Profile TabsProfileThaddeus EzejiProfessor, & Associate Chair, Wooster campusezeji.1@osu.edu330-263-3796Office: 305 Gerlaugh HallWooster, OH 44691Professional InformationResearch Area(s): Fermentation biologyMicrobiologyBiography: Dr. Thaddeus Ezeji earned his Ph.D. (Magna Cum Laude) in Microbiology from the University of Rostock, Germany. Following his doctoral studies, he served 6 years as a Postdoctoral Research Associate and Research Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where his focus was on fermentation technologies and metabolic engineering of butanologenic Clostridium species. In 2007, Dr. Ezeji joined The Ohio State University (OSU) as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences. His accomplishments at the OSU have resulted in his promotions leading to his present appointment as Professor in the Departments of Animal Sciences and Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering as well as Departmental Associate Chair. Dr. Ezeji's research program focuses on the following areas: Development of processes for extracting sugars from lignocellulosic biomass Understanding the generation of lignocellulose-derived microbial inhibitory compounds (LDMICs) during the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass and their effects on fermenting microorganisms Understanding and developing strategies to ameliorate the undesirable effects of lignocellulose LDMICs on fermenting microorganisms Design of fermentation systems compatible with agricultural, food and industrial wastes Development of effective strategies for the biological treatment of agricultural, food and industrial wastes (bioremediation) In collaboration with various Ohio State faculty members, Dr. Ezeji is actively engaged in outreach programs addressing emerging issues in Ohio's expanding bioenergy sector. He also serves as an Associate Editor for three international journals, has co-edited three books, and has published approximately 84 scientific papers and 17 book chapters, with these publications being cited about 10,000 times in peer reviewed publications. View Publications WorksEdited Books Ezeji TC (ed.) 2017. Biofuels and biochemicals production. MPDI Switzerland. ISBN 978-3- 03842-554-0 (Pbk) and ISBN 978-3-03842-555-7 HP. Blaschek, TC Ezeji, and J. Scheffran (eds.). 2010. Biofuels from Agricultural Wastes and Byproducts. Wiley-Blackwell. Ames, IA, USA V. Sejian, MK Syed, T. Naqvi, T. Ezeji, J Lakritz, R. Lal (eds.). 2012. Environmental stress and amelioration in livestock production. Springer Verlag, Berlin, Germany Book Chapters Panahi Shariat HK, Dehhaghi M, Guillemin GJ, Okonkwo CC, Kinder, JE, and Ezeji TC (2023) Biobutanol production: scope, significance, and applications. Chapter in: Advances and Developments in Biobutanol Production. (Eds: Segovia-Hernandez et al.) Woodhead Publishing; 1st edition (December 9, 2022), Elsevier BV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Ujor V and TC Ezeji (2016) Butanol Fermentation. Chapter in: Bioenergy: Principles and Applications. (Eds: Li Y and Khanal S). John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey, Chapter 15. P. 277 - 295 Veerasamy Sejian, Iqbal Hyder, T. Ezeji, J. Lakritz, Raghavendra Bhatta, J.P. Ravindra, Cadaba S. Prasad, and Rattan Lal (2015) Global Warming: Role of Livestock. Chapter in Climate Change Impact on Livestock: Adaptation and Mitigation (Eds: Sejian V, Gaughan J, Baumgard L, Prasad C) Springer India, Chapter 10. p. 141-169. Mariano AP, Ezeji TC, and N Qureshi (2015) Butanol (Biofuel) Production by Fermentation: Efficient Bioreactors. Chapter in Commercializing Biobased Products: Opportunities, Challenges, Benefits, and Risks. (Ed. Snyder SW) Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), Cambridge, CB4 0WF, UK. Chapter 4. P. 48 - 70 Ezeji TC, Liu S, and N Qureshi (2014) Mixed Sugar Fermentation by Clostridia and Metabolic