Chandrasekhar Kuppam

• M.Tech, Ph.D
• Senior Researcher at Indian Institute of Chemical Technology

A two-chambered microbial fuel cell (MFC), which can function on the self-driven bio-electrogenic activity operated on anaerobically digested distillery waste (ADDW) i.e. wastewater post anaerobic digestion was designed and fabricated in the laboratory. MFC was evaluated for production of bioelectricity with a simultaneous reduction in the carbon c...

The current fossil fuel-based generation of energy has led to large-scale industrial development. However, the reliance on fossil fuels leads to the significant depletion of natural resources of buried combustible geologic deposits and to negative effects on the global climate with emissions of greenhouse gases. Accordingly, enormous efforts are di...

A novel bio-electrohydrolysis system (BEH) based on self-inducing electrogenic activity was designed as a pretreatment device to enhance biohydrogen (H2) production efficiency of food waste. Experimental strategy involved two-stage integrated/hybrid operation with hydrolysis in initial stage followed by acidogenic fermentation for H2 production in...

Functional role of biomolecules viz., carbohydrates and proteins on acidogenic biohydrogen (H(2)) production was studied through the treatment of canteen based composite food waste. The performance was evaluated in an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (AnSBR) at pH 6 with five variable organic loading conditions (OLR1, 0.854; OLR2, 1.69; OLR3, 3.3...

Microbial Electrochemical Technology (MET) offers a promising avenue for CO2 utilization by leveraging the ability of chemolithotrophic microorganisms to use inorganic carbon in biosynthetic processes. By harnessing the power of electroactive bacteria, METs can facilitate the conversion of inorganic carbon into organic compounds. Therefore, this wo...

Municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal methods that are not under control, such as open burning, unrestricted incineration, landfilling and dumping into water bodies, pose a severe hazard to the environment and public health. As a result, the development of cheap and ecologically suitable disposal methods is currently extensively demanded by the expa...

The need for greener processes to satisfy the demand of platform chemicals together with the possibility of reusing CO2 from human activities has recently encouraged research on the set-up, optimization, and development of bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) for the electrosynthesis of organic compounds from inorganic carbon (CO2, HCO3-). In the pres...

Producing food by farming and subsequent food manufacturing are central to the world's food supply, accounting for more than half of all production. Production is, however, closely related to the creation of large amounts of organic wastes or byproducts (agro-food waste or wastewater) that negatively impact the environment and the climate. Global c...

The quest for renewable energy sources to drive different sectors of the economy has become essential, owing to the continuous depletion of fossil fuels as well as environmental hazards associated with it. Bioelectrochemical cells (BEC), where microbial activities convert the energy stored in the form of carbon in waste to bioenergy, nutrient and v...

Microalgae enable fixation of CO2 into carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins through inter and intracellularly biochemical pathways. These cellular components can be extracted and transformed into renewable energy, chemicals, and materials through biochemical and thermochemical transformation processes. However, recalcitrant cell wall and lack of env...

Plant Bioactives as Natural Antivirals: A Concise Review

Valorization of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) as a promising alternative to bioenergy and value-added products and for biorefinery application has fetched a lot of attention in the past few decades. LCB comprised of cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin, which converse a recalcitrant structure, that makes it inefficient for valorization through a b...

Valorization of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) as a promising alternative to bioenergy and value-added products and for biorefinery application has fetched a lot of attention in the past few decades. LCB comprised of cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin, which converse a recalcitrant structure, that makes it inefficient for valorization through a b...

Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) have the potential to be used in a variety of applications such as waste biorefinery, pollutants removal, CO2 capture, and the electrosynthesis of clean and renewable biofuels or byproducts, among others. In contrast, many technical challenges need to be addressed before BES can be scaled up and put into real-world...

decades. Studies revealed that by 2050, global solid waste generation is expected to reach 70% to 3.4 billion metric tons. Thus, the authorities urgently need to provide a low-cost, efficient technology for treating waste disposal. However, it is evident that only 20% of waste is recycled, and the remaining is still being considered for landfilling...

Hydrogenotrophic methanogens play a key role in methane (CH4) production during various wastes’ anaerobic digestion (AD). The metabolism of hydrogenotrophic methanogens involves Wolfe-cycle to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) to CH4 using hydrogen as feed. Hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis is a potential process for up-gradation of biogas and renewable po...

