Hamid Rezaei obtained his Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of British Columbia (UBC), where he conducted research on the evolution of physical, chemical and thermal properties of wood particles through densification/pelletization process. He has been working as a senior research scientist at UBC for the past ten years, in the Biomass and Bioenergy Research Group (BBRG) within the Clean Energy Research Center (CERC). He also works as R&D director in CanDry Technologies Inc., which is developing a novel microwave dehydrator for heat-sensitive valuable biomaterials, and an adjunct faculty member at New York Institute of Technology.

His research interests include solid waste feedstock engineering, (pre)processing, densification and thermochemical conversion of solid recovered fuel such as lignocellulosic residues, municipal solid waste and refuse-derived fuels. Rezaei has been involved in numbers of industrial bioenergy projects and has worked with the Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC), Pacific Bioenergy, Pinnacle Renewable Energy and other leaders of the bioenergy industry in Canada.

Recent Projects and Research

  1. Development of ag-pellet from underutilized agricultural residues
  2. Characterization and densification of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) from municipal solid waste

Selected Publications

Book Chapters
  • Rezaei H., Yazdanpanah F., Lim C.J., Lau A.K., Sokhansanj S., 2019, Chapter title: "Woody Feedstock Thermal Pretreatments to Enhance Pyrolysis Bio-oil Quality and Produce Transportation Fuel," Book title: Biomass for Bioenergy – Recent Trends and Future Challenges, InTechOpen, ISBN: 9781789239881.
  • Rezaei H., Yazdanpanah F., Marshall L., Lim C.J., Lau A.K., Bi X., Sokhansanj S., 2019, Chapter title: "Biomass Drying and Sizing for Industrial Combustion Applications," Book title: Drying of Biomass, Biosolids, and Coal: For Efficient Energy Supply and Environmental Benefits, CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group, ISBN 9781138549333.
  • Sokhansanj S., Rezaei H., Lam P.S., Yong T., Ghiasi B., Tooyserkani Z., 2018, Chapter title: "Steam Treatment of Cellulosic Biomass for Pelletization," Book Title: Biomass Preprocessing and Pretreatments for Production of Biofuels: Mechanical, Chemical and Thermal Methods, CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group, eBook ISBN: 9781498765473.
  • Yazdanpanah F., Sokhansanj S., Rezaei H., Lim C.J., Lau A.K., Bi X., Melin S., Tumuluru J.S., Kim C.S., 2014, Chapter title: "Measurement of Off-Gases in Wood Pellet Storage," Book Title: Advances in Gas Chromatography, InTechOpen, ISBN: 9789535112273.
Published Peer-Reviewed Journal Papers
  • Lee J.S., Lau A.K., Lim J., Bi X., Rezaei H., Yazdanpanah F., Sokhansanj S., 2022, Hydrothermal Response of Wood Pellet to Internal Heat Generation Due to Hygroscopic Wetting, ASABE.
  • Yu Y., Wu J., Ren X., Lau A., Rezaei H., Takada M., Bi X., Sokhansanj S., 2021, Steam explosion of lignocellulosic biomass for multiple advanced bioenergy processes: a review, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2021.111871.
  • Rezaei H., Lim C.J., Sokhansanj S., 2021, A Computational Approach to Determine Residence Time in Rotary Drum Dryers, Chemical Engineering Science doi: 10.1016/j.ces.2021.116932.
  • Rezaei H., Sokhansanj S., 2021, A Review on Determination of Residence Time of Solid Particles in Rotary Drum Dryers, Journal of Drying Technology, doi: 10.1080/07373937.2021.1912081.
  • Rezaei H., Yazdanpanah F., Kenny J., Lim C.J., Sokhansanj S., 2021, Flammability Analysis of Gaseous Emissions from Western Red Cedar and SPF (Spruce, Pine, Fir) Sawdust, Biomass and Bioenergy, doi: 10.1016/j.biombioe.2020.105951.
  • Rezaei H., Yazdanpanah F., Lim C.J., Sokhansanj S., 2020, Pelletization of Refuse-Derived Fuel with Varying Compositions of Plastic, Paper, Organic and Wood, Sustainability, doi: 10.3390/su12114645, 12 (11).
  • Rezaei H., Yazdanpanah F., Lim C.J., Sokhansanj S., 2020, Pelletization Properties of Refuse-Derived Fuel – Effects of Particle Size and Moisture Content, Fuel Processing Technology, doi: j.fuproc.2020.106437, 205 ().
  • Rezaei H., Lim C.J., Sokhansanj S., 2020, Comparison of Drying Rates of Ground Western Red Cedar with Hemlock, Birch, Aspen and Spruce/Pine/Douglas Fir, Applied Engineering in Agriculture (ASABE), doi: 10.13031/aea.13684.