Engineering for Butanol Production. Chapter in: Biorefineries: Integrated Biochemical Processes for Liquid Biofuels. (Eds: Qureshi N, Hodge D, Vertes A). Elsevier BV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, p. 191 – 204. Ezeji TC, Qureshi N, Ujor V, 2014. Isobutanol production from bioenergy crops. Chapter in: Bioenergy Research: Advances & Applications (Eds: Gupta, V.K., Tuohy, M., Kubicek, C.P., Saddler, J., Xu, F.). Elsevier BV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 109-118. Qureshi, N., Liu, S., and TC Ezeji (2013) Cellulosic butanol production from agricultural biomass and residues: recent advances in technology. In: Lee, J.W., editor. Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts. New York, NY: Springer Science and Business Media. Chapter 15, p. 247-265. Sejian V, Shekhawat I, Ujor V, Ezeji T, Lakritz J, and R Lal (2012) Global Climate Change: Enteric Methane Reduction strategies in Livestock. In Sejian V, Naqvi SMK, Ezeji T, Lakritz J, and R Lal (eds.), Environmental Stress and Amelioration in Livestock Production. Chapter 16. Springer Verlag. Berlin Germany, p. 469-499) Blaschek HP, Ezeji TC, and J Scheffran (2010) Biofuels from Agricultural Wastes and By-Products: An Introduction. In HP. Blaschek, TC Ezeji, and J. Scheffran (eds.), Biofuels from Agricultural Wastes and Byproducts. Chapter 2. Wiley-Blackwell. Ames, IA. (3-9) Ezeji TC, and HP Blaschek (2010) Butanol production from lignocellulosic biomass. In HP. Blaschek, TC. Ezeji, and J. Scheffran (eds.), Biofuels from Agricultural Wastes and Byproducts. Chapter 3. Wiley-Blackwell. Ames, IA. (pp 19-37) Qureshi N, Hughes, S, and TC Ezeji (2010) Production of Liquid Biofuels from Biomass: Emerging Technologies. In HP. Blaschek, TC Ezeji, and J. Scheffran (eds.), Biofuels from Agricultural Wastes and Byproducts. Chapter 2. Wiley-Blackwell. Ames, IA. (11-18) Ezeji TC, and Y Li (2010). Advanced product recovery technologies. In A. Vertes, N. Qureshi, H. Yukawa, and H. Blaschek (eds.), Biomass to Biofuel. Chapter 16. Wiley & Sons. Hoboken, NJ. P. 331- 345. Blaschek HP, Ezeji TC, and ND Price (2010) Present and Future Possibilities for the Deconstruction and Utilization of Lignocellulosic Biomass. In M. Khanna, J. Scheffran, and D. Zilberman (eds.), Handbook of Bioenergy Economics and Policy, Chapter 4. Springer, New York, NY 10013. P. 39-51. Ezeji TC, and HP Blaschek (2008) Practical aspects of butanol production. In: Wall, J., Harwood C.S., Demain, A. editors. Bioenergy. Chapter 26. Washington, DC: American Society for Microbiology Press. P. 335-346. Ezeji TC, Qureshi N, Karcher PM, Blaschek HP (2006) Production of butanol from corn. In: Minteer, S.D., editor. Alcoholic Fuels: Fuels for Today and Tomorrow. Chapter 7. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker, Inc. p. 99 – 122. Ezeji TC, Qureshi N, Blaschek HP (2005) Industrially relevant fermentations. In: Durre, P., editor. Handbook on Clostridia. Chapter 36. New York, NY: Taylor and Francis. p. 797 – 812. Karcher PM, Ezeji TC, Qureshi N, Blaschek HP (2005) Microbial production of butanol: product recovery by extraction. In: Satyanarayann, T., Johri, B.N., editors. Microbial Diversity: Current Prospective and Potential Applications. New Delhi: I.K. International. p. 865 – 880. Publications (Last 5 years) Ezeji TC, Atiyeh H, Mariano AP and Rakshit SK (2023), Editorial: Innovative bioconversion of non-food substrates to fuels. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 11:1163513. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1163513 Saba B, Bharathidasan AK, Ezeji TC, and Cornish K (2023) Characterization and potential valorization of industrial food processing wastes. Science of the Total Environment, 868, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161550 Okonkwo, CC, Duduyemi, A, Ujor, VC, Atiyeh HK, Iloba I, Qureshi N, and Ezeji TC (2023) From agricultural wastes to fermentation nutrients: a case study of 2,3- butanediol production. Fermentation 9, 36. