Akash balakrishnan | Environmental Analytical Chemistry | Sustainable Chemistry Pioneer Award

Published on by sciencefather

Mr. Akash balakrishnan | Environmental Analytical Chemistry | Sustainable Chemistry Pioneer Award

NIT Rourkela, India

Author Profiles

Scopus

Orcid

Google Scholar

🎓 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

Mrs. Parul Dwivedi | Chemical Engineering | Best Researcher Award

Published on by sciencefather

Mrs. Parul Dwivedi | Chemical Engineering | Best Researcher Award

Mrs. Parul Dwivedi | Harcourt Butler Technical University, India

Professional Profiles

Google Scholar

Scopus

Orcid

🎓 Educational Background

Parul Dwivedi is currently pursuing a PhD in Chemical Engineering at Harcourt Butler Technical University, Kanpur (2021 – Present). She holds an M.Tech in Chemical Engineering from VNIT, Nagpur (2016 – 2018), where she graduated with an impressive 9.21 CGPA. Prior to this, she completed her B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from Banasthali University, Rajasthan (2009 – 2013), achieving 79.7%. Parul’s early education includes her HSC (High School Certificate) from Subhas Inter College, Kanpur (2007 – 2008) with 79.5% and her SSC (Secondary School Certificate) from the same institution (2005 – 2006), where she secured 77%.

💼 Work Experience

Parul’s professional career spans over four years, marked by roles in research and analytical testing. She worked as a Research Scientist at I Cube Nanotech India Pvt. Ltd., Noida (May 2019 – July 2021), where she contributed to analytical method validation, membrane synthesis, and applications like solvent separation, pervaporation, and vapor permeation. Her responsibilities included process simulation using CHEMCAD, preparing PFDs with Microsoft Visio, and performing ROI calculations, budget planning, and supply chain management. She also gained proficiency in productivity tools such as Microsoft Office 365 (Outlook, Planner, Teams). Earlier, Parul worked as a Chemist at Intertek India Pvt. Ltd., Gurgaon (May 2013 – March 2015), where she conducted chemical analytical tests for Nickel Release, Migration Testing, and Chromium-VI Detection, among others. Her exceptional performance earned her the prestigious ‘WOW Certificate’ in 2014.

🧑‍🔬 Industrial Training

Parul has undertaken significant industrial training, including a six-month internship at SGS India Pvt. Ltd., Gurgaon, focusing on analytical testing, and a one-month training program at Kansai Nerolac Pvt. Ltd., Kanpur, where she studied methods to reduce tinting time in colorant production.

🏆 Awards & Achievements

Parul’s dedication and expertise in the field have been recognized with a ‘WOW Certificate’ for her outstanding contributions at Intertek India Pvt. Ltd.

🛠 Skills & Expertise

Parul is proficient in handling advanced instruments like GCMS, HPLC, UV-VIS, FESEM, XRD, FTIR, and TGA, and excels in process simulation using CHEMCAD. She is well-versed in ROI calculations, membrane synthesis, and productivity tools such as Microsoft Office Suite.

Publications Top Noted📚

Synthesis of PVA–MWCNTs–UMCNOs–starch crosslinked nanocomposite biodegradable films for the removal of methylene blue and Congo red dyes from wastewater

Authors: Dwivedi, P., Rathore, A.K., Srivastava, D., Vijayakumar, R.P.

Journal: Journal of Applied Polymer Science

Year: 2024

Co-pyrolysis of Diaper Cellulose and Sugarcane Bagasse: Investigating Kinetics, Thermodynamics, and Possible Synergies

Authors: Dwivedi, P., Rathore, A.K., Srivastava, D., Mishra, R.K., Srivastava, K.

Journal: Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste

Year: 2024

Impact on mechanical and thermal characteristics of epoxy nanocomposites by waste-derived carbon nanotubes, carbon black, and hybrid CNT/FCB reinforcing materials

Authors: Dwivedi, P., Rathore, A.K., Srivastava, D., Vijayakumar, R.P.

Journal: Polymer Composites

Year: 2024

A sustainable approach for the simultaneous removal of cationic and anionic dyes from wastewater using multilayer MWCNT, UMCNO, and PVA coated cotton fabrics

Authors: Dwivedi, P., Rathore, A.K., Srivastava, D., Vijayakumar, R.P.

Journal: Cellulose

Year: 2024

Recent trends in microwave-assisted pyrolysis of agricultural residues: kinetic and thermodynamic studies

Authors: Dwivedi, P., Mishra, R.K., Srivastava, K., Srivastava, D., Rathore, A.K.

Journal: Emerging Biofuels: Stationary and Mobile Applications (Book Chapter)

Year: 2024

Prof. Yifeng Xu |  Reaction Mechanisms | Best Researcher Award

Published on by sciencefather

Prof. Yifeng Xu |  Reaction Mechanisms | Best Researcher Award

Professor at Wuhan University of Technology, China

Professional Profiles

Google Scholar

Scopus

Orcid

🎓Academic Background

Prof. Yifeng Xu earned his PhD from The University of Queensland in 2017 and is currently a professor at Wuhan University of Technology. With a strong academic foundation and a keen interest in sustainable environmental practices, Prof. Xu has developed expertise that places him at the forefront of low-carbon wastewater treatment and resource recovery research.

🔬 Areas of Research

Prof. Xu’s research primarily focuses on:

Low-Carbon Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery

Fate and Removal of Emerging Contaminants

Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Strategies

His work aims to enhance understanding of the removal mechanisms of emerging contaminants and the emission dynamics of N₂O during biological nitrogen removal processes. This research is essential to develop effective strategies for simultaneous nitrogen and contaminant removal while minimizing carbon emissions.

