Congratulations to TRaCE’s First Enterprise Academic Fellow, Dr. Ding Zhang!


A huge congratulations to Dr. Ding Zhang, TRaCE’s very first Enterprise Academic Fellow, for his outstanding achievement at Beanstalk Venture’s Drought Venture Studio Program! Dr. Zhang made it to the top four and secured $250K in funding along with one year of ongoing support from Beanstalk.

Revolutionising hydrogen peroxide production

Dr. Zhang’s innovative hydrogen peroxide technology is gaining significant industry attention and has the potential to be a true disruptor across multiple supply chains.

Hydrogen peroxide is a versatile liquid widely used for disinfection, cleaning, and industrial applications. As global demand surges, expected to reach $4 billion by 2027, the need for greener and safer production methods is more urgent than ever. 

  Despite its many uses, conventional hydrogen peroxide production faces significant challenges, including: 

  • High energy consumption 
  • Significant hazardous waste production 
  • Safety risks associated with chemical handling and transport 

Dr. Zhang is pioneering a revolutionary catalytic method that produces hydrogen peroxide, eliminating hazardous chemicals and drastically reducing its environmental footprint. 

By integrating renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, this innovation could shift hydrogen peroxide production away from large-scale centralised facilities to localised, on-site manufacturing, making it: 

✅ Safer
✅ More sustainable
✅ Cost-effective
✅ Resilient against supply chain disruptions 

“The localised, on-site production enabled by this technology could lead to cost savings, reduced carbon emissions, and a more resilient supply chain, particularly in regions like Australia, which currently imports most of its hydrogen peroxide,” Dr. Zhang explained.

TRaCE’s Support in bringing innovation to market

Dr. Zhang joined TRaCE’s Enterprise Academics program as its first fellow, receiving salary support for one year to focus on his startup. Throughout this journey, he has also leveraged: 

  • Fast and free R&D support from TRaCE’s Technology Translation Squad
  • Mentorship from UNSW’s New Ventures Team
  • Participation in the UNSW Founders Climate Pre X Accelerator and Startup Fellowship, where he identified a potential pilot partner. 

“Having worked with Ding over the past year or so and being able to put him in touch with a myriad of new support programs established under TRaCE at UNSW has been quite an exciting journey to see unfold. He’s using every tool in the toolkit, and we are so delighted,” said Claudia Kirkpatrick-Just, TRaCE’s Program Manager. “It really goes to show the growth of the innovation ecosystem at UNSW and across Australia, which is opening up new career pathways for early career academics to translate their work into market solutions and real-world impact.” 

Acknowledgments 

Ding Zhang would like to acknowledge Dr. Jian (Jeffery) Pan, Prof. Zhaojun Han, Prof. Rose Amal, the Particles and Catalysis Research Laboratories at UNSW Chemical Engineering, TRaCE,  UNSW Founders and Beanstalk for their invaluable support and guidance throughout this work.