By | Jiang Qingling, Li ChenyangIt was almost midnight, and the lights were still on in the office on the fourth floor of the Environmental Science Building at Fudan University's Jiangwan Campus. A young girl was nervously working on her computer, processing data. Chen Bin, a postdoctoral fellow in the research group, saw this scene and said to Wang Yutao, who was still in the office, "Dai Min is still staring at the data, she's so focused that her hair is falling out. Let's go discuss with her!"Dai Min is a doctoral student in Wang Yutao's research group in the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering at Fudan University. At that time, she was tackling a huge research project - "Net Zero Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the Global Paper Industry." Immersed in the analysis of massive amounts of data every day, she was oblivious to the concerns of her advisor and fellow students.Hard work pays off. At the end of 2023, her paper was successfully published in the top academic journal Nature, and Dai Min was rightfully the sole first author.Nature ArticleOvertime and delayed graduation, looking back at the work that spanned her entire doctoral career, Dai Min felt incredibly lucky. She gained more than just a Nature article: "While I was immersed in my work, Professor Wang had already silently 'made a big move'. When I graduated, I was surprised to find that I had made systematic contributions in a niche field while receiving comprehensive and systematic research training."
This was the first research article on net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the paper industry published in the main journal of Nature.For the first time, researchers revealed the characteristics of greenhouse gas emissions in the paper industry in major producing and consuming countries worldwide from a systemic perspective, and proposed differentiated strategies for achieving net-zero emissions in this industry by 2050 for different countries.The starting point of the research can be traced back to five years ago.In 2018, Dai Min attended an academic conference where she met Wang Yutao, who had recently set up a laboratory at Fudan University.Dai Min was not unfamiliar with Wang Yutao. She had heard his academic lectures while she was in college and developed an interest in industrial ecology. The reason she chose to study for her master's degree at the Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences was also because of his guidance and recommendation.This reunion came at the right time as Dai Min was wrestling with the question of her postgraduate studies after completing her master's degree. She had a pleasant conversation with Wang Yutao and quickly decided to join his research group. In the autumn of 2019, she officially became a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering at Fudan University.Photo of Dai Min's LifeOver a decade ago, Wang Yutao began to pay attention to greenhouse gas emissions in the paper industry and conducted ongoing research in this area.At the end of 2019, Wang Yutao began to lead the organization of the National Key Research and Development Program project - "Comparative Analysis and Application of Clean Production Technologies for Typical High-Pollution Industries along the 'Belt and Road'" - which focused on the clean production and greenhouse gas emissions in the paper industry.The paper industry ranks fifth in terms of carbon dioxide emissions among global industrial sectors, second only to heavy industries such as steel, petrochemicals, cement, and aluminum. However, current research lacks a systematic understanding of the greenhouse gas emissions of the global paper industry, directly affecting the industry's decarbonization efforts. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct in-depth research.In light of Dai Min's research on material flow analysis in the bulk metal industry during her master's program, Wang Yutao suggested that she build on the foundation of a comprehensive material flow analysis of the paper industry to further investigate and analyze its greenhouse gas emissions.Dai Min initially familiarized herself with the paper industry by reading a large number of literature. In addition, thanks to extensive field research conducted by the research group in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Beijing, Hubei, and other places, Dai Min gained a more intuitive understanding of the industry through communication with frontline managers and workers.Based on this foundation, Dai Min established the preliminary framework for her doctoral research.Overseas Paper Industry Clean Production Demonstration ProjectThis research project confirmed
Taking on a Major Research Topic
This was the first research article on net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the paper industry published in the main journal of Nature.For the first time, researchers revealed the characteristics of greenhouse gas emissions in the paper industry in major producing and consuming countries worldwide from a systemic perspective, and proposed differentiated strategies for achieving net-zero emissions in this industry by 2050 for different countries.The starting point of the research can be traced back to five years ago.In 2018, Dai Min attended an academic conference where she met Wang Yutao, who had recently set up a laboratory at Fudan University.Dai Min was not unfamiliar with Wang Yutao. She had heard his academic lectures while she was in college and developed an interest in industrial ecology. The reason she chose to study for her master's degree at the Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences was also because of his guidance and recommendation.This reunion came at the right time as Dai Min was wrestling with the question of her postgraduate studies after completing her master's degree. She had a pleasant conversation with Wang Yutao and quickly decided to join his research group. In the autumn of 2019, she officially became a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering at Fudan University.Photo of Dai Min's LifeOver a decade ago, Wang Yutao began to pay attention to greenhouse gas emissions in the paper industry and conducted ongoing research in this area.At the end of 2019, Wang Yutao began to lead the organization of the National Key Research and Development Program project - "Comparative Analysis and Application of Clean Production Technologies for Typical High-Pollution Industries along the 'Belt and Road'" - which focused on the clean production and greenhouse gas emissions in the paper industry.The paper industry ranks fifth in terms of carbon dioxide emissions among global industrial sectors, second only to heavy industries such as steel, petrochemicals, cement, and aluminum. However, current research lacks a systematic understanding of the greenhouse gas emissions of the global paper industry, directly affecting the industry's decarbonization efforts. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct in-depth research.In light of Dai Min's research on material flow analysis in the bulk metal industry during her master's program, Wang Yutao suggested that she build on the foundation of a comprehensive material flow analysis of the paper industry to further investigate and analyze its greenhouse gas emissions.Dai Min initially familiarized herself with the paper industry by reading a large number of literature. In addition, thanks to extensive field research conducted by the research group in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Beijing, Hubei, and other places, Dai Min gained a more intuitive understanding of the industry through communication with frontline managers and workers.Based on this foundation, Dai Min established the preliminary framework for her doctoral research.Overseas Paper Industry Clean Production Demonstration ProjectThis research project confirmed
