Biplob Kumar Pramanik

• PhD, MSc, BSc
• Lecturer at RMIT University

Car wash wastewater contains significant concentrations of contaminants such as nutrients, organics, particulate matter, sand, oil, grease, diesel detergents and so on. A range of treatment processes such as a membrane bioreactor (MBR), coagulation and ozonation were investigated to treat car wash wastewater. Ozonation was effective in removing the...

Polylactic acid (PLA), a bioplastic widely used in sustainable packaging, offers notable environmental advantages over petro-plastics. However, the environmental footprint of PLA production depends heavily on biomass feedstock. This study provides a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of PLA production from cane-sugar and microalgal biomass, an...

The presence of nanoplastics (NPs) in municipal and industrial wastewater has raised significant concerns regarding their potential toxic effects on humans and various organisms. Herein, we synthesized dual-charged metal-organic framework (MOF)-based nanoparticles by anchoring ethylenediamine (ED) to the unsaturated metal sites of the MIL-101(Cr)....

Nanoplastics (NPs) have emerged as pollutants with detrimental impacts on human and aquatic health. While commercial ultrafiltration (UF) membranes in wastewater treatment plants can effectively remove NPs, their hydrophobic nature limits water permeability and leads to membrane fouling. Herein, we fabricated poly-ethersulfone (PES)/polyamide (PA)...

Fat, oil, and grease (FOG) deposits, commonly found in urban wastewater systems, primarily originate from food service establishments, households and industrial activities. These deposits consist predominantly of fatty acids (FA)...

The increasing demand for rare earth elements (REEs) has led to the exploration of mining tailings as a potential secondary source. This study offers novel insights into the recovery of REEs from Fe-rich mine tailings sourced from a weathered carbonatite deposit. The REEs were recovered by selectively removing Fe impurities after acid-leaching. The...

Road dust and stormwater runoff are significant pathways for transporting microplastics (MPs) from land-based sources to the surrounding ecological compartments. The aim of this study is to understand the occurrence of MPs in both road dust and stormwater samples collected under various land uses, including residential, commercial and industrial ar...

The presence of fat, oil and grease can lead to blockages in sewer lines, pumps, and treatment plant operations, thereby creating health risks and environmental hazards. These deposits primarily consist of fatty acids, triglycerides and soap, among other components. These three main components are hydrophobic and insoluble in water. The composition...

The increasing global demand for fatty products, population growth, and the expansion of food service establishments (FSEs) present significant challenges for the wastewater industry. This is often due to the build-up of fat, oil and grease (FOG) in sewers, which reduces capacity and leads to sanitary sewer overflows. It is crucial to develop econo...

Microbial electrochemical technologies are promising for simultaneous energy recovery and wastewater treatment. Although the inhibitory effects of emerging pollutants, particularly micro/nanoplastics (MPs/NPs), on conventional wastewater systems have been extensively studied, the current understanding of their impact on microbial electrochemical sy...

Micro/nanoplastics (MPs/NPs) are widespread and pose a significant threat to the environment. Conventional polymeric membrane filtration struggles to completely remove MPs/NPs from water and wastewater. However, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs)-based membranes have gained attention due to their potential in tunable hydrophilicity, pore structure, lo...

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) pollution in the marine environment is a pressing issue in Queensland, Australia due to a recent flood that scattered hundreds of EPS-containing pontoons along the coastline, causing severe ecological damage. To assist in the clean-up effort and provide crucial data for developing management guidelines, this study investi...

Using biochar as a partial replacement of Portland cement in cementitious materials is a promising solution to mitigate negative environmental impacts. However, current studies in available literature primarily focus on the mechanical properties of composites made with cementitious materials and biochar. Therefore, this paper reports the effects of...

Synthetic dyes are considered toxic compounds and as such are not easily removed by conventional water treatment processes. This study demonstrated the synthesis of pure and manganese- (Mn), silver- (Ag), and iron- (Fe) doped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles via the wet chemical route. In particular, it investigated the batch adsorption studies and p...

Modelling the removal of monovalent and divalent ions from seawater via nanofiltration is crucial for pre-treatment in seawater reverse osmosis systems. Effective separation of divalent ions through nanofiltration and allowing the permeate containing only monovalent ions to pass through the reverse osmosis system produces pure NaCl salt from the co...

Nano/microplastic (NP/MP) pollution is a growing concern for the water environment. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are considered the major recipients of MP before discharging into local waterbodies. MPs enter WWTPs mainly from synthetic fibers through washing activities and personal care products. To control and prevent NP/MP pollution, it is...

Sulphide tailings are a major environmental concern due to acid mine drainage and heavy metal leaching, with costly treatments that lack economic benefits. Reprocessing these wastes for resource recovery can address pollution while creating economic opportunities. This study aimed to evaluate the potential for critical mineral recovery by character...

