The SparK Research Group
IITGN Department of Chemical Engineering
Research & Initiatives
Bio - Adsorption of Rare Earth Elements
- By Hrishitha Sree S
There is a growing need for rare earth elements (REEs) due to their widespread use in various industries such as electronics, catalysts, magnets, batteries, glass, and phosphors. India boasts the world's most extensive shoreline heavy mineral placer deposits, stretching over 6000 km. Although, India possesses a large resource of these rare earth elements, a crucial step in obtaining highly pure REEs involves complex and non-sustainable processes.
There is a growing need for rare earth elements (REEs) due to their widespread use in various industries such as electronics, catalysts, magnets, batteries, glass, and phosphors. India boasts the world's most extensive shoreline heavy mineral placer deposits, stretching over 6000 km. Although, India possesses a large resource of these rare earth elements, a crucial step in obtaining highly pure REEs involves complex and non-sustainable processes.
Current technologies involved in the separation of REEs from a mixture of various ions include:
(1) Solvent Extraction, (2) Ion Exchange, (3) Precipitation and (4) Membrane separation.
Although effective these processes are capital heavy, require large amounts of toxic and hazardous waste, including organic solvents that can pose significant environmental risks. There is a clear need to develop technologies that can overcome the above mentioned limitations.
In our group, we are designing peptides which can selectively bind and separate REEs from a mixture of ions. Peptides are attractive ligands due to their wide physico-chemical properties that can be achieved even with a relatively short chain (less than 20 amino acids). These make peptides highly tunable towards the REE of choice. These peptides are biodegradable and do not introduce toxic by-products in the environment. Modern techniques in peptide synthesis and genetic engineering allow for the production of peptides with desired properties in a relatively straightforward and cost-effective manner.
Join us in developing these biodegradable peptides with high selectivity and affinity for the separation of REEs.
Protein Corona on Nanomaterials
- By Krishna Agarwal
Nanomaterials exhibit extraordinary physicochemical properties making them ideal candidates as drug delivery vehicles and imaging beacons to target diseased sites in our body. However, when these nanomaterials are injected inside the body for treatment, the proteins present in the fluid adsorbs on it and forms the protein corona. This protein corona alters the effectiveness of the nanomaterial and also invokes an immune response which is detrimental to our health.
We are trying to uncover the rules behind the protein corona formation on these nanomaterials to effectively develop transformative nanomaterials based solutions which will make a clinical impact.
Bio - Polymers
- By Tanu Tiwari
Polymers manufactured from petroleum - based sources contribute to the growing emission of greenhouse gasesa resulting in global warming. This along with their slow degradibility results in their persistence in the ecosystem. These coupled with inadequate and effective recycling systems have resulted in the rise of plastic pollution as a serious concern. In the light of the above challenges, there is a need to develop alternate strategies to design biodegradable polymers.
We are developing next generation protein based solutions with additional functionality to replace and economically compete with synthetic plastics.