Research Projects

Chemical industries, along with sugar and pulp industries, generate 79% of the total industrial wastewater along the Ganges River. Untreated effluent from chemical fertilizer manufacturing industries contains high amounts of ammonia, organic matter, and nutrients, which can cause adverse environmental effects. Constructed wetlands (CWs) have shown promising results in removing COD and BOD from wastewaters, but their nitrogen removal efficiency often exhibited fluctuations. This study aims to collect, characterize, and treat effluent from chemical fertilizer plants along the Ganges belt using lab-scale advanced constructed wetland systems, specifically the Anammox-based integrated constructed wetland-MFC system. The microbial community dynamics during the removal of nutrients and organic matter will be studied, as well as the possible removal and/or degradation mechanism of total nitrogen, organic matter, phosphates, and sulfates in the integrated system. The Anammox-based integrated constructed wetland-MFC system will be inoculated with anammox enriched culture for efficient nitrogen removal with lesser footprints. Engineered biochar, specifically positively charged Fe-Biochar, will be used as a substrate for CW to promote stronger adsorption of organic matter and nutrients. The electric field of MFC will catalyze the degradation of organics by changing the physiological characteristics of microorganisms and promoting the reduction reaction by increasing the number of electrons in CW. This advanced CW system will not only overcome the limitations of CW (poor nitrogen removal) but also generate electricity simultaneously.