An Innovative Role of Biofiltration in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs)

Dr. Maulin P. Shah is an active researcher and microbial biotechnologist with diverse research interest. His primary interest is the environment, the quality of our living resources and the ways that bacteria can help to manage and degrade toxic wastes and restore environmental health. Consequently, His work has been focused to assess the impact of industrial pollution on microbial diversity of wastewater following cultivation dependant and cultivation independent analysis.Susana Rodríguez-Couto is a professor in biological water treatment at LUT University, Finland. She got her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Chemistry (Industrial Chemistry) from the University of Santiago de Compostela in 1992 and her Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1999 from the University of Vigo, obtaining the maximal grade (magna cum laude) and, in addition, she was awarded with the Extraordinary Prize for Doctoral Thesis in Chemistry. She worked as an Associate Professor and an Isidro Parga Pondal Senior Researcher at the University of Vigo (2000-2004), as a Ramón y Cajal Senior Researcher at Rovira i Virgili University (2004-2008) and as an Ikerbasque Research Professor (2009-2019). She has also worked as an Invited Researcher at the Institute from Environmental Biotechnology, Graz University of Technology (Austria) and at the Department of Biological Engineering, University of Minho (Portugal). In 2008, she received the I3 Professor from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Education to the recognition of an outstanding research activity. She has published more than 140 articles in highly reputed international journals (h index 42). She is editor of several journals (3Biotech, Frontiers) and 14 Elsevier books. Prof. (Dr.) Jayanta Kumar Biswas is a Professor at Department of Ecological Studies and International Centre for Ecological Engineering, University of Kalyani, West Bengal, India. He obtained M.Sc. in Zoology, M.Phil. in Ecology and Ph.D. for his work on Eco technological management of aquatic systems. His spectrum of research interest and expertise span the following focal areas: ecotoxicology and bioremediation of toxic metal(loid)s; ecological engineering and eco technological remediation of water and soil contaminants; environmental microbiology; Nano biotechnology; dynamics of nutrients and toxic contaminants in water and soil; bio regenerative reclamation of wastewater. A consistent rank holder all through his academic career Professor Biswas received many scholarships, awards and fellowships including Fellow, West Bengal Academy of Science and Technology (FAScT), Fellow, National Environmentalists Association (FNEA), Zoological Society of India (FZSI), Zoological Society, Kolkata (FZS), Senior Scientist Award & Gold Medal (ZSI), Best Research Paper Award (AESA), Outstanding Reviewer Award (Chemosphere (Elsevier) & Environmental Geochemistry and Health (Springer); SRF (ICAR); National Merit Scholarship (MHRD, GoI), etc. He is credited with publishing 130 research papers in international and national journals. He is serving as editorial board member of several international journals of repute, namely Science of the Total Environment (Elsevier); Environmental Geochemistry and Health (Springer); Current Pollution Reports (Springer); Energy & Environment (SAGE). He visited several countries with government travel fellowships, to present research papers and chair scientific sessions in International conferences.

• 1. Abetment techniques2. Biological based methods for the removal of VOCs and heavy metals3. Performance parameters of biofiltration4. Analysis of product streams in biofilter columns5. Research status of biofiltration6. Biofilter media7. Controlling factors and operation of biofilters8. Microbial ecology of biofiltration9. Design and evaluation of open biofilters for the treatment of emerging contaminants10. Mechanisms of biofiltration11. Applications of biofiltration