NIT Rourkela, India
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🎓 Educational Background
Mr. Akash Balakrishnan is currently pursuing his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Chemical Engineering (2025) at the prestigious National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela, Odisha, India. His doctoral research, supervised by Dr. Mahendra Chinthala, focuses on the development of surface-engineered g-C₃N₄-based hybrid catalysts for advanced oxidation processes, targeting energy and environmental remediation. Prior to this, he completed his Master of Technology (M.Tech) in Chemical Engineering from SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, in 2020 with an outstanding CGPA of 9.74/10, securing the first rank at the university level. His M.Tech thesis, guided by Dr. G. Keerthiga and Dr. A. Sowmya, explored photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid using catalyst impregnated chitosan. He earned his Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) in Chemical Engineering from Anna University, Chennai, in 2018 with a CGPA of 8.31/10, where he worked on the design of a benzene column in the aromatic refinery unit at Kochi Refinery under Prof. K. Rajasekaran.
🧪 Research Interests
Mr. Akash’s research is deeply rooted in heterogeneous catalysis for energy and environmental applications. His expertise spans across advanced oxidation processes, wastewater treatment, and photocatalysis, with emerging interest in edible food coatings and sustainable packaging technologies. His work aims at creating eco-efficient solutions to address pollution control and green engineering challenges.
🏅 Fellowships & Recognitions
Akash has been the recipient of several prestigious fellowships and accolades. Notably, he was awarded the AICTE-INAE travel grant to present his research at the 8th Asia-Pacific Catalysis Congress, held in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2019. He also received doctoral and master’s degree fellowships from the Ministry of Education, Government of India and SRM IST, respectively. His academic excellence has been further recognized with gold medals and first-place ranks, including the Best Research Project Award on Research Day 2020 at SRM IST.
🏆 Awards & Achievements
Akash has consistently demonstrated leadership and innovation. In 2025, he won both South Zone and National level awards in the National Green Earth Challenge, hosted by the Prem Jain Memorial Trust, New Delhi. He also earned the Third Prize under the Water Theme in the Ideas4Life competition, organized by the Department of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Government of India. Additionally, he received the Best Presentation Award at INDACON 2025, co-hosted by Dalhousie University, Canada, and HBTU Kanpur.
✍️ Editorial and Reviewer Roles
Mr. Akash contributes to the academic community as a reviewer for numerous high-impact international journals, including Chemosphere, Chemical Engineering Journal, Carbohydrate Polymers, Applied Surface Science, Journal of Environmental Management, Environmental Pollution, Journal of Cleaner Production, Environmental Chemistry Letters, and more. His involvement reflects both expertise and scholarly commitment in the field of environmental and chemical engineering.
🌱 Leadership & Co-curricular Excellence
In his early academic years, Akash demonstrated leadership by serving as General Secretary of the Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE) at the college level in 2017. His consistent academic performance earned him the Best Student Award by ISTE in 2018 and a second-place rank in his B.Tech examinations at Anna University.
Notable Publications📝
📝Chitosan-based beads as sustainable adsorbents for wastewater remediation: a review
Authors: Balakrishnan, Akash; Appunni, Sowmya; Chinthala, Mahendra; Jacob, Meenu Mariam; Vo, Dai-Viet N.; Reddy, Soreddy Sainath; Kunnel, Emmanuel Sebastian
Journal: Environmental Chemistry Letters
Year: 2023
📝Global impact of COVID-19 on agriculture: role of sustainable agriculture and digital farming
Authors: Sridhar, Adithya; Balakrishnan, Akash; Jacob, Meenu Mariam; Sillanpaa, Mika; Dayanandan, Nanditha
Journal: Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Year: 2023
📝Heterojunction photocatalysts for the removal of nitrophenol: A systematic review
Authors: Balakrishnan, Akash; Gaware, Ghanghor Jayant; Chinthala, Mahendra
Journal: Chemosphere
Year: 2023
📝Photocatalytic degradation of nitro phenol: A continuous study in a TiO2 film coated photo reactor
Authors: G. Keerthiga; K. Avinash; Rishav Saha; Akash Balakrishnan; Ikshit Jain
Journal: INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERING, ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS – 2021 (IEET-2021)
Year: 2023
📝Removal of tetracycline from wastewater using g-C3N4 based photocatalysts: A review
Authors: Balakrishnan, Akash; Chinthala, Mahendra; Polagani, Rajesh Kumar; Vo, Dai-Viet N.
Journal: Environmental Research
Year: 2023
📝3D black g-C3N4 isotype heterojunction hydrogels as a sustainable photocatalyst for tetracycline degradation and H2O2 production
Authors: Akash Balakrishnan; Emmanuel Sebastian Kunnel; Roshini Sasidharan; Mahendra Chinthala; Arvind Kumar
Journal: Chemical Engineering Journal
Year: 2023