Nikolai DeMartini

Nikolai DeMartini is an Assistant Professor and an NSERC Industrial Research Chair in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto. He helps run the industrial consortium, Effective Energy and Chemical Recovery in Pulp and Paper Mills. His research is focused on process chemistry in chemical recovery and renewable energy.

Prior to joining U of T, he worked as a senior researcher at Åbo Akademi University at the Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry focusing on black liquor and biomass combustion and at the Institute of Paper Science and Technology (IPST) at Georgia Tech, where his research focused on scaling in black liquor evaporators. He works closely with industry so that the knowledge gained from the research is applied.

Niko has been a member of TAPPI for 23 years and serves on TAPPI’s Engineering Division Energy, Recovery, and Recaust Committee and Recovery and Power Boiler Sub-committee. He has also served as a Session Chair and Presenter at TAPPI’s PEERS Conference, Engineering, Pulping and Environmental Conference, The International Bioenergy and Bioproducts Conference, TAPPI/PAPTAC International Chemical Recovery Conference, TAPPI’s Fall Technical Conference, and Instructor for TAPPI’s annual Kraft Recovery Operations Course. He has had several papers published in TAPPI Journal and is co-editor and contributing author of the book Black Liquor Evaporation.

TAPPI has been an important part of Niko's professional development. Conferences, in particular, have given him the opportunity to present his research, get critical feedback, and provides a venue to talk to members of both industry and academia so that he can stay current on the needs of the industry and the latest research in the pulp and paper sector.

1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I have enjoyed writing since high school, though that was primarily poetry if it was not a school report. Now I enjoy working with graduate students to refine research findings down to their key elements.

2. What is your work schedule like when you’re writing for a TAPPI publication?
I usually block off time and focus on writing or editing. Often that means working on it in the evening or on the weekend rather than the during normal workday.

3. What advice do you have for anyone considering writing for a TAPPI publication?
I try to have someone I trust read what I have written before submitting. This helps me verify that the ideas are clearly presented and to catch mistakes in the writing.