Jai Sankar Seelam is a doctoral student enrolled at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at the University of Ghent, Belgium since mid-2018. His PhD research involved working within the framework of ALG-AD and Nutri2Cycle projects focusing to develop a proof-of-concept for interlinking microalgal and anaerobic digestion industries by utilizing recycled nutrients and carbon dioxide for sustainable and organic biomass production. He investigated the application of low-cost liquid fraction of digestate pre-treatment, screening of food/feed-grade microalgal species and optimization of culture growth conditions for maximal nutrient recovery. A major part of his study focused on engineering and operation, (bio)process development and optimization, upscaling and dynamic modelling of a pilot-scale (750 L) photobioreactor.
Jai hails from Kakinada (India) and graduated with a Master’s degree in Water Technology from Wetsus Academy (Wageningen University), Leeuwarden, The Netherlands and Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (I.I.T), Kharagpur, India. Prior to joining UGent, he worked as a junior process engineer, project assistant and guest researcher at several water-tech based organizations in the Netherlands and Belgium. His prime research interests include sustainable agriculture, wastewater treatment and resource recovery from wastes and wastewaters.
Position
PhD candidate
Institutions involved
Ghent University