When opportunity knocks, Ridwan Ayinla answers—something he’s proven again and again and again.
First, he earned a bachelor’s in physics in his native Nigeria. Then, he seized the fully funded chance to earn a master’s in Malaysia, which he used as a launchpad for further graduate study in France before ultimately coming to Mississippi State on the advice of his mentor.
His goal: gain the education needed to find a sustainable solution to the world’s energy needs.
“In my opinion, Mississippi State was the best place to really explore my fullest potential in sustainability,” Ayinla explained.
Not one to waste an opportunity, Ayinla earned a second master’s degree—this one in chemistry—once he enrolled at MSU. He then joined the university’s College of Forest Resources’ doctoral program with a concentration in sustainable bioproducts.
Now, under the mentorship of Professor El Barbary Hassan, he is working to convert forest by-products into sustainable battery components that will provide cleaner energy for the world.
“The world is not short on energy,” Ayinla explained. “We have abundant renewable energy in the sun, water and wind. The challenge lies in finding ways to efficiently store and distribute it. That’s where our work comes in.”
The idea, Ayinla explained, is to take materials like pine bark or sawdust, which are normally treated as waste, and alter their makeup so they can store energy.
Essentially, the MSU researchers are finding ways for wood products to mimic the role of lithium in batteries, offering a cleaner, safer, more-affordable alternative.
“Lithium is great, however, it is nonrenewable, and mining it is dangerous,” he said. “Our materials can achieve close efficiency in terms of energy storage performance for less money and with far less toxicity. We’ve had great success with our lab-scale prototypes and are now working toward scalability and commercialization. We’re truly pushing the frontier of science forward.”
Ayinla said his combined areas of study—physics, chemistry and forest products— give him the flexibility to understand energy in a comprehensive way—from its creation to its transfer, storage and use.
“Physics gives me a physical understanding of materials and helps me to examine materials differently, while chemistry helps me to understand the atomic and molecular makeup, and establish structure-property relationships,” he said. “By combining both, we can engineer materials to behave exactly the way we want. That’s the essence of innovation.”
In recognition for his work in sustainable energy, Ayinla earned a 2024 summer fellowship from the Electrochemical Society. He was one of only four graduate students globally to earn the honor, which came with a $5,000 award to expand his research. This year, he was one of only 35 selected globally for the American Chemical Society’s Chemical Abstracts Services Future Leaders Class of 2025. He also was selected for the inaugural leadership academy of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers.
Rubin Shmulsky, head of the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, said Ayinla’s success is a testament to the quality of education one receives at Mississippi State University.
A native of Nigeria, Ridwan Ayinla came to Mississippi State to find sustainable solutions to the world’s energy problems. As part of the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, the soon-to-be doctoral graduate is working to turn timber processing waste into batteries that can store and distribute energy as efficiently as their traditional lithium-based counterparts.
“Our department takes great pride in being the destination of choice for innovative scholars from around the world,” he said. “In a world that’s increasingly reliant on electronics, Ridwan is a developing leader with a bright future.”
Ayinla said he believes his cross-disciplinary approach to education and research is the key to the future of scientific discovery.
“If you want to do groundbreaking science, you have to be interdisciplinary or have the ability to collaborate with people from other disciplines,” he said. “Each field has a different understanding of these systems. To find solutions, we have to bring together the biological side, the physical side and the chemical side.
“This is the diversity of science everyone is looking for today,” Ayinla added.
As he prepares to earn his doctoral degree this December, Ayinla credits his success to the cross-disciplinary opportunities and international collaborations he found at MSU.
“Mississippi State has wide wings that allow us to work with a wide variety of people and produce groundbreaking science,” Ayinla said. “Through my mentors and peers, I’ve built connections that span continents. I’ve learned from some of the greatest scientists both here and abroad, and I’m still finding opportunities to learn because I’m not done yet. I want to solve this problem of energy and do it in a sustainable way.”
By Susan Lassetter, Photos by Beth Wynn
Listed as Li on the periodic table, lithium is the lightest-known metal, least-dense solid element and a highly conductive and flammable substance—traits that make it indispensable to modern battery production.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates more than 80% of the world’s mined lithium is used in batteries, and that number increases every year as demand for electric vehicles, portable electronics and energy grid storage applications grows.
But for all its uses, lithium has one major drawback: It’s a nonrenewable resource. The limited amount on Earth is found in rock ore and underground brines, and can only be accessed through dangerous, costly and often-toxic mining processes.
The good news: Lithium batteries can be recycled. So, while scientists work to develop alternative ways to store energy that are less reliant on the element—like the batteries being developed by the MSU Department of Sustainable Bioproducts—conscientious consumers can help keep already-mined lithium in circulation and out of landfills.
To find a recycling drop off near you, search for organizations like Call2Recycle and Earth911 online. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality also has online resources, including tips to safely dispose of or recycle batteries.
