Zhuo earned Bachelor of Engineering in Vehicle Engineering from Tongji University in 2015, Master of Engineering from Michigan Technological University in 2017, and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in April 2021. After completing doctorate, Zhuo conducted postdoctoral research at Michigan Technological University and later served as an assistant researcher at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he continued his research in related fields. In September 2024, he joined the Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Over the years, Zhuo's work has studied the high-value utilization of plastic waste and organic solid waste, focusing on the thermal conversion of low-value organic wastes and solvent recovery of high-value polymer wastes. In the field of energy and environment, he has published 12 high-quality SCI journal papers. Among these, as the first author, he contributed a review article to Nature Chemical Engineering and has filed one U.S. patent application. During his work in the U.S., Zhuo developed two pilot-scale systems: an integrated plastic-fiber waste torrefaction-extrusion system (50 kg/hr) and a continuous plastic solvent recovery system (25 kg/hr).

·Sustainable Resource Recovery from Urban and Rural Waste ("Urban-Rural Mines")

·High-Value Recycling of Decommissioned New Energy Devices

1. Z. Xu, K.Sanchez-Rivera, C. Granger, P. Zhou, A. Munguia-Lopez,, ... & G. W. Huber, (2025). Solvent-based plastic recycling technologies. Nature Chemical Engineering, 2(7), 407-423.

2. Z. Xu, S. Kolapkar, S. Zinchik, E. Bar-Ziv, and A. McDonald. (2020). “Comprehensive Kinetic Study of Thermal Degradation of Polyvinylchloride (PVC),” Polymer Degradation and Stability, vol. 176, 109148.

3. Z. Xu, S. Zinchik, S. Kolapkar, E. Bar-Ziv, T. Hansen, and D. Conn. (2018). “Properties of Torrefied U. S. Waste Blends,” Front. Energy Res., vol. 6, p. 65.

4. Z. Xu, S. Kolapkar, S. Zinchik, E. Bar-Ziv, L. Ewurum, A. G. McDonald, J. Klinger, E. Fillerup, K. Schaller and C. Pilgrim. (2021). "Bypassing Energy Barriers in Fiber-polymer Torrefaction", Frontiers in Energy Research, 9, 75.

S. Jiang, S, Z. Xu, M. Kamran, S. Zinchik, S. Paheding, A. G. McDonald, V. Zavala-Tejeda, E. Bar-Ziv. (2021). “Using ATR-FTIR Spectra and Convolutional Neural Networks for Characterizing Mixed Plastic Waste”, Computer & Chemical Engineering, vol. 155, 107547.

1. CAS Youth Talents Program (Young Scientist Project): Program Principal Investigator, 2024–2029, (Funding: RMB 4.00 million)

2. Key Project of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region:, Project Principal Investigator. Development of Key Technology and Equipment for Large-Scale Continuous Gas Production via Straw Pyrolysis and Its Engineering Application, 2025-2029 (Funding: RMB 1.288 million)

3. National Key R&D Program of China: Sub-project Principal Investigator. Technology and Equipment Development for Rapid, Non-contact Sensing of Multiple Waste Characteristic Pollutants, 2025–2027 (Funding: RMB 0.58 million)

4. National Natural Science Foundation of China Youth Program (Category C) Project: Program Principal Investigator. Mechanisms of Solvent-Based Removal of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) from Insulation Layers of Waste Electrical Wires and Cables, 2026-2029 (Funding: RMB 0.3 million)