Dr. Lei Zhang, a faculty member at the School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, possesses a Doctor of Engineering degree in Environmental Engineering, which he obtained from Tongji University. His research is focused on environmental functional materials, with a specific focus on the development and application of porous carbon-based adsorbents. Dr. Zhang has been instrumental in the field, contributing to two  national R&D projects and a project funded by the National Natural Science Foundation.

Dr. Zhang has co-authored a comprehensive 300,000-word monograph, participated in the development of an industry standard, and is the holder of two Chinese patents. His scholarly impact is evident through his presentations at international conferences and his publication of 18 SCI-indexed papers in esteemed journals such as the Chemical Engineering Journal. His work has garnered an H-index of 12 and has been cited over 1000 times on Google Scholar, including one ESI Hot Paper and five ESI Highly Cited Papers. He is a respected peer reviewer for several SCI journals and has served as the first or co-first author on nine SCI research papers, which include three ESI Highly Cited Papers and seven papers in the top-tier journals of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. 

• Biochar and Activated Carbon: Exploring the adsorptive properties of biochar and activated carbon for environmental remediation applications.
• Porous Carbon-Based Materials: Developing and characterizing porous carbon materials to enhance their performance in advanced adsorption processes.
• Adsorption Technology: Advancing adsorption technologies for the purification of water and air, focusing on innovation and efficiency.
• Resource Recovery: Enhancing resource recovery processes through the development and application of innovative adsorptive materials and techniques.
• Water/Wastewater Treatment: Implementing effective water and wastewater treatment strategies utilizing adsorption technology to achieve cleaner water standards.
• Gas Capture/Adsorption: Developing and optimizing gas capture and adsorption technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and remove harmful gases and improve air quality.
• Statistical Physics Models: Applying statistical physics models to understand the mechanisms of adsorption and predict adsorption phenomena.
• Investigation of Adsorption Mechanisms: Unveiling the mechanisms behind the adsorption process by integrating material characterization, adsorption energy distribution theory, statistical thermodynamics, and statistical physics adsorption models.

• Lei Zhang, Lotfi Sellaoui, Dison Franco, et al. Adsorption of dyes brilliant blue, sunset yellow and tartrazine from aqueous solution on chitosan: Analytical interpretation via multilayer statistical physics model[J]. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2020, 382: 122952. (ESI Highly Cited Papers (Top 1% Global), JCR Q1, IF2019: 10.652, Google Scholar Citation: 172 times).
• Lei Zhang#, Jie Liu #, Libin Yang, et al. Interfacial solar evaporation toward efficient recovery of clean water and concentration of nutrients from urine with polypyrrole-based photothermal conversion films[J]. Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2023, 188: 106645. (ESI Highly Cited Papers (Top 1% Global), JCR Q1, IF2022: 13.2, Google Scholar Citation: 22 times, First co-first author).
• Zhiquan Diao#, Lei Zhang#, Qi Li, et al. Adsorption of food dyes from aqueous solution on a sweet potato residue-derived carbonaceous adsorbent: Analytical interpretation of adsorption mechanisms via adsorbent characterization and statistical physics modeling[J]. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2024, 482: 148982. (Second co-first author, ESI Highly Cited Papers (Top 1% Global), JCR Q1, IF2022: 15.1, Google Scholar Citation: 39 times).
• Lei Zhang, Libin Yang, Jiabin Chen, et al. Adsorption of SO2 and NH3 onto copper/graphene nanosheets composites: Statistical physics interpretations, thermodynamic investigations, and site energy distribution analyses[J]. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2022, 446: 137224. (JCR Q1, IF2021: 16.744, Google Scholar Citation: 23 times).
• Lei Zhang, Libin Yang, Futao Yi, et al. Experimental and theoretical study of multiple active site-functionalized microalgae-based porous carbon as an economical adsorbent for NH3 and SO2 adsorption: Micro- and macro-mechanistic investigations[J]. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2024, 469: 143167. (JCR Q1, IF2022: 11.1).
• Lei Zhang, Libin Yang, Jiabin Chen, et al. Enhancing efficient reclaim of phosphorus from simulated urine by magnesium-functionalized biochar: Adsorption behaviors, molecular-level mechanistic explanations and its potential application[J]. Science of The Total Environment, 2024, 906: 167293. (JCR Q1, IF2022: 9.8, Google Scholar Citation: 17 times).
• Lei Zhang, Libin Yang, Mingchao Yang, et al. Phosphorus recovery from urine by CO2-activated biochar for sustainable slow-release fertilizer applications: Unveiling adsorption mechanisms by statistical physics modeling and predictive modeling with artificial neural networks[J]. Separation and Purification Technology, 2024, 342: 126981. (JCR Q1, IF2022: 8.6, Google Scholar Citation: 2 times).
• Lei Zhang, Libin Yang, Jiabin Chen, et al. Adsorption of Congo red and methylene blue onto nanopore-structured ashitaba waste and walnut shell-based activated carbons: Statistical thermodynamic investigations, pore size and site energy distribution studies[J]. Nanomaterials, 2022, 12(21): 3831. (JCR Q1, IF2021: 5.719, Google Scholar Citation: 17 times).
• Lei Zhang, Yuhuan Jiang, Xuening Pang, et al. Simultaneous optimization of ultrasound-assisted extraction for flavonoids and antioxidant activity of Angelica keiskei using response surface methodology (RSM)[J]. Molecules, 2019, 24(19): 3461. (JCR Q2, IF2018: 3.060, Google Scholar Citation: 58 times).
• Lei Zhang, Zichao Li, Liping Wang, et al. Research Progress of Anti-tumor Effects of Chalcones from Angelica keiskei [J]. Science & Technology of Food Industry, 2018, 39(18): 336-341+352. (CSCD, IF2023: 2.592, CNKI Citation: 8 times).

• Feng Gao, Lei Zhang. Economic analysis of rural toilet system[M]// Xuefei Zhou, Yalei Zhang, Jiabin Chen. Principles, Methods and Technologies of Ecological Construction of Rural Toilet. Beijing: China Building Industry Press, 2024: 211-228. (CIP Approval No.: 20244SP130, ISBN: 978-7-112-30169-0, Publication date: 2024.10, participated in the editing and manuscript preparation of this book as a student general leader).

• https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57203347596