Leaching of cobalt and nickel into diverse water streams has become an environmental hazard and is continuously impacting human health through the food chain. Solvent extraction is the most widely accepted for separating these metals, but traditional extractants employed in conjunction with molecular diluents often lack selectivity and caused major...

Organic waste has increased as the global population and economy have grown exponentially. Food waste (FW) is posing a severe environmental issue because of mismanaged disposal techniques, which frequently result in the squandering of carbohydrate-rich feedstocks. In an advanced valorization strategy, organic material in FW can be used as a viable...

Date palm waste biomass is a readily accessible agricultural waste biomass that may be used to produce biogas. Because the complex structure of date palm waste biomass prevents the embedded holo-cellulosic sugars from biodegrading, pretreatment is required to increase methane (CH4) yield. The present investigation aimed to comparatively determine t...

The biological state-of-the-art purification of wastewaters has gained momentum in recent times. The microalgal capability to reduce N and P contaminants, as well as chemical oxygen demand (COD), is implemented in wastewater treatment processes. This green microalgal strategy to integrate wastewater treatment and to achieve better energy efficiency...

Diatoms are the reservoir of bioactive compounds which have immense application in nutrition, industrial commodities and ecological studies. In the oceans, diatoms form a large bloom of silica under favourable conditions, whereas, in lentic and lotic systems, they colonize according to seasonal disturbances. Notably, the survival of diatoms in a st...

The exponential rise in fish-derived biopolymers in the form of nets, gears, food packaging material, lures and traps has revolutionized the fishing industry in the recent years. The promising usage and emerging market potential of biodegradable films has resulted in the circular economy. This chapter summarizes re-use of fish by-products such as c...

Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) are a new bio-electrochemical method for converting organic matter to hydrogen gas (H2). Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is hazardous wastewater that is mostly formed during the crude oil extraction process in the palm oil industry. In the present study, POME was used in the MEC system for hydrogen generation as a...

The energy substitute for unsustainable fossil fuel is the need of the hour. Algae biorefinery platform provides an excellent alternate to overcome future energy problems. However, to let this viable biomass be competent with existing feedstocks, it is necessary to exploit genetic manipulation and improvement in upstream and downstream platforms fo...

Rapid increment in fossil-derived single-use plastic disposal has led to human-made plastic mountains and leading to ecological imbalance. Therefore, the development of alternative environmentally friendly, biodegradable, and biobased plastics using lignocellulosic biomass renders sustainability. Lignocellulosic biomass offers an unprecedented oppo...

Flavonoids are the secondary metabolites synthesized by microalgae and have diverse applications in various fields. The present study compares among two microalgal strains, Chlorella vulgaris (CV) and Chlorella pyrenoidosa (CP), for the production of flavonoids and lipids, which were cultivated in mixotrophic as well as autotrophic modes. This stud...

The current study aimed to investigate the concurrent production of astaxanthin and lipids using Chlorella sorokiniana under mixotrophic conditions in an external loop airlift photobioreactor (ELAPB). Supplementation of Fe²⁺ into the media in the red phase (stress phase) induced the astaxanthin production. The maximum yield of 154.36 mg L⁻¹ was obt...

The intrinsic advancement of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for application in electric vehicles (EVs), portable electronic devices, and energy-storage devices has led to an increase in the number of spent LIBs. Spent LIBs contain hazardous metals (such as Li, Co, Ni, and Mn), toxic and corrosive electrolytes, metal casting, and polymer binders that...

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) are evolving as modern hybrid technologies, with BES outputs being extensively used in the area of environmental remediation. Although biopower can donate electrons to provide bioelectroremediation of contaminants from BESs, the distribution of electrons is dependent on the close arrangement of electrodes, which is...

The increasing interest in the production of renewable and clean fuel has led to various cost-effective and efficient strategies with minimal impact on the environment. One such strategy of producing biofuels using enzyme-mediated catalysis has gained much attention globally. This chapter aims at improving the overall yield in a less energy-intensi...

