Masters (M.Tech) Students

Post Graduate Students

 DIPLINA PAULDIPLINA_MTech

Email ID: pauldiplina@gmail.com

Role at present: M. Tech Scholar (completed)

Research Area: Enhancing the performance of microbial fuel cell by zeolite mediated anode and Ag-Pt nano alloy catalysed cathode.

Objectives:

  • To fabricate zeolite mediated anode supported on graphene oxide (GO) to enhance bio-catalytic activity of anodophile in microbial fuel cells (MFCs).
  • To synthesize and characterize silver-platinum (Ag-Pt) nano-alloy dispersed on N-doped graphene nano-sheet as cathode catalyst for enhancing oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in MFC.
  • To enhance in situ bioremediation of sediment in sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC) and subsequent power recovery using graphene oxide-zeolite modified carbon felt/stainless steel wire mesh anode.

Findings of the study:

  • SEM, XRD and Raman spectroscopy analyses confirmed the doping of GO-Zeolite composite and GO on the respective carbon felt anodes.
  • Zeolite-GO composite doped carbon felt was found promising to be used as anode material in MFC for high coulombic recovery and superior performance.
  • Zeolite as a mediator in MFC increased the CE by 2.6-folds and power density by 3.6-folds.
  • N-doped graphene with Ag/Pt/Ag-Pt cathode catalysts were synthesised by one pot hydrothermal process and were characterised by TEM, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, Nano Auger Spectroscopy. N-doped graphene with Ag-Pt was found to be a promising cathode catalyst to enhance ORR of MFCs.

PANKAJ KUAMR GAUTAM

PankajKumar_MTech

Email ID: pankajcivil58@gmail.com

Role at present: M.Tech Scholar (Completed)

Research Area: Development of low cost Microbial Carbon Capture Cell (MCC)

Objective:

Study of different cathodic parameter such as algal species, algal concentration and light intensity on performance of MCC.

Finding of the study:

In MCCs,effect of different algal species (Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Anabaena ambigua) on electricity generation and COD removal was invstigated in batch mode operation. The power density obtained in MCC withChlorella pyrenoidosa and  Anabaena ambigua was 94.1 and 62.3 mW/m2 ,respectively and corresponding  COD removal of  87 and 84%.

CHABUNGBAM NIRANJIT KHUMAN

E-mail: niranjitchabungbam@gmail.com

Orcid ID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6141-4774

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=a9RxiooAAAAJ&hl=en

Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Chabungbam_Niranjit_Khuman

Role at present: M. Tech Scholar (completed)

Research area and interest: Constructed wetland microbial fuel cells

  1. Wastewater treatment
  2. Bioenergy
  3. Aquaculture
  4. Hydroponic system

Findings of the study:

Upflow hydroponic constructed wetland microbial fuel cell (UHCWMFC) for wastewater treatment and recovery of bioelectricity.

The effect of incorporating clayware separator on the performance of UHCWMFC was evaluated in terms of organic matter removal efficiency and power generarion by comparing a system with clayware separator (R1) to another with no separator (R2). Under continuous mode of operation and inlet COD of 500 mg.L-1 at a liquid retention time of 12.8 h, the R1 and R2 exhibited  86.6 ± 5.29 % and 90.7 ± 4.7 %,COD removal efficiencies respectively. In terms of power generation, R1 produced 1.58 and 1.57 times higher maximum sustainable power density (SPD)and normalized energy recovery (NER) respectively than those of R2 ( 80.0 mW.m-3, 36.9 Wh.m-3).

 This indicated that incorporating clayware separator helped in maintaining anaerobic anodic environment and facilitated proton transfer, which eventually enhanced the power density and energy recovery.
 
International conferences:
  • Khuman, C. N., Bhowmick, G.D., Tiwari, B. R., Nath, D., Ghangrekar, M. M. and Mitra, A. (2018). Upflow hydroponic constructed wetland microbial fuel cell (UHCW-MFC) for wastewater treatment and recovery of bioelectricity. International Conference on Sustainable Technologies for Intelligent Water Management, Roorkee, India.

GANTA ANUSHA

E-mail: anusai1222@gmail.com

Role at present: M. Tech Scholar (completed)

Research area and Interest: Application of low cost catalysts to improve the desalination efficiency in Microbial desalination cells (MDC).

Findings of the study:

The study on Microbial desalination cell with the use of carbon supported Ag-SnO2 on cathode surface improved the oxygen reduction kinetics and desalination efficiency as well. The maximum power density obtained with the use of carbon supported Ag-SnO2 as cathode catalyst is 62.3mW/m2 which is a 1.67 fold increase than the MDC with no catalyst (37.5mW/m2). The maximum desalination efficiency obtained is of 75.7% enabling MDC as prior treatment to Reverse Osmosis along with the waste water treatment as well.

International conferences:

  1. G. Anusha, Md.T. Noori, Pritha Chatterjee, M.M. Ghangrekar (2018). Application of Carbon supported Silver-Tin oxide composite (Ag-SnO2) cathode for enhancing desalination performance in microbial desalination cell. International Conference on Sustainable Technologies for Intelligent Water Management, IWRS, IIT  Roorkee, India.
  2. G. Anusha, Md. T. Noori, M. M. Ghangrekar (2018). Enhanced performance of microbial desalination cell with green synthesized Aluminium doped zinc oxide supported on reduced graphene oxide as cathode catalyst. Indo-EU workshop on The Recent Development in Microbial Fuel Cell and Membrane Bioreactor Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India; 2-3 February 2018.

