Abstract: In recent years, the use of renewable biomass has become the focus of research in supplementing and replacing traditional petrochemical products due to growing energy demands and environmental concerns. The utilization of renewable lipid resources has been considered to play a primitive role towards sustainable development due to their large scale availability, built-in-functionality, biodegradability and no net CO2 production. In addition, a broad range of monomers can be obtained from a single feedstock. These attributes make lipids a good fit for the development of renewable biomaterials. This Presentation will focus on the solvent free conversion of lipids, from various sources including waste streams such as waste cooking oil and lipids extracted from spent foul, into monomers and synthesis of biopolymers especially polymers with self-healing and reprocessing attributes which is very challenging when using monomers sourced from biomass especially being reprocessable without degrading mechanical and thermal properties. The healed and reprocessed biopolymer displayed mechanical properties and thermal stabilities comparable to the original after self-healing and reprocessing. Moreover, the developed polymers showed excellent thermal stabilities which make them suitable for different applications. The ability for complete conversion of lipids under solvent free conditions into monomers and different biopolymers is undoubtedly an attractive concept from both an academic and an industrial point of views.

Biography: Dr. Aman Ullah received his PhD (with distinction) in Chemical Sciences and Technologies in 2010 at the University of Genova, Italy by working together at Southern Methodist University, USA. He worked at different research institutes in Asia/Europe/US before accepting an Assistant Professor position at the University of Alberta. He is currently an Associate Professor and leads a research group on the Utilization of Lipids – Polymers/Materials Chemistry at University of Alberta, Canada. He has developed and has been teaching a graduate course entitled “Renewable Biomaterials”. Aman has more than 86 publications with 5 patents/patent applications and has incorporated a new spinoff biorefinery. His research is focused on the development of biochemicals, biopolymers/biomaterials from renewable biomass. He has participated and presented his work in more than 100 National and international scientific meetings and conferences, including several invited, keynote and plenary lectures at conferences and research centres in Asia, Europe, and America. In addition, he has received several awards including Canadian Rising Star award by “Grand Challenges Canada”, ALES “Research and Innovation Award”, and ASTech Award Finalist for the “30th ASTech Innovation Awards”.