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9010036 Rivera EC, Assumpção DC, Kwon HJ, Okonkwo CC, Ezeji TC, Filho RM, and Mariano AP (2023) Mechanistic modeling of redox balance effects on the fermentation of eucalyptus wood-derived xylose to acetone-butanol-ethanol. Biochemical Engineering J, 190, 108738 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bej.2022.108738 Olorunsogbon T, Adesanya Y, Atiyeh HK, Okonkwo CC, Ujor VC, and Ezeji TC (2022) Effects of Clostridium beijerinckii and Medium Modifications on Acetone–Butanol– Ethanol Production from Switchgrass. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.942701 Adesanya Y, Atiyeh HK, Olorunsogbon T, Khanal A, Okonkwo CC, Ujor VC, Shah A, and Ezeji TC (2022) Viable strategies for enhancing acetone-butanol-ethanol production from non-detoxified switchgrass hydrolysates. Bioresource Technology 344 (Part A): 126167 Qureshi N, Nasib Qureshi, Saha BC, Liu S, Ezeji TC, Nichols NN (2021) Cellulosic Butanol Biorefinery: Production of Biobutanol from High Solid Loadings of Sweet Sorghum Bagasse—Simultaneous Saccharification, Fermentation, and Product Recovery. Fermentation 7(4), 310 Ujor VC, Lai LB, Okonkwo CC, Gopalan V and Ezeji TC (2021) Ribozyme-Mediated Downregulation Uncovers DNA Integrity Scanning Protein A (DisA) as a Solventogenesis Determinant in Clostridium beijerinckii. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 9:669462. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.669462 Okonkwo C, Ujor V, Ezeji TC (2021) Production of 2,3-Butanediol from non-detoxified wheat straw hydrolysate: Impact of microbial inhibition on Paenibacillus polymyxa DSM 365. Industrial Crops & Products 159: 113047 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2020.113047 Chacón SJ, Matias G, Ezeji TC, Filho RM, Mariano AP (2021) Three-stage repeated-batch immobilized cell fermentation to produce butanol from non-detoxified sugarcane bagasse hemicellulose hydrolysates. Bioresource Technology 321: 124504 Chacón SJ, Matias G, Vieira CFD, Ezeji TC, Filho RM, Mariano AP (2020) Enabling butanol production from crude sugarcane bagasse hemicellulose hydrolysate by batch- feeding it into molasses fermentation. Industrial Crops and Products 155: 112837 Qureshi N, Lin X, Liu S, Saha BC, Mariano AP, Polaina J, Ezeji TC, Friedl A, Maddox IS, Klasson KT, Dien BS, V Singh (2020) Global View of Biofuel Butanol and Economics of Its Production by Fermentation from Sweet Sorghum Bagasse, Food Waste, and Yellow Top Presscake: Application of Novel Technologies. Fermentation 6(2): 58, https://doi.org/ 10.3390/ fermentation6020058 Ujor VC, Christopher Okonkwo CC, Rush BB, McCrea GE and T C Ezeji (2020) Harnessing the residual nutrients in anaerobic digestate for ethanol fermentation and digestate remediation using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Fermentation 6 (2):52, https://doi:10.3390/fermentation 6020052 Okonkwo CC, Ujor, V, Cornish K, and TC Ezeji (2020) Inactivation of the Levansucrase Gene in Paenibacillus polymyxa DSM 365 Diminishes Exopolysaccharide Biosynthesis during 2,3-Butanediol Fermentation. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 86 (9): e00196-20. doi: 10.1128/AEM.00196-20 Sun X, Atiyeh HK, Adesanya Y, Zhang H, Okonkwo C and T. Ezeji (2020) Feasibility of using biochar as buffer and mineral nutrients replacement for acetone-butanol-ethanol production from non-detoxified switchgrass hydrolysate. Bioresource Technology 298: 122569 Kazemi Shariat Panahi H, Dehhaghi M, Kinder JE, Ezeji TC (2019) A review on green liquid fuels for the transportation sector: a prospect of microbial solutions to climate change. Biofuel Research Journal 23: 995 - 1024. DOI: 10.18331/BRJ2019.6.1.2 Sun, X., H. K. Atiyeh, Y. Adesanya, H. Zhang, C. Okonkwo and