Staff Profile

The 'Who am I?' @NCL

I am a Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at the School of Engineering at Newcastle University since December 2022. I study and design sustainable materials produced from renewable resources such as biomass, mineral wastes, and microorganisms and utilise them to improve food-energy-water security. 

Education: 

Ph.D in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 2019

Pioneered the use of biochar-based composites in the Ph.D. research group. Extensive experience designing carbon-based functional materials such as biochar, graphene hydrogels, transitional metal oxides (MnO_x), metal-organic framework-derived oxide composites (Ni_xCo_3-xO₄-graphene hydrogel composites) for use in supercapacitors, electrocatalysts, and heterogeneous catalysts

Bachelor of Technology (Distinction) in Chemical Engineering and Technology, National Institute of Technology, India, 2013

Work experience:           

Postdoctoral Research Associate, UK Biochar Research Centre, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, UK 2019-2022

I led the production and characterisation of biochar-based materials for sustainable water treatment in collaboration with microbiologists, biochar, and environmental scientists within and outside the UK (UK-Europe, Sri Lanka). We successfully demonstrated (forthcoming papers) the safe use of Biologically Enhanced Biochar (BEB) engineered from coconut shell biochar for removal of cyanotoxins in freshwater, utilising the remarkable advancements in the fields of analytical chemistry, microbiology, and molecular biology.

I further used findings from the recent lab and field-scale experiments I led with colleagues at Edinburgh Fire Research Institute and University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka to create experimental protocols and videos (forthcoming papers) for safe operations of low-cost pyrolysis units such as flame curtain pyrolysis kilns. I also led the development of functionalized biochar electrodes for investigating (bio)-electrochemical interactions of biochar, electrochemical energy storage and energy conversion devices. 

Process Engineer in an Ethane-Propane Gas Cracker Plant, Reliance Industries Ltd., Maharashtra, India, 2013-2014

Co-led a study to analyze the cooling water distribution in heat exchangers in an ethane-propane gas cracker plant. The study led to installing a 24” jump over, done without shutdown

My research in brief: I work towards finding sustainable solutions and have special interests in developing biochar and biochar-based composites for clean energy and the environment. My research transcends engineering, electrochemistry, material science, environmental science, and biotechnology. 

The 'Why' to my research: Biochar is a multi-functional, carbon-rich product of the thermochemical conversion of biomass and organic wastes under oxygen-deficient conditions. Biochar’s long-term carbon sequestration potential has gained it significant attention as one of a handful of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies and is recognised by the IPCC as a carbon-negative technology, while also being included in UN emissions inventory reporting. This means that the stable carbon in biochar has high recalcitrance – the ability to highly resist both biotic and abiotic degradation – making it possible for biochar to stay buried in soil for thousands of years as an efficient carbon sink. Biochar production is also effective as a sustainable waste valorisation technology, particularly in countries such as India, Indonesia, and China, where lots of agricultural residue and organic wastes are often burnt each year. This opportunity for waste-valorisation through thermochemical conversion of biomass to produce value added products such as biochar makes it even more environmentally sustainable and cost-effective, with added advantages from its carbon sequestration potential and multi-functional properties. The utilisation of biochar can thus clearly contribute to meeting many of the UN SDGs by 2030 and especially SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean energy).

The 'What' is my Research: While there has been substantial research on the energy and environmental applications of biochar, there is still a significant gap in optimising the thermochemical conversion process and biochar properties to suit different end applications. I currently investigate structure-property relations, complex biochar-microbial interactions, and the (bio)- electrochemical properties of biochar using recent advancements in electrochemistry, engineering, analytical chemistry, and environmental science. I also study thermochemical processes such as pyrolysis for sustainable and scalable biochar production, including low-cost pyrolysis techniques such as flame curtain pyrolysis. My research will directly inform and support the optimisation of affordable biochar-based materials for several end applications not limited to bioremediation of soil and water, electrochemical sensing, energy storage, and energy conversion, and Microbial Electrochemical Technologies (MET).