About

Dr. Bo Hu is a professor in the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, where he also serves as the Director of the undergraduate program in Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering. His educational background includes a Ph.D. in Biological Systems Engineering from Washington State University, an M.S. in Biochemical Engineering, and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, both from Beijing University of Chemical Technology. His research focuses on bioprocess development and environmental remediation, with ongoing projects involving fungal fermentation of corn ethanol coproducts for animal feeds, mitigation of hydrogen sulfide emissions in dairy farms, and utilization of food waste for dairy feed in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, he works on developing bioprocessing technologies to convert agricultural residues and waste materials into value-added chemicals and biofuels. Dr. Hu has contributed to advancing sustainable bioprocessing methods and has been recognized with awards such as the ASABE Superior Paper Award and honors in nutrient recycling challenges.

Research topics

• Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Environmental science
• Food science
• Pulp and paper industry
• Biology
• Environmental chemistry
• Waste management
• Organic chemistry
• Agronomy
• Materials science
• Ecology
• Biotechnology
• Environmental engineering
• Botany
• Engineering

Selected publications

• Advances in Fe-based Catalysts for the Hydrogenation of CO₂ to Light Olefins

  Acta Chimica Sinica · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Increasing the Nutritional Value of Camelina Meal via Trametes versicolor Solid-State Fermentation with Various Co-Substrates

  Fermentation · 2025-02-04 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Upcycling low-cost agricultural by-products into valuable and sustainable alternative feeding materials could secure human food-supply chains with a low carbon footprint. This study explored increasing the feeding value of camelina meal (CAM) mixed with wheat bran (WB), soybean hulls (SH), and rice hulls (RH) for monogastric animals via solid-state fermentation (SSF) using white rot fungus Trametes versicolor. Experiments evaluated fungal growth, amino acid profiles, structural carbohydrates, glucosinolates, phytate and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD). Weight loss analysis indicated that fungal growth was more active in WB/CAM and SH/CAM substrates than RH/CAM. Significant phytic acid degradation and near-complete glucosinolate elimination improved CAM feed quality across all substrates. Fermentation increased total and essential amino acids in the SH/CAM mixture, while reductions occurred in WB/CAM and RH/CAM mixtures. SH/CAM fermentation caused substantial cellulose and hemicellulose degradation, resulting in a 44% IVDMD increase. Conversely, RH/CAM fermentation decreased IVDMD despite a reduction in cellulose, possibly due to protein degradation. This study demonstrates the potential of T. versicolor-mediated SSF to enhance CAM and other agricultural residues’ feeding value for monogastric animal applications.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase in NAD+ metabolism: physiological and pathophysiological implications

  Cell Death Discovery · 2025-08-08 · 17 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) is a critical coenzyme involved in cellular metabolism, energy balance, and various physiological processes. Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) is a key rate-limiting enzyme in NAD⁺ synthesis, regulating the NAD⁺ regeneration pathway. This review summarizes the multiple roles of NAMPT in both physiological and pathological states, particularly in cellular stress, aging, metabolic disorders, and cancer. We first describe the central role of NAMPT in NAD⁺ synthesis and explore how NAD⁺ levels are regulated through NAMPT to control cellular functions and metabolic adaptation. Second, we analyze the pathological roles of NAMPT in aging and related diseases, highlighting how NAD⁺ depletion leads to mitochondrial dysfunction, DNA damage, and immune system dysregulation. Notably, NAMPT exacerbates cancer immune evasion mechanisms by influencing immune cell functions and the metabolic environment of tumors. We also discuss the potential of NAMPT as a therapeutic target, particularly through NAD⁺ precursor supplementation or the use of NAMPT activators and inhibitors to modulate NAD⁺ metabolism in aging, metabolic diseases, and cancer. Future research should focus on exploring the functional differences of NAMPT in various tissues and its therapeutic potential in disease treatment.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Preparation and Insight into Efficient Catalytic Properties at Electronic/Molecular Level for Metal Sulfide Modified Carbon Material

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Fungal Bioprocessing of Camelina Meal for Improved Nutritional Profile

