Biochemical Approaches for Waste and Biomass Valorization for Fuels and Chemicals

Dr. Sachin Kumar is a Scientist in the Department of Medical Oncology at Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital, AIIMS, New Delhi, where he has been serving since 2016. He earned his PhD from AIIMS in 2010, with research focused on circulating DNA and protein markers in lung cancer, and later pursued post-doctoral training in cancer gene therapy at Virginia Commonwealth University, USA. His current research focuses on liquid biopsy and the role of non-coding RNAs as biomarkers in lung cancer, supported by national and institutional grants. He has authored more than 50 publications in leading international journals and has been recognized with several honors, including the AIIMS Excellence Research Awards (2020, 2022) and the Young Investigator Award from the Indian Society for Study of Lung Cancer (2019).Dr. Kumar serves on the Editorial Board of Discover Oncology and reviews for numerous high-impact journals. He is also an active member of the American Association for Cancer Research and a Life Member of the Indian Society for Study of Lung Cancer and the Indian Association for Cancer Research.Dr. Meenu Hans is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biotechnology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India. She has also worked as a Visiting Scientist at the Institute of Physics of São Carlos (IFSC), University of São Paulo, Brazil, and obtained her Ph.D. in Microbiology from Sardar Swaran Singh National Institute of Bio-Energy and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India, in 2022. Dr. Hans has over 8 years of research experience in anaerobic digestion, fermentation technology, biomass pretreatment and bioprocessing, enzymatic hydrolysis and integrated biorefinery of biomass for bioethanol, biogas, biohythane and xylitol production, and lignin biorefinery. She has 2 filed patents and has published 15 articles in peer reviewed journals, books and scientific magazines.Dr. Richa Arora is serving as a Microbiologist in the Department of Microbiology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India. She has research experience in integrated biorefineries, waste valorization, and food fermentations. She has been awarded with Young Scientist Awards at national level by AMI and MBSI, International Travel Support by DST-SERB to United States, Research Fellowship by DRDO, SSS-NIRE Bio-Energy Promotion Fellowship by SSS-NIBE, and the Shri Puran Anand Adlakha Medal by PAU. Dr. Arora has filed 1 patent and published over 30 research articles in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters and papers in conference proceedings. She also serves as reviewer of several peer-reviewed journals.Dr. Apurav Sharma serves as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Biochemical Conversion Division at the Sardar Swaran Singh National Institute of Bio-Energy, Kapurthala, India. He earned his Ph.D. degree in Microbiology from Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. His primary research focus lies in the valorization of biomass through its conversion into bioethanol, enzymes, biofertilizers, biohydrogen and related bioproducts. Dr. Sharma has over 14 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, along with three granted Indian patents.Dr. Anuj K. Chandel is a Professor in the Department of Biotechnology, Engineering School of Lorena, University of São Paulo, Brazil. He has over 23 years of research experience working on process optimization and large-scale production of industrial enzymes and vaccine particles, biofuels, and membrane-based separation of fats, proteins, and viruses. He previously worked at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, and the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, USA. He has also worked Dalas Biotech Ltd, Bhiwadi, Rajasthan; Celestial Biolabs Ltd, Hyderabad, and Centro de Tecnologia Canaviera-Piracicaba, Brazil, on large-scale production of industrial enzymes and cellulosic ethanol, for about 7 years. Dr. Chandel has published 125 articles in peer-reviewed journals and 56 book chapters, has edited 15 books, and holds one Brazilian patent. His primary research interests is to develop sustainable processes for bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass into renewable fuels and biochemicals by bridging the gap between research laboratories and industries.

• 1. Introduction to waste and biomass valorization2. Biomass and waste characterization methods for waste and biomass3. Biomass availability and collection4. Biochemical-based biorefineries5. Advanced pretreatment technologies for waste and biomass6. Fermentation techniques for waste and biomass7. Anaerobic digestion and dark fermentation techniques for waste and biomass8. Lignin valorization techniques9. Emerging technologies for waste and biomass valorization for fuels and chemicals10. Process integration, techno-economics, and policy frameworks for biorefineries and biomass valorization11. Case studies and business models in waste and biomass valorization