The advent of the green revolution boosted agricultural practices’ use to suffice the food demand. However, due to their highly accumulative and permanent nature, the repeated use of pesticides caused significant environmental problems. Microalgae technology has recently made enormous progress in the effective treatments of contamination from pesti...

Microalgae have a number of intriguing characteristics that make them a viable raw material aimed at usage in a variety of applications when refined using a bio-refining process. They offer unique capabilities that allow them to be used in biotechnology-related applications. As a result, this review explores how to increase the extent to which micr...

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a biological process that can be used to treat a wide range of carbon-rich wastes and produce renewable, green energy. To maximize energy recovery from various resources while controlling inhibitory chemicals, notwithstanding AD's efficiency, many limitations must be addressed. As a result, bioelectrochemical systems (BE...

Microalgae are regarded as a rich trove of diverse secondary metabolites that exert remarkable biological activities. In particular, microalgae-derived bioactive phenolic compounds (MBPCs) are a boon to biopharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries due to their diverse bioactivities, including antimicrobial, anticancer, antiviral, and immunomodula...

Lignocellulosic fractionation is highly desirable for the efficient transformation of polymeric sugars into renewable fuels, chemicals, and materials. Thus, γ-valerolactone (GVL) has attracted attention as an advanced platform chemical, which can be synthesized directly from bioderived products, such as levulinic acid, furfural, and hydroxymethylfu...

Cellulosic ethanol production has received global attention to use as transportation fuels with gasoline blending virtue of carbon benefits and decarbonization. However, due to changing feedstock composition, natural resistance, and a lack of cost-effective pretreatment and downstream processing, contemporary cellulosic ethanol biorefineries are fa...

In this paper, we tested the combined use of a biochar-based material at the cathode and of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain in a single chamber, air cathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs) fed with a mix of shredded vegetable and phosphate buffer solution (PBS) in a 30% solid/liquid ratio. As a control system, we set up and tested MFCs provided with a co...

The present study aimed to assess the possibility of integrating natural attenuation (NA) and chemical oxidation (O) with the bio-electrocatalytic remediation (BET) process to remediate petroleum hydrocarbons contaminated soil. Six different reactors were operated, wherein in the first reactor was a NA system, and the second condition to the NA was...

The global community is in a quest for nutritional and environment-friendly resources as a part of their food habit. The ubiquitous trend of veganism tied with the increasing apprehensions towards animal welfare, negative impact on human health and the environment has escalated the demand for meat alternatives mainly plant-based meat analogues (PBM...

A novel nanomaterial, bacterial cellulose (BC), has become noteworthy recently due to its better physicochemical properties and biodegradability, which are desirable for various applications. Since cost is a significant limitation in the production of cellulose, current efforts are focused on the use of industrial waste as a cost-effective substrat...

The single bioprocess approach has certain limitations in terms of process efficiency, product synthesis, and effective resource utilization. Integrated or combined bioprocessing maximizes resource recovery and creates a novel platform to establish sustainable biorefineries. Anaerobic fermentation (AF) is a well-established process for the transfor...

Various environmental contaminants like heavy metals, organic, and inorganic pollutants being treated in combination with several nanoparticles/nanomaterials (NMs) and various plants and microbial sources like bacteria, fungi, etc., is termed “nanobioremediation.” This technology is an emerging technology which is used in the removal of pollutants...

Date biomass is a carbon-rich renewable resource that can be considered a potential carbon-rich substrate for energy generation over anaerobic digestion (AD). However, due to its complex nature, appropriate pretreatment is necessary to achieve higher methane (CH 4 ) yield. Hence, the current study was envisioned to evaluate the influence of three d...

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) are a new and emerging technology in the field of fermentation technology. Electrical energy was provided externally to the microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) to generate hydrogen or value-added chemicals, including caustic, formic acid, acetic acid, and peroxide. Also, BES was designed to recover nutrients, metal...

Background: The rapid eruption of Coronavirus at the end of 2019 has caused global health crisis and significant loss to the economy and social well-being. This created a massive shortage of advanced health facilities with inadequate medicinal supply, further deteriorating human health conditions. On the basis of adverse effects of the ongoing pan...

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are non-mobile, gram-positive, non-spore-forming, micro-aerophilic microorganisms widely explored as starter cultures food industry to enhance the gustatory, nutritional value, imparts appetizing flavour, texture to milk, vegetative, meat foods and prolongs their shelf life. This vast review emphasis various LABs widely e...

