Angana’s Three Minute Thesis
Unlocking the Power of Microbes: Fuel for the Future
The growing volume of organic waste has become a pressing global issue, necessitating sustainable solutions for waste management. Anaerobic digestion holds promise in converting organic waste into valuable volatile fatty acids (VFAs). The VFAs are the intermediate stage for the final production of biogas. A novel approach of arrested anaerobic digestion allows arresting the digestion at the stage when VFAs are formed. By changing the different environmental conditions, methanogens can be inhibited which in turn would hinder the VFA conversion into biogas. VFAs derived from optimized anaerobic digestion processes can be a vital precursor for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), offering a renewable alternative to conventional fossil fuels. This dual approach addresses waste management concerns while contributing to the decarbonization of the aviation sector, exemplifying the potential of bioenergy technologies in fostering environmental sustainability.
Angana Chaudhuri is a first year Ph.D. student in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at BSEL, Tri-Cities. She has a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology and master’s degree in energy engineering and chemical engineering. For her Ph.D., Angana is using arrested anaerobic digestion to enhance the VFA production which is a crucial precursor for aviation fuels. She is also a trained classical Indian dancer. She loves reading books in her free time.