Doctor of Philosophy
Avinash Prabhakarrao Ingle
Biotechnology Centre, Department of Agricultural Botany, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola- 444104, Maharashtra, India
Title: Nanotechnology-driven sustainable management of agricultural waste for a clean environment
Abstract
Nanotechnology offers a transformative pathway for turning agricultural waste from an environmental burden into a resource-rich opportunity. By deploying engineered nanomaterials and nanoscale processes, agricultural residues can be converted into various value-added products, including biofuels. It has been observed that the demand for energy has been enormously increasing for several decades, and it is predicted that by the year 2040, there will be approximately a 28% rise in the energy demand compared to its present value. Considering these concerns, the development of effective strategies for the production of biofuels from agro-waste will be needed for the future.
In this context, nanocatalyst in the form of sulphonic acid-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4-MNPs@Si@SO3H) were developed and evaluated for their efficacy in the pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse at different concentrations (i.e. 100 mg/g, 200 mg/g, 300 mg/g, 400 mg/g, and 500 mg/g of biomass). It was observed that thus developed nanocatalyst showed concentration-dependent catalytic activity. Moreover, nanocatalyst-based pretreatment was found to be significantly higher when compared with conventional acid pretreatment (i.e., 1% H2SO4). At 500 mg/g of biomass of nanocatalyst, it showed maximum release of sugar (xylose) from sugarcane bagasse, i.e., 19.24 g/L, which is comparatively higher than the normal acid pretreatment (15.40 g/L). Further, after completion of the first cycle of pretreatment, this nanocatalyst was recovered by applying a magnetic field and reused for the next two subsequent cycles of pretreatment. The recycling and reuse of the same nanocatalyst for multiple cycles of pretreatment will help in the reduction of pretreatment cost.
Together, these advances form a toolkit that not only minimizes environmental impacts but gently steers agriculture toward low-waste, high-value systems. This study highlights recent innovations, environmental benefits, and future prospects for nanotechnology-driven sustainable management of agricultural waste.
Biography of the presenting author:
Dr. Avinash P. Ingle has received his Ph.D. from SGB Amravati University, Amravati, India in 2012. Later, he worked as Young Scientist during 2013-2016 at the same University and as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil from 2018 to 2021. Currently, he is working as Research Scientist at Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Agricultural University, Akola, Maharashtra, India. He has edited 12 books from various international publishers. Moreover, he has published about 90 book chapters and more than 95 research publications. The research interests of Dr. Ingle mainly include nanobiotechnology, biofuel technology and sustainable agriculture.
Presenting author details
Full Name: Dr. Avinash Prabhakarrao Ingle
Contact Number: +91 8999617348
Email: ingleavinash14@gmail.com
Category: (Oral presentation/ Poster presentation)