I. Vision: Resolve energy and water-related issues through bioenergy-based systems and products.

II. Mission: Promote circular economy by utilizing waste and residual biomass from agriculture, forestry, food processing industries, and municipal solid waste for the production of energy, fuels, chemicals, adsorbents, and other useful products.

III. Motivation: The global demand for water, energy, and food is increasing significantly because of increasing population and mobility, economic development, urbanization, and other global changes. Hence, interdisciplinary interventions are strongly needed to address the concerns related to these three basic entities. Bioenergy, derived from biomass, can be a positive option with immense potential to contribute to agricultural and rural development, mitigation of climate change, energy security, and a range of other innovative products. Considering the broad range of biomass sources, bioenergy production and consumption may positively and negatively impact water and the environment. For instance, the growth of biomass such as energy crops adds pressure on water reserves, whereas products such as biochar could be effectively used for improving the water retention capacity of soil as well as for the treatment of wastewater. This inextricable linkage between bioenergy and water requires a suitably integrated approach to ensuring water and food security, and sustainable agriculture and energy production.

IV. Research Areas: The group primarily works on different processes of production of biochar (gasification, pyrolysis, torrefaction) and different applications of biochar (soil amendment, water treatment). We conduct sustainability analysis of various renewable energy systems, particularly, biomass-based systems. Other areas of interest include life cycle and techno-economic analysis of bioenergy systems, applications of chemical looping technology, hydrogen production and storage, and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). In the water domain, our specific areas of engagement involve utilizing pristine and modified biochar and biochar-based composite formulations for the treatment of wastewater from different sources.

V. Major Projects:

Fund description received for the laboratory work so far is as follows:

VI. Partnerships
We are looking for collaboration with industry, academic institutions, and other stakeholders from diverse backgrounds having any common interests with BWRL. Existing academic collaborators include The University of British Columbia (Canada), Purdue University (USA), and industrial collaborators include Takachar, HSESPL, Pontoka, etc.

VII. Major facilities:

VIII. Team

Principal Investigator: Sonal K. Thengane (Assistant Professor)

Members:

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