卡提克-钱德兰 环境工程师

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Kartik Chandran
Environmental Engineer | Class of 2015
Transforming wastewater from a pollutant requiring disposal to a resource for useful products, such as commodity chemicals, energy sources, and fertilizers.


Portrait of Kartik Chandran
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Title
Environmental Engineer
Affiliation
Columbia University
Location
New York, New York
Age
41 at time of award
Area of Focus
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Environment and Climate Change
Website
Chandran Lab
Columbia University: Kartik Chandran
Social
Twitter
Published September 29, 2015
ABOUT KARTIK'S WORK
Kartik Chandran is an environmental engineer integrating microbial ecology, molecular biology, and engineering to transform wastewater from a troublesome pollutant to a valuable resource. Traditional facilities for biologically treating wastewater remove pathogens, organic carbon, and nutrients (where necessary) through decades-old technology that requires vast amounts of energy and resources, releases harmful gases into the atmosphere, and leaves behind material that must be discarded. Chandran approaches wastewater treatment with the goal of producing useful resources such as fertilizers, chemicals, and energy sources, in addition to clean water, in a way that takes into account the climate, energy, and nutrient challenges we face today.

The key insight of Chandran’s research and applications thereof is that certain combinations of mixed microbial communities, similar to those that occur naturally, can be used to mitigate the harmful environmental impacts of wastewater and extract useful products. For example, Chandran has determined an optimal combination of microbes (and associated wastewater treatment technologies) to remove nitrogen from waste while minimizing the release of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. This approach also involves reduced chemical and energy inputs relative to traditional treatments and has the added benefit of preventing algal blooms downstream by maximizing nitrogen removal. More recently, using ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, Chandran has enabled the transformation of bio-generated methane gas into methanol, a chemical that is both easily transported and widely useful in industry (including the wastewater industry).

Chandran imaginatively tailors his solutions to be locally appropriate. In rural Ghana, in conjunction with his Engineers without Borders students, he has re-engineered source-separation toilets to both provide sanitation and recover nutrients for use in agriculture. In Kumasi, Ghana, he is testing the large-scale conversion of sludge into biofuel while also providing new training opportunities for local engineers and managers. Through his groundbreaking research and its practical applications, Chandran is demonstrating the hidden value of wastewater, conserving vital resources, and protecting public health.

BIOGRAPHY
Kartik Chandran received a B.S. (1995) from the Indian Institute of Technology at Roorkee (formerly, University of Roorkee) and a Ph.D. (1999) from the University of Connecticut. He was a senior technical specialist (2001–2004) with the private engineering firm Metcalf and Eddy of New York, Inc., before returning to academia as a research associate (2004–2005) at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Currently an associate professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University, his work has been demonstrated in New York City and Ghana and has been published in such journals as PLoS ONE, Environmental Microbiology, Environmental Science & Technology, and Biotechnology and Bioengineering, among others.



卡提克-钱德兰
环境工程师｜2015级
将废水从需要处理的污染物转化为有用产品的资源，如商品化学品、能源和肥料。


卡提克-钱德兰的肖像
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标题
环境工程师
工作单位
哥伦比亚大学
工作地点
纽约州纽约市
年龄
获奖时为41岁
重点领域
土木与环境工程, 环境与气候变化
网站
钱德兰实验室
哥伦比亚大学。卡蒂克-钱德兰
社会
推特
发表于2015年9月29日
关于Kartik的工作
Kartik Chandran是一名环境工程师，他将微生物生态学、分子生物学和工程学结合起来，将废水从麻烦的污染物转化为宝贵的资源。传统的废水生物处理设施通过几十年前的技术去除病原体、有机碳和营养物质（必要时），需要大量的能源和资源，向大气中释放有害气体，并留下必须丢弃的材料。钱德兰处理废水的目标是在考虑到我们今天面临的气候、能源和养分挑战的情况下，除了清洁的水之外，还生产有用的资源，如肥料、化学品和能源。

钱德兰的研究及其应用的关键见解是，某些混合微生物群落的组合，类似于自然发生的那些，可以用来减轻废水对环境的有害影响并提取有用的产品。例如，钱德兰已经确定了一种最佳的微生物组合（和相关的废水处理技术），以去除废物中的氮，同时最大限度地减少一氧化二氮的释放，这是一种强大的温室气体。相对于传统的处理方法，这种方法还涉及到减少化学和能源的投入，并且通过最大限度地去除氮气来防止下游的藻类大量繁殖的额外好处。最近，钱德兰利用氨氧化细菌，使生物产生的甲烷气体转化为甲醇，这是一种既容易运输又在工业（包括污水处理行业）中广泛使用的化学品。

钱德兰富有想象力地使他的解决方案适合于当地。在加纳农村，他与他的无国界工程师组织的学生一起，重新设计了源头分离厕所，既提供卫生设施，又回收营养物质用于农业。在加纳的库马西，他正在测试将污泥大规模转化为生物燃料，同时也为当地工程师和管理人员提供新的培训机会。通过他的突破性研究及其实际应用，钱德兰正在展示废水的隐藏价值，保护重要资源，并保护公众健康。

个人简历
Kartik Chandran在印度理工学院罗尔基分校（前身为罗尔基大学）获得学士学位（1995年），在康涅狄格大学获得博士学位（1999年）。他曾在私营工程公司Metcalf and Eddy of New York, Inc.担任高级技术专家（2001-2004年），然后回到学术界，在弗吉尼亚理工学院和州立大学担任研究助理（2004-2005年）。目前，他是哥伦比亚大学地球和环境工程系的副教授，他的工作在纽约市和加纳进行了演示，并在PLoS ONE、环境微生物学、环境科学与技术、生物技术与生物工程等杂志上发表。