Omprakash Sarkar

About me

Background

My research journey started in 2012 after obtaining bachelor’s and master's degrees in biotechnology. Beginning my research career as a project assistant in the project entitled “Mission Mode Project on Hydrogen Production through Biological Routes” at CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, India, I worked extensively on acidogenic fermentation to synthesize carboxylic acids and molecular hydrogen (H2) from renewable feedstocks such as biogenic waste and wastewater that offered me significant research experience in the use of different waste/wastewater utilization as feedstock. My research expertise and publications in prestigious journals helped me to be awarded a "CSIR-Senior Research Fellow (SRF)" fellowship for my PhD registration in 2015. In 2019, I received my PhD degree from the AcSIR-Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology in life sciences.

Currently I am employed as a Researcher at the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology (LTU), Luleå, Sweden. Recently, I have been selected for the prestigious Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) postdoctoral fellowship. Additionally, my entry into the top 2% of scientists list (issued by Stanford University, USA, in 2023 based on the number of highly referenced articles each scientist has produced) highlights my noteworthy contributions in the field of waste and wastewater utilization towards the synthesis of biobased products. I am a life member of various scientific bodies and has received many national and international awards.

Research field:

I am a multi-disciplinary-minded researcher. My research focuses on renewable fuels and platform chemical production, such as acidogenic/dark fermentative biohydrogen, green hythane/H2-enriched CNG (H2+CH4), short chain carboxylic acids (C2-C5), medium chain carboxylic acids (C6-C7), gas fermentation of H2/CO/CO2, and bioelectricity. My expertise includes bioenergy/biofuel production from various feedstocks. Particularly, i) biochemical production (volatile fatty acids: short and medium chain fatty acids), ii) bio-electrochemical systems for wastewater treatment and resource recovery, iii) biohydrogen enriched CNG (HCNG) production in single and dual stage, iv) anaerobic digestion for biomethane production and ammonium production v) pilot scale (10m3 capacity reactor) design, development and operation of biohydrogen and biomethane production, vi) bioprocess control and regulation for bioenergy generation vii) acidogenic fermentation for hydrogen production (process optimization, regulation and scale up), viii) biorefinery-integration of processes, ix) design of customized bioreactors for bioenergy production and wastewater treatment and x) design and development of bioelectrochemical modules for wastewater treatment.

As a researcher at LTU, I have designed and developed an innovative biocatalyst, exploring its efficiency towards the high-rate conversion of Swedish Forest-based cellulosic biomass (soft and hardwood) to low-carbon fuels and platform chemicals integrating organosolv pretreatment method in a biorefinery approach. I worked on multiple projects that offered me grasping industry-academia synergy and the problems and potential of transferring technology from bench to lab, pilot, and industrial scale.

I am highly passionate about promoting the development of a sustainable future through the utilization of bioenergy and biofuels. These alternative energy sources have the potential to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and help combat climate change. I am passionate for technology developments that enhance efficiency and reduce the environmental effects of biofuel production processes. I have a keen interest in developing a self-sustaining bio-electro micro module/device that can efficiently transform biogenic waste/wastewater into low-carbon fuel and renewable chemicals.