In nanoscience and nanobiotechnology, using plant extracts in synthesizing metal nanoparticles (NPs) has recently come to light as an exciting opportunity with several benefits over traditional physicochemical methods. In the present work, zinc oxide (ZnO) based nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by green chemistry route using lychee peel extract...

Wastewater treatment is becoming increasingly important due to the potential shortage of pure drinking water in many parts of the world. Adsorption offers a potential technique for the uptake of contaminants and wastewater purification. In the last two decades, several efforts have been made to remove fast green (FG) dye from wastewater via differe...

Nano and microplastic (NP/MP) is one of the most challenging types of micropollutants, coming from either direct release or degradation of plastic items into ecosystems. NP/MP can adsorb hazardous pollutants (such as heavy metals and pharmaceutical compounds) and pathogens onto their surface that are consumed by humans, animals, and aquatic living...

Since the end of 2019, the world has faced a major crisis because of the outbreak of COVID-19 disease which has created a severe threat to humanity. To control this pandemic, the World Health Organization gave some guidelines like wearing PPE (personal protective equipment) (e.g., face masks, overshoes, gloves), social distancing, hand hygiene and...

Treatment of wastewater with high levels of fat, oil, and grease (FOG), produced by the growing number (annually 2%) of food service establishments (FSEs), is a major concern for water utilities. About 30-40% of sewer blockages are caused primarily by the formation of FOG deposits in sewer pipes, and an annual additional maintenance cost is require...

This study investigated the impacts of polyether sulfone (PES) substrate with four different molecular weight cut-offs (MWCO) on the performance of the thin-film composite (TFC) nanofiltration membranes. When the MWCO of the substrate increased: (i) the effective thickness of the substrate decreased; (ii) the average pore size of the substrate enla...

The skyrocketing demand and progressive technology have increased our dependency on electrical and electronic devices. However, the life span of these devices has been shortened because of rapid scientific expansions. Hence, massive volumes of electronic waste (e-waste) is generating day by day. Nevertheless, the ongoing management of e-waste has e...

Direct flow of untreated stormwater containing Cu, Pb and Zn is of immediate concern to aquatic life in waterways. To date, most biochar used has been synthesized under controlled laboratory conditions using furnaces purged with inert gasses. In this study, the removal of Cu, Pb and Zn using biochar synthesized using paddy husk and sawdust feedstoc...

Tailings storage facilities (TSFs) are the main source of pollution from mining operations. However, TSFs are increasingly being considered as the potential secondary sources of some critical minerals. Recovering the critical minerals from TSFs is important due to both environmental and economic implications. Yet, identification of the potential TS...

Electronic waste (e-waste) is generated from the discarded electronic products. The generation of e-waste has increased significantly in the recent decades. Globally, the increased rate of e-waste generation is almost 2 metric tonnes (Mt) per year. It is estimated that about 74 Mt of e-waste will be produced in 2030. Therefore, e-waste can be a sig...

Wastewater contains only ∼ 1% impurities that are required to be separated precisely for water recycling and reuse applications, particularly in water scare regions. Membrane-based separation has been recognised as an environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient process for effective pollutant removal and clean water production. To further improve...

Water is the material basis for living organisms and one of the primary resources to maintain the sustainable development of the earth’s ecological environment. As a water purification method, nanofiltration (NF) separation technology has been widely considered by researchers in recent years. However, most of the studies on NF in the literature foc...

Microplastics (MP) have become a major emerging class of pollutants representing significant eco-toxicological risks for ecosystems and marine environments. The aim of this study was to identify, classify and quantify MP present in both road dust and stormwater samples. A significantly higher level of MPs within road dust samples was detected from...

Society’s hunger for commodities is leading to an increased consumption of minerals considered critical or strategic. A range of minerals containing elements such as lithium (Li), cobalt (Co), rare earth elements (REEs) are considered critical and more important for strategic uses than others. In this paper we describe these as strategically import...

Wastewater treatment facilities typically transform nitrogen compounds into innocuous nitrogen. Phosphorous is partially recovered in biosolids while the potassium cycle in the treatment process is still not well mapped. This paper provides a mapping of the nutrients from household sources (urine, faeces and greywater) to wastewater in the traditio...

Heavy metals are one of the major chemical pollutant groups in urban runoff. The application of porous concrete is a potential alternative to conventional runoff management systems with the ability to remove heavy metals. Hence, a thorough understanding of the heavy metal removal mechanisms and constraints of conventional porous concrete opens a pa...

