Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering: Microplastics and Nanoplastics: Occurrence, Environmental Impacts and Treatment Processes

Prof. RD Tyagi is an internationally recognized Professor of Biochemical Engineering and biotransformation. He is distinguished professor at School of technology, Huzhou University, China and chief scientific officer at BOSK Bioproducts, Canada. He held Canada Research chair (2004-20180. He also holds an adjunct professor position at the University of Missouri-Columbia, United State. Prof. Tyagi has published more than 600 papers/communications, which include 21 books, 140 book chapters, 10 research reports, 11 patents, etc. He is Associate Editor of Practice Periodical of Hazardous, Toxic and Radioactive Waste Management ASCE and serves on the editorial board of Process Biochemistry and Bioresource Technology. He has been recognized by many national and international awards and honors. He is a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts’. He conducts research on hazardous/solid waste management, water/wastewater treatment, wastewater sludge treatment/disposal, and bioconversion of wastewater and wastewater sludge into value-added products.

Professor Ashok Pandey is currently Distinguished Scientist at the Centre for Innovation and Translational Research, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, India and Executive Director (Honorary) at the Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability – India. Formerly, he was Eminent Scientist at the Center of Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing, Mohali and Chief Scientist & Head of Biotechnology Division and Centre for Biofuels at CSIR’s National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Trivandrum. His major research and technological development interests are industrial & environmental biotechnology and energy biosciences, focusing on biomass to biofuels & chemicals, waste to wealth & energy, industrial enzymes, etc. Professor Pandey is Adjunct/Visiting Professor/Scientist in universities in France, Brazil, Canada, China, Korea, South Africa, and Switzerland and also in several universities in India. He has ~1425 publications/communications, which include 16 patents, 90 books, >700 papers and book chapters, etc with h index of 105 and ~49,000 citations (Goggle scholar). He has transferred several technologies to industries and has done industrial consultancy for about a dozen projects for Indian/international industries. Professor Pandey is the recipient of many national and international awards and honours, which include Highest Cited Researcher (Top 1% in the world), Clarivate Analytics, Web of Science (2020, 2019 & 2018); Top scientist in Biotechnology (#1 in India and #8 in the world), Stanford University world ranking (2020); Fellow, World Society of Sustainable Energy Technologies?(2020); Fellow, Indian Chemical Society (2020); Distinguished Scientist, VDGOOD Professional Association, India (2020); Distinguished Professor of Eminence with global impact in the area of Biotechnology, Precious Cornerstone University, Nigeria (2020); IconSWM Life-time Achievement Award 2019, International Society for Solid Waste Management, KIIT, Bhubaneshwar, India (2019); Yonsei Outstanding Scholar, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea (2019); Life-Time Achievement Award from the Biotech Research Society, India (2018); Life-Time Achievement Award from Venus International Research Awards (2018), Most Outstanding Researcher Award from Career360 (2018), Life-Time Achievement Award from the International Society for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (2017); Fellow, Royal Society of Biology, UK (2016); Felow, International Society for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (2016); Academician of European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Austria (2015); Fellow, National Academy of Sciences, India (2012); Fellow, Association of Microbiologists of India (2008); Honorary Doctorate degree from Univesite Blaise Pascal, France (2007); Fellow, International Organization of Biotechnology and Bioengineering (2007); Thomson Scientific India Citation Laureate Award, USA (2006); Fellow, the Biotech Research Society, India (2005); UNESCO Professor (2000); Raman Research Fellowship Award, CSIR (1995); GBF, Germany and CNRS, France Fellowships (1992) and Young Scientist Award (1989), etc. Professor Pandey is Founder President of the Biotech Research Society, India (www.brsi.in); Founder & International Coordinator of International Forum on Industrial Bioprocesses, France (www.ifibiop.org), Chairman of the International Society for Energy, Environment & Sustainability (www.isees.in), Editor-in-chief of Bioresource Technology (http://ees.elsevier.com/bite/), Honorary Executive Advisor of Journal of Energy and Environmental Sustainability (www.jees.in), Journal of Systems Microbiology and Biomanufacturing (https://www.springer.com/journal/43393), Journal of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (http://neerijese.org/editorial-board/), Subject Editor, Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, India (https://www.springer.com/life+sciences/journal/40011) and Associate Editor, Biologia – Section Cellular and Molecular Biology (https://www.springer.com/journal/11756/editors) and editorial board member of several international and Indian journals.

Patrick Drogui is professor and researcher at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique’s Centre Eau Terre Environnement. He is an internationally recognized expert in electrochemical and membrane technologies, and oxidative processes for different applications in water treatment from industrial wastewater to potable water. The originality of his research work lies in the development of advanced electrolytic processes for water and wastewater treatment requiring no or minimum addition of chemical products. Co-inventor on 8 patents, Dr. Drogui is currently working on new electrolytic and/or membrane, photo-catalytic, and electro-photo-catalytic processes for water treatment, and the removal of phosphate and emerging contaminants. Prof. Drogui is the author of more than 260 papers published in scientific refereed journals. He is an author of 16 book chapters and 54 industrial and scientific reports. Prof. Patrick Drogui received 4 fellowships and 2 awards for the best research project from Pollutec and for the best paper published in Water Environment Federation, delivered 17 invited conferences and 119 communications and conferences. Prof. Patrick Drogui is a director of CREATE-Program in Environmental Decontamination Technologies and Integrated Water and Wastewater Management (TEDGIEER). Collaborative Research and Training Experience Program (CREATE) from National Science Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada.

Bhoomika Yadav is researcher at Institut national de la recherche scientifique’s Centre Eau Terre Environnement. She has strong research skills and worked in multidisciplinary areas of biotechnology, microbiology and biochemical engineering. Her research interest includes waste to value transformation, bioflocculants, wastewater treatment, bioplastics, circular bioeconomy. Currently, she is working on production of bioplastics and recovery of various value-added products co-produced with bioplastics. She has authored 16 publications including research and review papers, book chapters and scientific communications published in the leading journals of water science, bioprocess technology and microbiology. She has given numerous talks in conferences and scientific platforms at national and international level. She has won several awards and scholarships including prestigious scholarship of FONCER TEDGIEER in her doctoral programme.

Dr. Sridhar Pilli presently holding the Assistant Professor in the Water and Environmental Division of the Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India. His research interests include Water/wastewater treatment, life cycle analysis, Solid waste management, Biodiesel, Bio-plastic, Bio-flocculants production, bio-energy production from wastewater, wastewater sludge, and organic waste. Dr. Pilli has authored several technical publications in peer reviewed Journals with high impact factor. He has more than 10 publications with citations more than 1000 that includes International journals, technical notes and conference proceedings. He has 6 books published in Elsevier’s and ASCE. He has delivered several expert talks at different technical forums organized nationally and internationally. He developed a decision support system model (based on life cost analysis) to facilitate the decision makers, policy makers, municipalities, and engineers in adjudicating a pre-treatment/treatment technology for a wastewater treatment plant. He is serving on Editorial board for various journals. He also served as Advisory Committee member for various international conferences.