KOUSHIK ADHIKARY

E-mail: adhikary.koushikbec@gmail.com

Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Koushik_Adhikary

Role at present: M. Tech Scholar (completed)

Research area and Interest: Improvement of performance of microbial fuel cell using cathode catalyst and hybrid membrane system.

  1. Proton exchange membranes
  2. Anion exchange membrane
  3. Wastewater treatment
  4. Aquaculture
  5. Cathode catalyst

International conferences:

  1. K. Adhikary, G. D. Bhowmick, M. M. Ghangrekar and A. Mitra (2018). Introducing novel hybrid ion exchange membrane and ANAMMOX to improve the efficiency of nitrogen removal from microbial fuel cell. Indo-EU workshop on The Recent Development in Microbial Fuel Cell and Membrane Bioreactor Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India; 2-3 February 2018.
  2. Adhikary, K., Bhowmick, G. D., Das, I., Ghangrekar, M. M., Mitra, A. (2017, October).
    Bismuth doped Ruthenium/Activated carbon (Bi-Ru/AC) photocathode catalyst with polyvinyl alcohol binder to improve the efficacy of microbial fuel cell. International Conference on Emerging Trends in Biotechnology for Waste Conversion, CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur, India.

KAILASH PATEL

E-mail: kkailash7593@gmail.com

Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kailash_Patel3

Role at present: M. Tech Scholar (completed)

Research area and Interest:

  1. Anaerobic wastewater treatment
  2. Microbial fuel cell
  3. Oxidation reduction reaction.

International Conference:

  1. Kailash Patel, B. R.Tiwari, M. M.Ghangrekar (2018). Effect of applied voltage on wastewater treatment and methane production in Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB). Indo-EU workshop on The Recent Development in Microbial Fuel Cell and Membrane Bioreactor Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India; 2-3 February 2018.
  2. Md. T. Noori; B. R. Tiwari; Kailash Patel; C. K. Mukherjee and M. M. Ghangrekar (2018). Eco-friendly synthesis of Nitrogen-co-doped Co3O4 to be used as oxygen reduction reaction catalyst in microbial fuel cell. Indo-EU workshop on The Recent Development in Microbial Fuel Cell and Membrane Bioreactor Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India; 2-3 February 2018.
  3. Md. T. Noori; B. R. Tiwari; K.  Patel; C. K. Mukherjee and M. M. Ghangrekar ( 2017). Eco-friendly synthesis of Nitrogen-co-doped Co3O4 to be used as oxygen reduction reaction catalyst in microbial fuel cell. International Summit, MRS Fall Meeting and Exhibition, November 26 – December 1, 2017, Boston, USA.

HARISH KUMAR VERMA

E-mail: harishverma0804@gmail.com

Most recent degree: Currently pursuing Master’s in Technology (Dual Degree 5 year course)

Role at present: M. Tech Scholar (completed)

Research area and Interest: Development of sustainable cathode catalysts for microbial fuel cells

  1. ORR catalysts
  2. Wastewater treatment
  3. Renewable energy.

Findings of the research:

Cobalt (III) oxide (Co3O4)/Activated carbon (AC) nanoparticle was proved to be a good alternative to the most promising catalyst platinum so far used in the MFCs. Study on the possibility of aluminium recovery from the metal pickling sludge is now being investigated.

RAJ JOSHI

Email ID: rajap3998@gmail.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raj-joshi98/

Role at present: M.Tech Scholar

Research Areas:

  1. Removal of emerging contaminants from real wastewater
  2. Tertiary wastewater treatment
  3. Advanced oxidation processes

Objectives:

  • To study removal of total organic carbon (TOC) at pilot scale from secondary treated real municipal wastewater
  • To explore scalable technologies at laboratory scale for tertiary treatment in order to produce potable water from wastewater
  • To investigate the operational parameters of ozonation, adsorption, electro-Fenton oxidation and reverse osmosis

YASSER BASHIR

Email ID: Yasserbashir00@gmail.com

Role at present (IIT Kharagpur): M. Tech Scholar

Research Area: Application of bimetallic cathode catalyst to enhance the performance of microbial fuel cell.

Objectives:

  • To synthesize and characterize bimetallic copper-zirconium (Cu-Zr) as a cathode catalyst for enhancing oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in MFC.
  • To fabricate and operate microbial fuel cell for wastewater treatment and bioenergy recovery
  • To compare the performance of synthesized Cu-Zr catalyst and Copper-Zinc (Cu-Zn) catalyst.

Findings of the study:

  • Synthesis of Cu-Zr was carried out via the sol-gel method followed by calcination.
  • CV and LSV were performed to understand the electrochemical behaviour of the synthesized Cu-Zr catalyst.
  • Physiochemical characterization XRD, EDX, FTIR, and SEM were performed to check the purity and morphological structure of the synthesized catalyst
  • Cu-Zr catalyst has proven promising for the high coulombic recovery and superior performance of the MFC.

Publication:

  • Yasser Bashir, Rishabh Raj, Sovik Das, M M Ghangrekar (2023). Application of bimetallic cathode catalyst for enhancing the performance of microbial fuel cell: A review. Journal of Water, Air, & Soil Pollution (2023), 234(2), 91. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-022-06052-3

International Conference:

  • Yasser Bashir, S. M. Sathe, M. M. Ghangrekar (2022). Application of copper zirconium (Cu-Zr) bimetallic cathode catalyst for enhancing the performance of microbial fuel cell. The International Conference on Biotechnology for Sustainable Bioresources and Bioeconomy (BSBB-2022), 7-11 Dec-2022, IIT Guwahati, Assam, India.