Increased threat of metals simultaneous to the biota well-being and the environs is continually causing a major apprehension worldwide. The phytoremediation technique is highly advantageous involving the natural processes of plants viz., translocation, evapotranspiration, and bioaccumulation, thus degrading contaminants slowly. In particular, nanop...

Marine pollution is becoming more and more serious, especially in coastal areas. Because of the sequestration and consequent accumulation of pollutants in sediments (mainly organic compounds and heavy metals), marine environment restoration cannot exempt from effective remediation of sediments themselves. It has been well proven that, after enterin...

Increased threat of metals simultaneous to the biota well-being and the environs is continually causing a major apprehension worldwide. The phytoremediation technique is highly advantageous involving the natural processes of plants viz., translocation, evapotranspiration, bioaccumulation thus degrading contaminants slowly. In particular, nanophytor...

Compost is widely used to improve soil fertility for its chemical-physical properties, with particular regard to the abundance of humic substances. Compared to the untreated organic solid waste, the use of compost in Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) could offer different advantages like the strong reduction of fermentative processes. The use of compost...

Dark fermentation is a technically feasible technology for achieving carbon dioxide-free hydrogen production. This review presents the current findings on continuous hydrogen production using dark fermentation. Several operational strategies and reactor configurations have been suggested. The formation of attached mixed-culture microorganisms is a...

Nowadays pollution is a major concern for human mankind. As the generations are passing by, the more the worse it is getting to protect the environment. Every part of the environment is being contaminated due and in reverse, the humans and the other living being getting affected due to the consequences done by humans. Even though there are several...

The marine ecosystem is a massive source and home for countless microorganisms, several aquatic animals, and even higher plants and animals for many decades. A mutualistic relationship exists between the marine aquatic species as well as the marine microbes, which are mutually benefitted against each other (both prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes...

Humans have made baneful effects on the environment via agricultural, industrial, and domestic activities of the system, causing glitches such as global warming, greenhouse gases, and the generation of wastewater containing high levels of pollutants. Wastewater treatment systems are always useful to the environment and society in the way of removin...

Electro-fermentation is an emerging trend that could regulate the metabolism of electrochemically active microorganisms. The provision of electrodes to the fermentation process that functions as an electron acceptor and supports the formation and transportation of electrons and protons, consequently producing bioelectricity and value-added chemical...

Global industrial operations and commodity productions rely on fossil fuels that are non-renewable resources, projected to be exhausted by 2050. To mitigate and compensate for the high-end use of fossil fuel consumption, the use of renewable energy resources, i.e., biomass, wind, and solar energy is getting attention recently. Using photosynthetic...

Date biomass is a renewable natural resource since it can be substituted in a comparatively shorter period. Hence it is considered as a possible feedstock for bioenergy motivations through anaerobic digestion (AD). Despite the fact AD is a fully demonstrated technology, the use of new feedstock necessitates detailed investigation. Worldwide several...

In recent years, bioelectrochemical hybrid technology has emerged as an alternative energy conversion device for bioelectricity generation with concurrent waste remediation. The major attractions of this bioelectrochemical technology are eco-friendly nature, energy-saving, and energy transformation with reduced sludge generation. A wide variety of...

The present fossil fuel-based energy sector has led to significant industrial growth. On the other hand, the dependence on fossil fuels leads to adverse impact on the environment through releases of greenhouse gases. In this scenario, one possible substitute is biohydrogen, an eco-friendly energy carrier as high-energy produces. The substrates rich...

This book is the first in a two-volume set devoted to bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) and the opportunities that they may offer in providing a green solution to growing energy demands worldwide. In this first volume, established research professionals explain the underlying principles and processes of BESs, providing a thorough introduction to th...

This book is the second in a two-volume set devoted to bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) and the opportunities that they may offer in providing a green solution to growing energy demands worldwide. While the first volume explains principles and processes, in this volume established research professionals shed light on how this technology can be use...

Nanotechnology is an interesting field in which molecules that are not visible to our eyes are creating wonders. They exist in various fields of engineering and science such as electronics, agriculture, food, pharmaceuticals, and medical diagnostics, and many researchers are eyeing provision of better technology with these nanotechnological inventi...