Plastics have diverse uses and are gaining popularity in building and packaging applications due to their low cost, durability, and lightweight. Nowadays, plastics are found in all aspects of everyday life. According to the morphology or physical appearance, microplastics are classified as fragment, fiber, film, foam, and microbeads. The non-exhaus...

The conversion of low-value plastic waste into high-value products such as carbon nanomaterial is of recent interest. In the current study, the non-condensable pyrolysis gases, produced from Polypropylene Copolymer (PPC) feedstock, was converted into bamboo-type carbon nanotubes (BCNTs) through catalytic chemical vapour deposition using biochar. Ex...

Purpose of Review The depletion of fossil reserves and environmental challenges associated with fossil fuels are major drivers of the search for sustainable renewable energy sources. Bioethanol production from macroalgae is one of the promising alternatives to reduce use of fossil fuels and achieve energy security and ecological sustainability. The...

Microplastic (MP) is considered as one of the emerging pollutants in marine environments. Because of low density and small particle size (<5 mm), MPs are easily discharged into open waterways by stormwater runoff. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of coagulation process for the removal of different types of MPs such as...

Biofouling, the unwanted growth of microorganisms on submerged surfaces, has appeared as a significant impediment for underwater structures, water vessels, and medical devices. For fixing the biofouling issue, modification of the submerged surface is being experimented as a non-toxic approach worldwide. This technique necessitated altering the surf...

Nanoplastics (NPs) have become a major environmental issue due to their adverse effect on the water environment. Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is considered as one of the main sources for breaking down of larger-sized plastic debris and microplastics (MPs) into NPs. This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of NPs generation in t...

Microplastics (MPs) pollution in the water environment is recognized as an important environmental risk to the water environment. Among the diverse sources of MPs pollution, road dust is a major contributor to the water environment via stormwater runoff that mainly originates from degradation of vehicle tyres, road marking paints, polymer-modified...

Nano/microplastics (NPs/MPs), a tiny particle of plastic pollution, are known as one of the most important environmental threats to marine ecosystems. Wastewater treatment plants can act as entrance routes for NPs/MPs to the aquatic environment as they breakdown of larger fragments of the plastic component during the treatment process; therefore, i...

The application of membrane technologies for wastewater treatment to recover water and nutrients from different types of wastewater can be an effective strategy to mitigate the water shortage and provide resource recovery for sustainable development of industrialisation and urbanisation. Forward osmosis (FO), driven by the osmotic pressure differen...

Carbon dioxide present in natural gas/biogas lowers the heating value of fuel and is associated with environmental pollution. In addition to this, bio-oil contains a significant amount of oxygenates, which limits its wide range of applications and reduces its performance as a fuel. The sulfur compounds in diesel, gasoline, and crude oil is another...

This study focuses on the conversion of biosolids to biochar and its further use in adsorbing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from contaminated water. In particular, the study aims to (a) investigate the performance of a semi-pilot fluidised bed pyrolysis unit in converting biosolids into biochar, (b) examine the ability of the pyrolysis...

While cleaning wastewater, biological wastewater treatment processes such as membrane bioreactors (MBR) produce a significant amount of sludge that requires costly management. In the oxic-settling-anoxic (OSA) process, sludge is retained for a temporary period in side-stream reactors with low oxygen and substrate, and then it is recirculated to the...

Lignocellulosic biomass processing employing ionic liquids is of recent research interest for the biorefinery industry. The data on biomass dissolution kinetics in ionic liquids is important for designing scale-up pre-treatment reactor design. In this study, the reaction mechanism and kinetics of oak wood dissolution in aqueous choline chloride was...

Ongoing management of biosolids has emerged as a major economic challenge for wastewater treatment facilities around the world. To tackle this challenge, it becomes imperative for the researcher community to identify various applications for this waste material, simultaneously supporting the government’s closed-loop circular economy initiative. Thi...

The pursuit of environmental friendly alternatives for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) finds increased attention when the latter poses serious durability issues in major infrastructure applications, such as sewage drainage pipes. The presence of large quantities of free lime in OPC concrete used in the manufacturing of sewage pipes, exposes them to...

The improper management and uncontrolled discharge of huge amounts of food waste have been creating environmental pollution and sanitation-related problems. Anaerobic digestion is considered the most attractive and widely applied technique for the treatment of food waste. This study investigated the effect of feeding mode on the performance of a se...

The persistent nature and low biodegradability of a large number of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) reduce effectiveness of their removal by conventional wastewater treatments. In this context, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), such as photolysis, photocatalysis, ozonation, Fenton process, anodic oxidation, sonolysis and wet air oxidation, ha...

The global demand of lithium is rising steadily, and many industrially advanced countries may find it hard to secure an uninterrupted supply of lithium for meeting their manufacturing demands. Thus, innovative processes for lithium recovery from a wide range of natural reserves should be explored for meeting the future demands. In this study, a nov...

