Shirsa Mazumdar (2024)

Project Title: Metal/Metal oxide-modified bio-based adsorbent for phosphate removal and recovery

Fellow: Shirsa Mazumdar

Adviser(s): Achintya N. Bezbaruah

Project Summary: Excess phosphate from agriculture causes harmful algal blooms, making its removal from water a priority. This study developed a low-cost, bio-based adsorbent from wheat straw by extracting nanocellulose and modifying it with iron to enhance phosphate capture.

The material achieved over 90% phosphate removal within an hour, with strong chemisorption as the main mechanism and minimal interference from environmental factors. These results highlight wheat straw as an effective, sustainable option for water treatment and support waste-to-resource approaches in a circular economy.