Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Prof. Nirakar Pradhan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Hong Kong Baptist University. His research merges environmental engineering with a deep analysis of microbial ecosystems to build a predictive understanding of their function and harness them for a circular economy. His work focuses on engineering microbial communities for waste valorization and the production of value-added products. His lab combines detailed molecular analysis with mathematical modeling to optimize processes such as anaerobic digestion for resource recovery, biofuel and bioplastic production in microbial biorefineries, and the recovery of critical metals from e-waste using biohydrometallurgy. A key goal is to understand how microbes adapt to environmental stress, providing foundational knowledge for applications in environmental biotechnology.
Research Interests
- Fermentative waste valorization for resource recovery and urban agriculture
- Microbial biorefineries & industrial biotechnology for green fuels and materials
- Biohydrometallurgical recovery of critical metals from E-waste and EV-batteries
- Metabolic control and microbial adaptation for environmental biotechnology
Chinese Name
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Education/Academic qualification
PhD, University of Paris-Est Marne-la-vallée
1 Sept 2013 → 16 Dec 2016
Award Date: 16 Dec 2016
Keywords
- TD Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering
- Biotechnology
- Fermentation
- Anaerobic Digestion
- Bioprocess development
- Biohydrometallurgy
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation -
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy -
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure -
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities -
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 14 Life Below Water -
SDG 15 Life on Land
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Dive into the research topics where Nirakar PRADHAN is active. Topic labels come from the works of this scholar.
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Environment and Conservation Fund Accelerating Food‐Waste Digestate Maturation through Microbiome Analysis and De-Novo Process Optimization
PRADHAN, N. (PI) & TAN, G. Y. A. (CoPI)
1/07/25 → 30/06/26
Project: Research project
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Unlocking the protein degradation potential during anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and livestock manure: Insights from microbial communities
PRADHAN, N. (PI)
1/07/24 → 31/12/25
Project: Research project
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Equipment Matching Fund - Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography System (UHPLC)
PRADHAN, N. (PI), LIAO, P. (CoI), BI, Y. (CoI), YANG, Z. (CoI) & ZHAO, J. (CoI)
26/03/24 → 25/03/26
Project: Research project
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Anaerobic mono-digestion and co-digestion of food waste and mixed sewage sludge: A comparative analysis of metabolic patterns and taxonomic profiles
Luo, L. & Pradhan, N., 1 Jun 2024, In: Chemical Engineering Journal. 489, 9 p., 151397.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review
37 Citations (Scopus) -
Lactic acid-based fermentative hydrogen production from kitchen waste: Mechanisms and taxonomic insights
Luo, L., Lim, R. & Pradhan, N., 15 May 2024, In: Chemical Engineering Journal. 488, 9 p., 150854.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review
31 Citations (Scopus) -
Opportunities and challenges for n-alkane and n-alkene biosynthesis: A sustainable microbial biorefinery
Geng, J., Liao, P., Tan, G. Y. A., Zhu, F. Y. & Pradhan, N., Dec 2023, In: Biofuel Research Journal. 10, 4, p. 1974-1988 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review
Open Access12 Citations (Scopus) -
Effect of zero-valent iron nanoparticles on taxonomic composition and hydrogen production from kitchen waste
Luo, L., Mak, K. L., Mal, J., Khanal, S. K. & Pradhan, N., Nov 2023, In: Bioresource Technology. 387, 9 p., 129578.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review
25 Citations (Scopus) -
Emerging trends in the pretreatment of microalgal biomass and recovery of value-added products: A review
Pradhan, N., Kumar, S., Selvasembian, R., Rawat, S., Gangwar, A., Senthamizh, R., Yuen, Y. K., Luo, L., Ayothiraman, S., Saratale, G. D. & Mal, J., Feb 2023, In: Bioresource Technology. 369, 12 p., 128395.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review
42 Citations (Scopus)
Prizes
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Frontiers in Science - Research Excellence Paper Award
PRADHAN, N. (Recipient), 24 Oct 2023
Prize: Award
Activities
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Dynamic feeding strategies for scalable polyhydroxyalkanoates production from lactic acid
LUO, L. (Speaker) & PRADHAN, N. (Participant)
28 Jun 2026 → 2 Jul 2026Activity: Conference/talk/lecture/symposium/speech/workshop, etc › Event organized by non-HKBU units
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International Journal of Sustainable Energy (Journal)
PRADHAN, N. (Member of editorial board)
1 Apr 2026Activity: Publication peer-review/editorial work › Editor/reviewer for publications (incl. CDCF T61 Journal Editor)
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Two-stage biorefinery for thermostable high-purity PHA from food waste via high-titer lactic acid
PRADHAN, N. (Speaker) & LUO, L. (Participant)
28 Jun 2026 → 2 Jul 2026Activity: Conference/talk/lecture/symposium/speech/workshop, etc › Event organized by non-HKBU units
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BMC Biotechnology (Journal)
PRADHAN, N. (Member of editorial board)
11 Aug 2025Activity: Publication peer-review/editorial work › Editor/reviewer for publications (incl. CDCF T61 Journal Editor)
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Impact of organic waste type on microbial community dynamics in anaerobic digestion
PRADHAN, N. (Speaker)
21 Oct 2025 → 24 Oct 2025Activity: Conference/talk/lecture/symposium/speech/workshop, etc › Event organized by non-HKBU units