🏆 Professional Achievements

Prof. Xu has received numerous research grants, including funding from the National Natural Science Foundation and the Hubei Provincial Key R&D Program. These achievements support his innovative research in emission reduction and wastewater treatment advancements. Prof. Xu has published over 60 research papers and contributed a book chapter, with notable publications in prestigious journals such as Environmental Science & Technology and Water Research.

📈 Research Impact

Through his innovative research, Prof. Xu has developed significant contributions, such as:

          Revealing Inhibitory Mechanisms: Exploring how free nitrous acid (FNA) impacts atenolol biodegradation, enhancing partial nitritation processes.

          Developing Mathematical Models: Creating models to analyze the degradation of parent compounds and the formation of by-products.

          Promoting Algal-Bacterial Consortia: Demonstrating the superior nitrogen removal and N₂O reduction potential of algal-bacterial systems.

These advancements in simultaneous nitrogen removal and emerging contaminant reduction provide sustainable solutions for future wastewater treatment applications.

Publications Top Noted📚 

Perfluorooctanoic acid effect and microbial mechanism to methane production in anaerobic digestion

Authors: Li, L., Li, W., Xue, Y., Peng, L., Song, K.
Journal: Journal of Environmental Management
Year: 2024

Inorganic carbon limitation decreases ammonium removal and N2O production in the algae-nitrifying bacteria symbiosis system

Authors: Li, Q., Xu, Y., Chen, S., Ngo, H.H., Peng, L.
Journal: Science of the Total Environment
Year: 2024

Accelerated Photocatalytic Degradation of Sulfamethoxazole and Cefixime: A Comprehensive Study of Biotoxicity, Degradation Kinetics and Pathway

Authors: Akbari, M.Z., Xu, Y., Liang, C., Shen, S., Peng, L.
Journal: Water, Air, and Soil Pollution
Year: 2024

Developing antibiotics-based strategies to efficiently enrich ammonia-oxidizing archaea from wastewater treatment plants

Authors: Peng, L., Jia, M., Li, S., Liang, C., Xu, Y.
Journal: Science of the Total Environment
Year: 2024

Towards scaling-up implementation of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production from activated sludge: Progress and challenges

Authors: Zhang, Z., Wang, Y., Wang, X., Ni, B.-J., Liu, Y.
Journal: Journal of Cleaner Production
Year: 2024

 

Mr. Wenjie Du, Computational Chemistry, Best Researcher Award

Published on by sciencefather

Mr. Wenjie Du, Computational Chemistry, Best Researcher Award

Mr. Wenjie Du, University of Science and Technology of China, China

Professional Profile

Google Scholar

🎓Educational Background

Wenjie Du pursued his Bachelor’s Degree at Northeastern University in the School of Metallurgy and Environmental Science from 2014 to 2018, where he was mentored by Mei Wang. Following this, he completed his Master’s Degree in Applied Chemistry at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) from 2018 to 2021 under the guidance of Wenwei Li. Currently, he is working towards his Ph.D. in Software Engineering at USTC, with Yang Wang as his advisor, a journey he embarked on from 2021 to 2023.

🏆Awards 

Throughout his academic career, Wenjie has received several prestigious accolades. He was honored with the GuSu Outstanding Scholarship in 2021 from the Suzhou Laboratory. Additionally, he was awarded the Shenzhen Stock Exchange Scholarship twice, first in 2022 and again in 2023, from USTC. In 2023, he also received the Tang Xiaoyan Scholarship from Peking University and the esteemed Chinese Academy of Sciences President’s Scholarship.

🔍Research Scope 

Wenjie’s research focuses on Knowledge and Data-Driven AI for Science, exploring several significant areas:

AI for Environmental Science:
His work includes predicting water and air quality, conducting carbon emission calculations, and performing pollution source tracing analysis to improve environmental outcomes.

AI for Chemistry:
He investigates methods for distinguishing between conformational isomers and chiral molecules, predicting molecular properties, and conducting spectral analysis to enhance chemical understanding.

AI for Materials:
Wenjie is involved in catalyst design, specifically in metal ratio control and analysis. He also studies the impact of solvent effects on material adsorption processes to predict properties effectively.

Publications Top Noted📝

Spatiotemporal pattern of greenhouse gas emissions in China’s wastewater sector and pathways towards carbon neutrality

Authors: Wen-Jie Du, Jia-Yuan Lu, Yi-Rong Hu, Juanxiu Xiao, Cheng Yang, Jie Wu, Baocheng Huang, Shuo Cui, Yang Wang, Wen-Wei Li
Journal: Nature Water
Year: 2023

Deciphering urban traffic impacts on air quality by deep learning and emission inventory

Authors: Wenjie Du, Lianliang Chen, Haoran Wang, Ziyang Shan, Zhengyang Zhou, Wenwei Li, Yang Wang
Journal: Journal of Environmental Sciences
Year: 2023

Chemistry-informed molecular graph as reaction descriptor for machine-learned retrosynthesis planning

Authors: Baicheng Zhang, Xiaolong Zhang, Wenjie Du, Zhaokun Song, Guozhen Zhang, Guoqing Zhang, Yang Wang, Xin Chen, Jun Jiang, Yi Luo
Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Year: 2022

Moltc: Towards molecular relational modeling in language models

Authors: Junfeng Fang, Shuai Zhang, Chang Wu, Zhengyi Yang, Zhiyuan Liu, Sihang Li, Kun Wang, Wenjie Du, Xiang Wang
Journal: arXiv preprint arXiv:2402.03781
Year:  2024

Source identification and prediction of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of Lake Taihu by an ensemble machine learning technique

Authors: Yirong Hu, Wenjie Du, Cheng Yang, Yang Wang, Tianyin Huang, Xiaoyi Xu, Wenwei Li
Journal: Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering
Year: 2023