  Journal of the ASABE · 2025-01-01

  articleSenior author

  Highlights Solid-state fermentation of camelina meal can improve its nutritional composition. Fermentation with T. versicolor degraded phytate by 68% and glucosinolates by 81%, while fermentation with A. oryzae degraded glucosinolates by 75%. Addition of urea increased amino acid concentration by 19% when fermented with A. oryzae. ABSTRACT. Camelina (Camelina sativa) is an oilseed crop known for environmental benefits in soil nutrient conservation when adopted as a cover crop. Camelina oil has been developed for use as a biofuel and in various commercial applications, but the adoption of camelina meal as a monogastric feed ingredient is limited by its high content of antinutrients, including glucosinolates and phytate, and its relatively low protein content. Therefore, the development of bioprocessing methods that improve the nutritional profile of camelina meal is highly desirable. Here, solid-state fermentation was performed with 6 filamentous fungal species. Compared to the non-fermented meal, fermentation with Trametes versicolor decreased phytate by 68% and glucosinolates by 81%. Meanwhile, fermentation with Aspergillus oryzae decreased glucosinolate content by 75%. The effects of extraneous nitrogen sources to enhance protein content were assessed, and it was found that fermentation with A. oryzae under urea addition increased the total amino acid content by 19% and improved the amino acid profile. Additionally, this study noted that autoclaving significantly decreased glucosinolate content. This study demonstrated the feasibility of selected fungi to improve the nutritional value of camelina meal, potentially promoting the economic return of camelina plantations as an oilseed cover crop. Keywords: Camelina meal, Fungal bioprocessing, Glucosinolates, Solid-state fermentation.

  PublisherDOI

• Sequential fermentation of wheat straw and fruit-vegetable discards to produce circular feed in support of sustainable dairy production

  Resources Conservation & Recycling Advances · 2025-07-26 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  • P. ostreatus and T. versicolor reduced lignin content by 33-55% in wheat straw • Lignin reduction was inhibited when mixing wheat straw with fruit/vegetables • Subsequent ensiling with fruit/vegetables generated lactic acids, reduced pH to 3.5 • Double-fermented feed showed similar in vitro digestibility as standard dairy diet • The integrated bioprocessing can produce novel alternative feeds for dairy farming Developing novel circular feed from plant-based biomass unfit for direct human consumption is imperative to mitigate environmental degradation. In this study, we tested a sequential fermentation strategy to treat wheat straw (WS) and preserve fresh fruit and vegetable (FFV) discards in making circular feed for ruminants. First, ground wheat straw (particle size less than 20 mm) moisturized (moisture content 70-80% by weight) by pure water and by FFV were treated with feed grade fungal strains Tramates versicolor (TV) and Pleurotus ostreatus (PO) at 28 °C for six weeks. Fungal treated mixture resulted in reduced lignin content by 35-55% and decreased lignin-to-cellulose ratio. Each fungal treated biomass was then mixed with additional FFV and anaerobically fermented at 28 °C for 16 days. Organic acids (over 80% was lactic acid) accounted for 9-10% dry matter of the substrates and lowered pH from 5 to about 3.5, which is adequate for preservation of the fermented feed. In vitro dry matter digestibility was not different between the standard diet and sustainability-plus diets that contained 10% or 25% of the double-fermented circular feed materials. Fungal fermentation coupled with bacteria-based ensiling of under-valued or wasted biomass can produce novel feeds to support sustainable dairy farming.

  PublisherDOI

• GAN-based Multimodal fusion for image dehazing

  Enterprise Information Systems · 2025-12-10

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Bio-electrochemically assisted sulfide, phosphorus, and nitrogen remediation in continuous anaerobic digestion of dairy manure with improved biogas production

  Chemosphere · 2025-03-07 · 3 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Stage-resolved Spatial Multi-omics Reveals Myeloid Niches in Human Atherosclerotic Plaques