  • Nielsen S.K., Rezaei H., Mondo M., Sokhansanj S., 2019, Constitutive Modeling of Compression and Stress Relaxation in Pine Pellets, Biomass and Bioenergy, doi: 10.1016/j.biombioe.2019.105370, 130 ().
  • Rezaei H., Sokhansanj S., 2018, Physical and Thermal Characterization of Ground Bark and Ground Wood Particles, Renewable Energy, doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2018.06.038, 129 (583–590).
  • Rezaei H., Sokhansanj S., Lim C.J., 2018, Minimum Fluidization Velocity of Ground Chip and Ground Pellet Particles of Woody Biomass, Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification, doi: 10.1016/j.cep.2017.12.006, 124 (222–234).
  • Rezaei H., Lim C.J., Lau A.K., Sokhansanj S., 2018, Effects of Mass and Volume Shrinkage of Woody Ground Chip and Pellet particles on Drying Rate, Particuology, doi: 10.1016/j.partic.2017.09.001, 38 (1–9).
  • Rezaei H., Sokhansanj S., Bi X., Lim C.J., Lau A.K., 2017, A Numerical and Experimental Study on Fast Pyrolysis of Single Woody Biomass Particles, Applied Energy, doi: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.11.032, 198 (320–331).
  • Rezaei H., Lim C.J., Lau A.K., Sokhansanj S., 2016, Size, Shape and Flow Characterization of Ground Wood Chip and Ground Wood Pellet Particles, Powder Technology, doi: 10.1016/j.powtec.2016.07.016, 301 (737–746).
  • Rezaei H., Lim C.J., Lau A.K., Bi X., Sokhansanj S., 2016, Development of Empirical Correlations for Drying of Ground Wood Chip and Ground Wood Pellet Particles, Drying Technology, doi: 10.1080/07373937.2016.1198912, 35 (1423–1432).
  • Rezaei H., Yazdanpanah F., Lim C.J., Lau A.K., Sokhansanj S., 2016, Pyrolysis of Ground Pine Chip and Ground Pellet Particles, Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, doi: 10.1002/cjce.22574, 94 (1863–1871).
  • Fouladitajar A., Zokaee Ashtiani F., Dabir B., Rezaei H., Valizadeh B., 2015, Response Surface Methodology for the Modeling and Optimization of Oil-in-Water Emulsion Separation Using Gas Sparging Assisted Microfiltration, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, doi: 10.1007/s11356-014-3511-6, 22 (2311–2327).
  • Rezaei H., Zokaee Ashtiani F., Fouladitajar A., 2014, Fouling Behavior and Performance of Microfiltration Membranes for Whey Treatment in Steady and Unsteady-state Conditions, Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering, doi: 10.1590/0104-6632.20140312s00002521, 31 (503–518).
  • Jalilvand Z., Zokaee Ashtiani F., Fouladitajar A., Rezaei H., 2013, Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling and Experimental Study of Continuous and Pulsatile Flow in Flat Sheet Microfiltration Membranes, Journal of Membrane Science, doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2013.09.008, 450 (207–214).
  • Fouladitajar A., Zokaee Ashtiani F., Rezaei H., Haghmoradi A., Kargari A., 2013, Gas Sparging to Enhance Permeate Flux and Reduce Fouling Resistances in Cross-flow Microfiltration of Whey, Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, doi: 10.1016/j.jiec.2013.05.025, 20 (624–632).
  • Rezaei H., Zokaee Ashtiani F., Fouladitajar A., 2010, Effects of Operating Parameters on Fouling Mechanism and Membrane Flux in Cross-flow Microfiltration of Whey, Desalination, doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2011.02.015, 274 (262–271).

Professional Honors and Awards

  • Best Ph.D. Dissertation Award, Canadian Society of Biological Engineers (CSBE), Canada, 2018
  • NSERC Engage Grant, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Canada, 2018
  • Accelerate Mitacs Grant, Mitacs Canada, 2018–2019
  • Dr. Kazemi Ashtiani Award, National Elites Foundation, Iran, 2017
  • UBC International Student Tuition Award, University of British Columbia, Canada, 2013–2017
  • UBC Graduate Initiated Fellowship, University of British Columbia, Canada , 2013
  • Ranked "First" among graduated M.A.Sc. Chemical Engineering students, Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran, 2011
  • Best M.A.Sc. Dissertation Award, National Iranian Society of Chemical Engineering, Iran, 2011
  • Best Graduated M.A.Sc. Student in Chemical Engineering, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Iran, 2011
  • Exceptional-Talented and Elite Scientist Award, National Elites Foundation, Iran, 2011

Courses Taught at New York Tech

  • Waste to Energy (ENVT 660)

Contact Info