Shreveport Reporter

As he prepared to transition from a master’s degree to a doctoral  program, Viral Sagar considered one main criterion: a program had to  offer him with the opportunity to change the world by reducing waste.  His search led him from Rutgers University in New Jersey to Louisiana  Tech University and Dr. Joan Lynam’s Biomass Lab.

Sagar, a doctoral student in Louisiana Tech’s Engineering program  concentrating on Micro and Nanotechnology Systems, brought expertise in  chemical and biochemical engineering with him to Tech to aid in the  Biomass Lab mission. There, he works as a lab manager, focusing on  finding innovative ways to reduce agricultural waste such as sugar cane  bagasse, coffee chaff, rice hulls, etc., by converting it to energy.

Currently, he is researching a process to develop solvents that  extract different useful compounds from biomass, and he’s also  researching methods that convert shrimp shells into products like  fertilizer, artificial bone and joint replacements, adhesive healing  bandages, and cement binding agents. Previously, he worked on finding  energy values of mayhaw berry pulp wastes, reducing the amount of space  the bio-waste will take up in landfills by creating valuable products  and providing farmers with fertilizer for their crops.

Sagar says that the research could help the federal agencies and  industrial partners develop sustainable energy supply while actively  reducing air and water pollutants.

“At the Biomass Lab, we research creating energy from biomass waste  that typically ends up in a landfill. Our goal is to develop multiple  sustainable routes for reducing this problem causing pollution and to  repurpose carbon. We present treatments that can remove waste from  landfills while producing valuable chemicals in the form of fertilizers  and energy.

“One of the keys to our success is working with multiple  collaborators, including industrial partners like Drax Biomass Inc.,  LANXESS Corporation, the Grambling State University Department of  Chemistry, Louisiana State University, the U.S. Department of Energy,  the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection  Agency. Of course, we’re always looking for new collaborators to help us  develop the best processes.”

You can learn more about Sagar’s work at the Biomass Lab website.

Original source can be found here.