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2025-10-11

  preprintOpen access

  Abstract Background Atherosclerosis, a leading cause of heart attack and stroke, involves intricate immune cell dynamics within arterial plaques, yet their spatial organization and functional roles remain elusive. Methods We combined Visium HD spatial transcriptomics, imaging mass cytometry, and single-cell RNA-seq across fatty-streak, advanced, and restenotic plaques to map myeloid architectures and relate them to lesion geography and extracellular matrix features. Slingshot trajectory analysis resolved macrophages differentiation path. In vitro , we tested microenvironmental and lipid cues separately: fibronectin (FN) exposure during PMA-driven THP-1 differentiation and oxidized LDL (oxLDL)-induced foam cell formation in murine bone-marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs). Results Our analysis identified seven macrophage subsets and two neutrophil populations with distinct spatial distribution and functional roles. In early lesions, neutrophils expressing MMP9, MPO, p47phox, TGF-β1 and arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase (ALOX5), aligned with proteolysis, inflammatory processes, and endothelial-mesenchymal transition features. In advanced plaques, macrophage subsets exhibit specialized functions: Ki67 + proliferative macrophages localized near necrotic cores, sustaining local population; SPP1 + macrophages, enriched in lipid handling and tissue remodeling, are prone to apoptosis/ferroptosis, potentially promoting necrotic core expansion; and C3aR + macrophages form antigen-presenting niches with elevated HLA-DR and CD74, engaging T cells possibly through CXCL12–CXCR4 signaling. Slingshot trajectories indicated progression from C3aR⁺ toward SPP1⁺ remodeling states concentrated at fibronectin-rich rims. In vitro , FN increased MMP9 and TIMP1 in THP-1-derived macrophages, consistent with FN imprinting remodeling features characteristic of SPP1⁺ macrophages in situ . Concurrently, oxLDL-treated BMDMs showed enhanced lipid-handling and remodeling modules consistent with the SPP1 program. Conclusions These findings define conserved myeloid niches and support a microenvironment-imprinting model that links ECM composition and lipid loading to macrophage state transitions, providing a framework for microenvironment-targeted therapies to stabilize plaques and mitigate cardiovascular risk.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evaluation of Biochar and Iron as Alternative Materials to Improve Performance of Septic Systems—Part 1. Material Selection and Batch Tests

  Water Environment Research · 2025-11-26

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  ABSTRACT The benefits of incorporating biochar and iron as alternative materials to improve septic effluent quality were assessed and compared to C33 sand, a traditional material used to construct septic system soil treatment areas. This study used sequential batch tests to investigate pollution reduction performance of C33 sand, eight types of biochar, and three types of iron with various dosages to identify and optimize operational parameters. Pseudo‐first‐order and pseudo‐second‐order kinetics models were used to simulate temporal performance of wastewater treatment and identify likely mechanisms driving improvements in septic effluent quality. Softwood pine (SP) biochar was most effective at reducing biological oxygen demand (BOD), total nitrogen (TN), and fecal coliform (FC) in septic effluent, while treatment with iron‐enhanced‐sand (IES) produced the highest removal efficiency for total suspended solids (TSS) (> 80%) and total phosphorus (TP) (> 95%) among substrates tested. Experimentation revealed dosages that achieved optimal pollutant removal from 50‐mL septic effluent were 5‐g C33 sand, 1‐g SP, or 2‐g IES. Kinetics study showed that the pseudo‐second‐order model generally described the adsorption performance better than the pseudo‐first‐order model regardless of materials (average R 2 value > 0.95). Furthermore, the pseudo‐second‐order model simulated adsorption capability (mg g −1 ) at equilibrium status with a lower percent error when compared to the pseudo‐first‐order model results. Based on these results, incorporation of SP and IES as alternative materials can achieve higher contaminant removal efficiency and produce cleaner septic effluent, thereby benefiting the environment.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: Ethanol Plants to Produce Animal Feeds --- Whole Conversion of Corn and Residue to Support Biofuel and Feed Production

  NSF · $537k · 2018–2022

Frequent coauthors

• Hongjian Lin

  Zhejiang University

  25 shared

• Cristiano E. Rodrigues Reis

  24 shared

• Aravindan Rajendran

  Pfizer (United States)

  19 shared

• Xiao Sun

  University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

  14 shared

• G. C. Shurson

  University of Minnesota

  14 shared

• Jianguo Zhang

  North Minzu University

  13 shared

• Xin Zhang

  Huazhong Agricultural University

  12 shared

• Lingkan Ding

  10 shared

Labs

• Dr. Bo Hu Bioprocessing GroupPI

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Awards & honors

• ASABE Superior Paper Award (2019)
• Second winner award for EPA/USDA Global Nutrient Recycling C…
• Tenth winner award for EPA/USDA Global Nutrient Recycling Ch…