T. Ezeji “Enhanced Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol Production by Clostridium beijerinckii Using Biochar”, ASABE 2019 Annual International Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, July 7-10, 2019 (10 pages), Paper number: ASABE -1900256. St. Joseph, Mich.: ASABE. Okonkwo CC, Ujor V, Ezeji TC (2019) Chromosomal integration of aldo-keto-reductase and short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase genes in Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 enhanced tolerance to lignocellulose-derived microbial inhibitory compounds. Scientific Reports 9:7634 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44061-1 Agu CV, Ujor V, Ezeji TC (2019) Metabolic engineering of Clostridium beijerinckii to improve glycerol metabolism and furfural tolerance. Biotechnology for Biofuels 12:50 Assumpção Daniel de Castro, Elmer Alberto Ccopa Rivera, Laura Plazas Tovar, Thaddeus Chukwuemeka Ezeji, Rubens Maciel Filho, Adriano Pinto Mariano (2018) Resolving mismatches in the flexible production of ethanol and butanol from eucalyptus wood with vacuum fermentation. Bioprocess & Biosystems Eng 41:1651– 1663 Invited Talks, Abstracts and Presentations: Ezeji TC (2023) Keynote Speaker on “Green chemistry: A case for sustainable production of biofuels from non-food substrates”. 2023 International Joint Conference on Environmental Engineering and Biotechnology (CoEEB 2023), Malmo, Sweden, May 19-21, 2023 Okonkwo, CC, Duduyemi, A, Ujor, VC, and Ezeji TC (2023) Development of nonmembrane separation system for real-time recovery of acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) during fermentation. American Society for Microbiology Annual Conference, George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, Texas, USA, June 15 - 19, 2023 Cornish, K, Blakeslee, JJ, Sadre, R, and Ezeji TC (2023) Biomanufacturing of Natural Rubber – A Critical Imported Raw Material. The Ohio State University Biomanufacturing Opportunities Workshop, Columbus, Ohio, USA, April 4 – 5, 2023 Duduyemi, AS, Okezie, E, Udegbe, F, and Ezeji TC (2023) Improving Product Yield and Reducing Carbon Footprints in Biomanufacturing. The Ohio State University Biomanufacturing Opportunities Workshop, Columbus, Ohio, USA, April 4 – 5, 2023 Duduyemi, A, Okonkwo, CC, Ujor, VC, and Ezeji TC (2023) In-situ recovery of C5 – C8 alcohols from bioreactor by vacuum-assisted gas stripping. 2023 CFAES Annual Research Forum, Wooster, OH, USA, March 27-28, 2023. Ezeji TC (2022) Keynote Speaker on “Green Chemistry-A case for the production of 2,3- butanediol from biomass”. 75th Chemical Engineering Congress (CHEMCON 2022) Annual Meeting. Sustainability in Chemical Processes through Digitization, Artificial Intelligence, and Green Chemistry, Harcourt Butler Technical University, HBTU East Campus, HBIT East Campus, Nawabganj, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208002, India, December 27 – 30, 2022 Elmer Ccopa Rivera, Hyun Kwon, Thaddeus Ezeji, Rubens Maciel Filho and Adriano P. Mariano (2022) Kinetic Modeling of the Acetone–Butanol–Ethanol Fermentation of Eucalyptus Wood-Derived Xylose by Clostridium Beijerinckii NCIMB 8052. 2022 AIChE Annual Meeting. Fuels and Petrochemicals Division, Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ, November 13-18, 2022 Ezeji TC (2022) Invited speaker on “Biofuels production: Downstream processing, challenges, and potential mitigations”. Department of Food Technology, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. November 03, 2022 Ezeji TC and Ujor V (2022) Invited talk on “Bioprocessing of energy crops to fuels and chemicals: influence of simultaneous product recovery”. Program of International Conference between Ohio State University and Ukraine. Theme: Growing Energy Crops by Recycling Biosolids on Marginal Lands. Sponsored by the U.S. CRDF Global and Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science, The