Fermentation is an attractive field in the area of bioprocess engineering where it represents a promising and environmentally friendly option to find an alternative for the well-established chemical process which is being used currently. With the various fermentation techniques available, various microorganisms are utilized to an extent in producin...

Nanotechnology is an interesting field where the molecules which are not visible to our eyes are creating wonders and do exist in various fields of engineering and Science like electronics, agriculture, food, pharmaceutical, medical diagnostics etc and many researchers are eyeing in providing a better technology with these nanotechnological inventi...

Bacteria are ubiquitous and it is reported that among them surface attached bacteria is over 99% population wise. However, the attached growth or sessile life of bacteria poses a different problem in human life. Chronic infection, contamination in food industries and biofouling in industrial materials are serious challenges which need to overcome....

The concern regarding alternate sources of energy is mounting day-by-day due to the effect of pollution that is damaging the environment. Algae are a diverse group of aquatic organisms have an efficiency and ability in mitigating carbon dioxide emissions and produce oil with a high productivity which has a lot of potential applications in producing...

Biofouling is a serious drawback found in technological tools exposed in an aqueous medium; it plays a significant role in selecting suitable materials used in a different industrial application like food processing industry, shipping yards, water treatment and desalting tools; consequently, it has huge impact viability and economic feasibility of...

The rapid growth of the biofuels sector address the key issues related with fossil fuels utilization, such as reducing the greenhouse gas emissions, and sustainable and renewable fuels production. Among various biofuels option, biohydrogen production is a novel biotechnological tool that can be converting the organic matter into a valuable energy w...

The soaring levels of industrialization and rapid progress towards urbanization across the world have elevated the demand for energy besides generating a massive amount of waste. The latter is responsible for poisoning the ecosystem in an exponential manner, owing to the hazardous and toxic chemicals released by them. In the past few decades, there...

Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) are perceived as a potential and promising innovative biotechnological tool that can convert carbon-rich waste biomass or wastewater into hydrogen (H2) or other value-added chemicals. Undesired methane (CH4) producing H2 sinks, including methanogens, is a serious challenge faced by MECs to achieve high-rate H2 pr...

A wide variety of renewable options are available at the laboratory scale to produce biohydrogen such as direct and indirect biophotolysis, dark fermentation, photofermentation, and sequential dark fermentation and photofermentation (Nikolaidis and Poullikkas, 2017). Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) are a new and promising approach for H2 produc...

The imminent energy crisis due to reserved fossil fuel and global warming due to greenhouse gas emission warrant the necessity for environmentally friendly sources of energy. Fossil fuels adversely affect the nature due to the release of CO2 into the environment (Venkata Mohan et al. 2011; Venkateswar Reddy et al. 2011a; Kadier et al. 2016a, b). He...

This review provides the alternative routes towards the valorization of dark H2 fermentation effluents that are mainly rich in volatile fatty acids such as acetate and butyrate. Various enhancement and alternative routes such as photo fermentation, anaerobic digestion, utilization of microbial electrochemical systems, and algal system towards the g...

Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) are a novel technology aiming at producing hydrogen from biomass or wastewater. The collection and preservation of the gas generated in the MECs is the first and most important operation in gas measuring techniques. There are several techniques for the quantitative evaluation of gas production in MECs, such as Ow...

The present study evaluates the feasibility of increased power generation in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) coupled with acid elutriation fermentation. Raw piggery waste (RPW) and acid elutriation effluents (AEE) of piggery waste were used to generate bioelectricity in single-chambered air-cathode MFCs. RPW-fed MFCs exhibited stable performance after...

Excess consumption of energy by humans is compounded by environmental pollution, the greenhouse effect and climate change impacts. Current developments in the use of algae for bioenergy production offer several advantages. Algal biomass is hence considered a new bio−material which holds the promise to fulfil the rising demand for energy. Microalgae...

The field of wastewater management and alternative energy are one of the most unexplored fields of environmental biotechnology. The biomethane is considered as renewable natural gas which can be derived from organic waste and sewage treatment. In recent past biomethane is emerging as a promising gaseous fuel utilized in a cogeneration or trigenerat...