Faculty Publications

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Transitions toward sustainable E-waste management plans
(Elsevier, 2023) Sahota, S.; Poddar, M.K.; Narzari, R.
The last few decades have witnessed the advancement in electrical and electronic appliances and their applications have revolutionized human’s daily life. However, at the same time excessive electronics wastes (E-waste) and hazardous materials associated with this E-waste have caused serious concerns to the environment and all living organisms. Sustainable E-waste management to control and mitigate the E-waste generation and its conversion into value-added products are of utmost importance to protect the environment and healthy lifestyle. This chapter discusses the overview of E-waste generation and its impact on the environment and humans. The chapter also covers the worldwide technological aspects being used to achieve an effective E-waste management system. Various E-waste management models and government policy for successful implementation of these models in most of the developed and developing countries are also discussed. The studies revealed that Switzerland is the first country that successfully implemented the sustainable E-waste management system with recycling of approximate 11kg/capita of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment against a targeted value of 4kg/capita set by European unions. In the end, the challenges and future perspectives to achieve sustainable E-waste management are also discussed. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Biobased plastics and their nanocomposites: emerging trends in active and intelligent food packaging applications
(Springer, 2025) Sahota, S.; Soman, V.; Thakur, D.; Poddar, M.K.
Bio-based polymers have gained huge attention in the recent past for their application in various domains, especially food packaging. The petroleum-based polymers have a significant negative impact on the ecosystem owing to their non-biodegradability. Therefore, a sustainable yet efficient alternative is required which is both safe and non-toxic. Food packaging technologies with the latest innovations are promoting active and smart packaging applications which promise quick, safe and efficient ways to monitor the quality of stored foods. These materials are being explored in applications such as antimicrobial wraps, moisture barrier coatings, biodegradable trays, and oxygen-scavenging films. Nanotechnology has emerged as a superior alternative as it can enhance food protection while reducing the raw material requirement and waste generation. The present review focuses on the recent developments in active and smart food packaging with special emphasis on bio-based polymer nanocomposites. The various polymer nanocomposites, their properties and safety concerns with respect to food packaging are summarized in this review article besides providing prospects for the current research area. © Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India) 2025.
Development of hybrid chitosan/zinc oxide/graphene oxide nanocomposites for potential food packaging application
(Sustainable Building Research Center, 2023) Kanted, D.; Soman, V.; Sahota, S.; Poddar, M.K.
Novel food packaging materials are becoming increasingly necessary and extensive research is underway worldwide towards developing environmentally friendly and bio-based polymers. Among various biopolymers, chitosan is the noticeable and industrially viable food packaging material and is the second most naturally available biopolymer after cellulose. This study is based on the reinforcing hybrid nanomaterials of zinc and graphene oxides into the chitosan matrix to produce a bio-based food packaging material with improved antimicrobial properties, high water resistance and thermally stable hybrid chitosan/ZnO/GO nanocomposites. Various characterization techniques such as Raman, FTIR, XRD and FE-SEM confirmed the preparation of nanofillers and their successful encapsulation into the chitosan matrix. The thermal analysis results confirmed a marked rise of 46.5 and 62.1°C at T25% and T50% respectively of hybrid nanocomposites as compared to neat chitosan. Further, the DTG analysis showed there was a significant rise of 19°C in the maximum degradation temperature for hybrid chitosan/ZnO/GO nanocomposites as compared to neat chitosan. The water vapor permeability of hybrid nanocomposites was reported at a minimum of 1.04 g.mm/m2.h.kPa against the neat chitosan of 2.22 g.mm/m2.h.kPa which confirmed the nanocomposites with improved water resistance. The antimicrobial property tested in presence of Bacillus subtilis (gram-positive bacterium) was reported maximum for hybrid chitosan/ZnO/GO nanocomposites with the highest inhibition zone of 12 mm as compared to the inhibition zone of neat chitosan, chitosan/GO, and chitosan/ZnO of 5 and 10 mm respectively. The increase in the above properties of the hybrid nanocomposites is attributed to the combined effect of hybrid nanofillers as compared to the nanocomposites with the use of single nanofillers. © International Journal of Sustainable Building Technology and Urban Development.

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