Emerging contaminants such as microplastics (MPs) and per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) in the water environment have been documented as the major environmental threat due to their negative impact on the ecosystem. Road dust has been recognised as a potential source of these emerging pollutants in stormwater which are eventually released i...

The performance of a single-stage semi-pilot scale reactor in anaerobically digesting food waste was examined and its microbial community composition investigated using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Highest biogas yield (1.01 L/g VSadded), highest removal efficiency for chemical oxygen demand (COD) (95.84%) and volatile solid (VS) (92.7...

Correction for ‘Emerging investigator series: phosphorus recovery from municipal wastewater by adsorption on steelmaking slag preceding forward osmosis: an integrated process’ by Biplob Kumar Pramanik et al. , Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol. , 2020, DOI: 10.1039/d0ew00187b.

A pragmatic shift is ongoing inwaste material management and wastewater treatment technology due to the large amount of waste production worldwide and the necessity for cheap adsorbents to reduce wastewater treatment costs. Improvements in the circular economy and energy recovery from waste materials is another fast-growing concept for promoting su...

Phosphorus is a critical non-renewable mineral essential for sustainable crop production. On the other hand, it is a primary cause of eutrophication in natural water bodies. Hence, a pragmatic approach that allows wastewater treatment plants to efficiently recover phosphorus from wastewater is needed. In this study, we investigated phosphorus recov...

Laccase-catalysed degradation is a promising technology for the degradation of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs). However, depending on their physicochemical properties (e.g., chemical structures), non-phenolic TrOCs appear to be resistant to laccase-catalysed degradation, thus requiring an additional treatment process. In this study, performance...

The threat of micro-plastics in the marine environment is seriously being recognized worldwide for the dangers it is posing to not only the marine life and biodiversity but even to the human beings that form part of this food chain. The majority of these micro-plastics are considered to be generated from the wear-out of vehicle tyres. In Australia,...

Microplastics (MPs) contamination in water environment has recently been documented as an emerging environmental threat due to their negative impact on the ecosystem. Their sources are many, but all of them are from synthetic materials. The sources of MPs are cosmetics and personal care products, breakdown or abrasion processes of other plastic pro...

Municipal wastewater is a major source of the release of phosphorus into the marine environment, and its excessive release could negatively impact marine flora and fauna. In this study, steel slag a by-product from steel industry was used to remove phosphorus content from the municipal wastewater. The Langmuir isotherm model revealed a maximum adso...

Strategically important elements are those that are vital to advanced manufacturing, low carbon technologies and other growing industries. Ongoing depletion and supply risks to these elements are a critical concern, and thus, recovery of these elements from low-grade ores and brines has generated significant interest worldwide. Among the strategica...

Slow pyrolysis of regenerated cellulose-rich material (RCRM) and recovered lignin produced from imidazolium-based ionic liquid (IL) pre-treatment of sugarcane straw (SCS) was investigated employing a Thermogravimetric Analyser (TGA) instrument coupled with a Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([Emim]...

The enrichment of chromium (VI) in the soil is an important environmental concern due to its mobility and acute toxicity. Due to its emergent toxicity, removal of this species is very important. The mobility of Cr(VI) is highly governed by its adsorption onto the mineral surfaces. Manganese oxides are naturally occurring scavengers and have a signi...

A large quantity of food waste (FW) is generated annually across the world and results in environmental pollution and degradation. This study investigated the performance of a 160 L anaerobic biofilm single-stage reactor in treating FW. The reactor was operated at different hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 124, 62, and 35 days under mesophilic c...

In this study, long-term performance of a persulfate (PS)-assisted direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process was examined for the treatment of secondary treated effluent spiked with a mixture of micropollutants including three pesticides and nine pharmaceuticals. A stand-alone DCMD (‘control’) was also operated under identical operating c...

Slow pyrolysis of biosolids was investigated employing a laboratory scale fluidised bed reactor maintaining the bubbling mode of fluidisation where the primary product was biochar. Low cost bed materials such as natural lime, biosolids derived biochar and activated char of biosolids origin were employed in the investigation. The pyrolysis experimen...

The forward osmosis (FO) membrane process has recently established in many applications such as desalination, wastewater reuse, water purification, food processing, resource recovery and sustainable power generation. However, many researchers raise the demand for systematic investigation on FO membrane fouling, which leads to reduced flux yield. In...

The unrestrained release of huge quantities of food waste (FW) has become a significant concern because it causes intensive environmental pollution. However, FW is a proper substrate that can be treated by anaerobic digestion (AD) due to its excellent biodegradability and high-water content. Studies have demonstrated that the AD process of turning...