Soumyajit Sen Gupta
PhD: 2012- (Co-advisor Prof. Sharad Bhartiya)
Education:
B.E. (Chemical Engg.) in 2010 from Jadavpur University
M.Tech. (Chemical Engg.) in 2012 from IIT Kharagpur
Research:
Integrated plant-wide optimization of algal biorefinery using a model based approach
With the reserves of
conventional energy resources such as coal, and crude oil fast
depleting, discovery of the potential of different
non-conventional resources as the source of energy is the need of
the hour. Energy from biomass is one such promising candidate.
Among the bio-energy sources, excessive use of the cellulosic
plants may hamper the food security of human being and other
animals. In this respect, algae can be treated as a better and
suitable choice. Although theoretically algae can give rise to
high fuel yield, the process has many challenges in terms of
economic viability that may impede its large scale commercial
operation.
This current research work
is aimed at achieving an optimal flow sheet of operation with
objectives of making the process of algal biodiesel production
economically viable, and environmentally sustainable. Apart from
acting as source of bio-fuel, different species of algae give rise
to various bio-active compounds that may be of pharmaceutical
importance, and of other applications. Further, algae culture
system may be integrated with waste water and flue gas streams,
thereby facilitating their bio-mitigation. This ongoing research
work also aims to take into account all these aspects, thereby
conceptualising a potential integrated algal biorefinery. The
numerical aspect of this problem is also intended to be looked
into, to have a broader understanding on the technique of problem
formulation and its effects on efficiency of reaching an optimal
solution.
Renewable energy sources