As lead scientist, Dr. Zhao has made pioneering contributions to pulp and paper technology, environmental protection, and energy conservation. His major accomplishments include chemical control agents for contaminants in papermaking, high efficiency flocculants, and novel high-speed bioreactors for wastewater treatment, which are now in mass production. More recently, he developed a novel Temperature Control Material (TCM) for releasing and absorbing heat to conserve energy in buildings, and a fibre-based High Resistance Panel (HRP) for building insulation. These developments, based on forest materials, are now entering large-scale commercial production.