Ohio State university, Columbus, September 22, 2022. Ifeanyi Iloba, Christopher Okonkwo, Hasan K. Atiyeh, Victor Ujor, and Thaddeus Ezeji (2022) Effects of biochar and anaerobic digestate as nutrient sources during ethanol fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. American Society for Microbiology Annual conference, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C, USA, June 09 - 13, 2022 Tinuola Olorunsogbon, Christopher Okonkwo, Victor Ujor, and Thaddeus Ezeji (2022) Uncovering the role hypothetical protein encoded by Cbei_1177 plays during growth and solventogenesis in Clostridium beijerinckii. American Society for Microbiology Annual Conference, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C, USA, June 09 - 13, 2022. Olorunsogbon T, Ujor V, Ezeji TC (2021) Application of ribozyme-based technique to identify new metabolic engineering targets in Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052. 2021 CFAES Annual Research Conference, Wooster, OH, USA (Virtual Conference), April 5 - April 9, 2021. Okonkwo CC, Ujor VC, Roe BE, Ezeji TC (2021). Bokashi supplementation eliminates fecal coliforms during cow manure pretreatment. College of Food, Agricultural, Environmental Sciences Annual Research Conference, Columbus Ohio (Virtual Conference), April 5 - 8, 2021. Ezeji TC (2020) Keynote speaker on “Past, Present, and Future of Bioenergy: An Example of Butanol”. 2020 International E-Conference on New Horizons in Biochemistry, Microbiology and Food Technology jointly organized by Yogi Vemana University India and University Malaysia Kelantan Malaysia, October 12 – 13. Okonkwo, CC, Ujor, V, Ezeji, TC (2020) Biotransformation of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) and furfural during 2,3-butanediol fermentation by Paenibacillus polymyxa DSM 365. American Society for Microbiology Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, USA (Virtual Conference), June 22 - August 17, 2020. Olorunsogbon, T, Okonkwo, C, Iloba, I, Atiyeh, H, Adesanya, Y, Ujor, V, Ezeji, T (2020) Overexpression of aldo-keto reductase and short-chain dehydrogenase genes in Clostridium beijerinckii leads to enhanced butanol production from switchgrass hydrolysates. American Society for Microbiology Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, USA (Virtual Conference), June 22 - August 17, 2020. Ezeji TC (2019) Invited speaker on “Biofuel production from non-food substrates: Panacea to energy problems in developing countries. Department of Food Technology, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. December 09, 2019. Ezeji TC (2019) Gave seminar on “Postgraduate programs in the United States of American Universities: What you need to know prior to application”. Faculty of Technology, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. December 11, 2019. Ezeji TC (2019) Invited speaker on “Biofuels production: Scientific and ethical challenges, and opportunities. Department of Food Technology, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. December 13, 2019. Okonkwo CC, Ujor VC, Ezeji TC (2019) Towards Development of Non-exopolysaccharide Producing Paenibacillus polymyxa for Enhanced 2,3-Butanediol Production. Poster presentation, ASM Microbe, San Francisco, USA. June 20 - 24, 2019 Okonkwo CC, Ujor VC, Ezeji TC (2019) 2,3-Butanediol Production: Development of Non- exopolysaccharide Producing Paenibacillus polymyxa strain. Oral presentation, ASM Microbe, San Francisco, USA. June 20 - 24, 2019 Okonkwo CC, Rush B, Iloba IM, Ezeji TC, and Ujor VC (2019) Yeast fermentation in anaerobic digestion effluent: a novel strategy for recovering. CFAES Annual Research Conference, 2019. Nationwide Ohio Farm Bureau & 4-H Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA. Friday, April 22, 2019 - Any -Journal articleBook/book chapterReportWorking paperPolicy briefPresentationData