College of Science, Engineering & Technology
Leading expert in alternative fuels production takes on Unisa's energy catalytic niche area
Prof Xinying Liu was recently appointed as a Distinguished Professor in Unisa’s College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) to lead the university’s energy catalytic niche area, with a particular focus on the production of alternative and green liquid fuels for off-grid and rural applications.
Prof Xinying Liu, Distinguished Professor responsible for Unisa’s energy catalytic niche area
With over 20 years of academic and industrial experience, Liu has focused his research largely on developing green fuels and chemicals from sustainable carbon resources, including agricultural and forestry waste, municipal solid waste, and captured CO₂, in combination with green hydrogen produced via water electrolysis powered by renewable energy.
He has worked extensively on carbonaceous material indirect liquefaction (XTL) processes, including pilot-scale XTL facility design and operation. His expertise spans small- and medium-scale XTL plant design, covering feedstock handling, gasification, gas cleanup, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, product refining and utility integration. He has further expanded his research into renewable energy solutions for off-grid and rural applications, as well as carbon dioxide capture and utilisation, particularly CO₂ hydrogenation for clean fuel and chemical production.
Liu obtained his doctoral degree from Nankai University in Tianjin, China, and worked for the University of the Witwatersrand for over a decade before he joined Unisa in 2013. He has authored more than 200 research publications in peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings and book chapters, with an H-index of 33 and over 3 300 citations. In 2021, Prof Liu was elected a member of the Academy of Sciences of South Africa (ASSAf), and as a fellow of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) in 2024.
Liu currently serves as an editor for the journal Carbon Capture Science and Technology and has guest-edited several international journal issues. He is also a regular reviewer for high impact factor and prestigious journals in energy and materials science, and has been invited as a keynote and plenary speaker at numerous international conferences.
He has played instrumental roles in the establishment of the former Institute for the Development of Energy for African Sustainability (IDEAS), now referred to as the Institute for Catalysis and Energy Solutions (ICES), at CSET, and contributed significantly to the group in winning the NSTF NPO Innovation Award in 2010 and the NRF Science Team Award in 2021. He has built up a highly productive international collaboration network covering China, the United States, Europe and Africa.
Moving forward, he continues to lead his team in advancing pilot projects for biomass/power-to-liquid (B/PTL) processes, aiming to establish decentralised energy conversion solutions for fuel and chemical production. His ultimate goal is to help develop a sustainable energy industry in South Africa, leveraging local resources to overcome Africa’s energy problems through innovative, homegrown solutions.
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* By Dr Nozipho N Madzivha, Communication and Marketing Specialist (acting), College of Science, Engineering and Technology
Publish date: 2025/02/12
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