PhD Student in Engineering
Current position: Senior Scientist at Indian Institute of Petroleum, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and Assistant Professor at Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, India
Research focus: production of green fuels and chemicals from biomass-derived feedstock
Instead of using environmentally harsh catalysts and solvents, Jayati's emphasis is on using environmentally friendly green enzymes for the synthesis of products from biomass feedstock.
Currently, Jayati is leading a project on the development of an energy-efficient process for producing biodiesel at room temperature. This project involves spreading awareness in the society about the health hazards caused by consuming used cooking oil and further channelling this waste stream for the production of biodiesel.
Jayati invented a novel biotechnological process for the production of L(+) Lactic Acid from low cost lignocellulosic biomass, based on which the United States patent was granted in 2018.
CV as submitted for the Green Talents award (2017):
Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) – Indian Institute of Petroleum, India
Research focus: production of biofuels and chemicals from third generation microalgal feedstock
Using clean sources of energy is a vital step towards a more sustainable economy. In order to contribute to this effort, Jayati is researching energy generation from renewable biomass. The major benefit of algae is that it does not compete with agricultural crops for cultivation. Instead of using environmentally harsh catalysts and solvents, her emphasis is on using environmentally-friendly green enzymes for the synthesis of products from biomass feedstock. In the long term, Jayati aims to make bioenergy production more affordable and usable at a micro level.
Jayati completed her undergraduate degree at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Roorkee) and is currently working as a scientist at the CSIR – Indian Institute of Petroleum. During her undergraduate degree, Jayati completed a fully-funded internship at McGill University in Canada. During her internship, she exchanged ideas and discussed common concerns and solutions. These discussions enhanced the interdisciplinary approach to her research and served as inspiration in her application to the Green Talents Science Forum. In Germany, she is looking forward to getting to know cutting-edge research techniques in the field of biofuels.
During her M.Tech at CSIR – Indian Institute of Petroleum, Jayati has patented a novel biotechnological process for the production of L(+) Lactic Acid from low cost lignocellulosic biomass. This acid is used as a precursor for Poly Lactic Acid which is biodegradable plastic. She has also authored and co-authored multiple research papers and book chapters, which have been published in renowned journals like the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.
The jury wants to support Jayati in her goal to make biofuels a commercial success in India. From here the technology has the potential to make an important contribution to research the potential of micro-algae for energy and non-energy products. Jayati is particularly keen to use the mentoring opportunities of the Green Talents Award in order to support her aim.
