Dr. Sunil A. Patil
Associate Professor, Environmental Sciences

Email sunil(AT)iisermohali.ac.in
Phone  
Fax +91 172 2240266
Personal Page  EEMB LAB   
Research Area

Environmental Electromicrobiology and Biotechnology

 Research Focus

Our research aims to advance the understanding of Electromicrobiology, a new sub-discipline of Environmental Microbiology, and contribute to developing sustainable biotechnologies for valorizing liquid and gaseous wastes. To this end, we investigate extracellular electron transfer-based respiratory and metabolic processes of anaerobic microorganisms in bioelectrochemical systems and microcosms. Besides anaerobic microbiology and electrochemistry approaches, we use tools and techniques from environmental sciences, bioengineering, metagenomics, microscopy, and analytical chemistry disciplines for this purpose.

The focus of our current research activities is on

  • understanding extracellular electron transfer-based anaerobic metabolisms and microorganisms from extreme environments.
  • developing integrated microbial electrochemical technologies for renewable electricity-driven bioproduction of chemicals from industrial CO2 and wastewater management at the point sources.

 

Selected Publications

  • R Yadav, B Chattopadhyay, R Kiran, A Yadav, AK Bachhawat and SA Patil. Microbial electrosynthesis from carbon dioxide feedstock linked to yeast growth for the production of high-value isoprenoids. Bioresource Technology, 127906 (2022)

  • S. Yadav, R Singh, SS Sundharam, S Chaudhury, S Krishnamurthi and SA Patil. Geoalkalibacter halelectricus SAP‐1 sp. nov. possessing extracellular electron transfer and mineral‐reducing capabilities from a haloalkaline environment. Environmental Microbiology, 1–16 (2022)

  • RK Yadav, S Sahoo and SA Patil. Performance evaluation of the integrated hydroponics-microbial electrochemical technology (iHydroMET) for decentralized domestic wastewater treatment. Chemosphere 288, 132514 (2022)

  • S Chaudhary, R Singh, S Yadav and SA Patil. Electrochemical enrichment of haloalkaliphilic nitrate-reducing microbial biofilm at the cathode of bioelectrochemical systems. iScience 24 (6), 102682 (2021)

  • M Roy, R Yadav, P Chiranjeevi and SA Patil. Direct utilization of industrial carbon dioxide with low impurities for acetate production via microbial electrosynthesis. Bioresource Technology 320 (Part A), 124289 (2021)

  • S Yadav and SA Patil. Microbial electroactive biofilms dominated by Geoalkalibacter spp. from a highly saline–alkaline environment. npj Biofilms and Microbiomes 6, 38 (2020)

  • P Chiranjeevi and SA Patil. Strategies for improving the electroactivity and specific metabolic functionality of microorganisms for various microbial electrochemical technologies. Biotechnology Advances, 39, 107468 (2020)

  • SA Patil, JBA Arends, I Vanwonterghem, J van Meerbergen, K Guo, G Tyson and K Rabaey. Selective enrichment establishes a stable performing community for microbial electrosynthesis of acetate from CO2. Environmental Science and Technology 49 (14), 8833–8843 (2015)

  • SA Patil, S Gildemyn, D Pant, K Zengler, BE Logan and K Rabaey. A logical data representation framework for electricity-driven bioproduction processes. Biotechnology advances 33 (6), 736-744 (2015)

  • SA Patil, K Górecki, C Hägerhäll and L Gorton. Cisplatin-induced elongation of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 cells improves microbe–electrode interactions for use in microbial fuel cells. Energy & Environmental Science 6 (9), 2626-2630 (2013)