
2018
Water-soluble phenolic compounds produced
from extractive ammonia pretreatment
exerted binary inhibitory effects on yeast
fermentation using synthetic hydrolysate
PLOS ONE
2018
In-Situ Vacuum Distillation
of Ethanol Helps To Recycle Cellulase and
Yeast during SSF of Delignified Corncob
Residues
ACS Sustainable Chemistry &
Engineering
2017
Education
Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Ph.D.,, Chemistry / March, 1999
Chennai
Experience
University of Houston
Associate Professor / September, 2022 — Present
Assistant Professor / September, 2017 — August, 2022
Michigan State University
Associate Professor / July, 2009 — August, 2017
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