Profile

An academic leader in ultra-low-temperature extraction of Eucommia rubber and the development of separation equipment.

Story

Li Youji is Dean, second-tier professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jishou University, a visiting scholar at Newcastle University (UK), and a member of the Academic Committee of the National Eucommia Industry Alliance. He has led his team in sustained efforts on Eucommia rubber extraction processes and equipment, successively inventing complete equipment sets including a Eucommia samara dehuller, rubber grinder, continuous freeze-precipitation device and vacuum-pulsed extraction device. More recently he developed an ultra-low-temperature extraction method and an integrated extraction-separation device that effectively prevents gel precipitation clogging as the extract cools, greatly improving production efficiency.

He has led more than 10 projects including National Natural Science Foundation of China and Hunan Provincial Outstanding Youth Fund grants, combining nanocatalytic materials research with the green development of Eucommia rubber and plant resources. He has advanced Jishou University in building a complete technology chain from Eucommia samara pretreatment to refined-gum granulation; the team's third-generation enzymatic hydrolysis unit and second-generation countercurrent extraction equipment achieve a refined-gum content of 99%, providing key engineering support for the industrialization of Eucommia rubber.

Milestones

• In October 2023, presented Jishou University's progress in high-efficiency Eucommia rubber extraction technology at the 2023 China Eucommia Industry Development Summit Forum in Zunyi
• Concurrently serves on the Academic Committee of the National Eucommia Industry Alliance; a New Century Excellent Talent of the Ministry of Education

Key Contributions

• Led his team to develop an ultra-low-temperature Eucommia rubber extraction method and an integrated extraction-separation device, solving the problem of gel precipitation clogging during cooling
• Co-invented with Chen Shang and others the patent 'A fractionation column for Eucommia rubber and a method for continuous fractionation of Eucommia rubber' (CN104558258A)
• His team raised refined Eucommia gum content from 95% to 99%, with an ultrasound-assisted extraction rate of 89.1%
• Published over 100 academic papers (including in Nature Communications); won 3 Hunan Provincial science and technology awards; listed among the world's top 2% of scientists
• As a Hunan Provincial science and technology correspondent, secured for enterprises 7 patents, 5 standards and over 12 million yuan in national supporting funds, generating socio-economic benefits exceeding 1 billion yuan over the past five years