Overview

We continue to synthesize micron-nanomaterials to address chemical engineering aspects of energy, environmental, and health problems. In particular, our research themes center on the development of carbon-based materials, especially carbon nanofibers and carbon nanoparticles in the adsorption and catalytic reaction applications including microbial fuel cells, chemical sensors, and photocatalytic reactors. The recent focus is on the advanced catalytic oxidation processes. On the theoretical side, a number of mathematical models based on computational fluid dynamics including lattice Boltzmann methods have been developed for packed bed adsorbers and reactors.

Awards and Honors
  • Chevron Corporation Chair, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (2022-)

  • Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship (2018-2019)

  • Raj and Neera Singh Chair, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (2015-18)

  • Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry, UK (2015)

  • Raj and Neera Singh Chair, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (2011-14)

  • Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow (2004)

  • AICTE career award for the young teacher (1998)

  • S. K. Nandi Memorial merit Scholarship, IIT Kharagpur (1985-86)

Courses developed

Book
  • "Aqueous Phase Adsorption: Theory, Simulations and Experiments", edited by Jayant K. Singh and Nishith Verma. (2018) Taylor & Francis/CRC Press.

Book Chapter
  • "Exploring Carbon Surface Using Electron Microscopy: Applications to Energy, Environment, and Health", edited by Krishanu Biswas, Sri Sivakumar, Nilesh Gurao in "Electron Microscopy in Science and Engineering" Springer, UK.

  • "Novel Carbon-based Nano-adsorbents for Water Purification", by Nishith Verma and Ashutosh Sharma in "Aquananotechnology: Global Prospects", edited by David Reisner and T. Pradeep. (2014) Taylor & Francis/CRC Press.

  • "Lattice-Boltzmann Modeling of Adsorption Breakthrough in Packed Beds" by Nishith Verma in "Aqueous Phase Adsorption: Theory, Simulations and Experiments", edited by Jayant K. Singh and Nishith Verma. (2018) Taylor & Francis/CRC Press.

  • "3D Graphene-Based Scaffolds with High Conductivity and Biocompatibility for Applications in Microbial Fuel Cells" by Ashish Yadav and Nishith Verma in "Graphene-Based 3D Macrostructures for Clean Energy and Environmental Applications", edited by Rajasekhar Bala and Shamik Chowdhury. (2020) Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).

Recent Innovative Technologies/Products developed (patents)
  • "A packed bed chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC) system and methods for fabricating electrodes" (Indian patent No. 429748; granted (2023); Inventors: Komal Pandey, Priyanka Gupta Nishith Verma, Shiv Singh)

  • "A process for fabrication of a chemiresistive sensor and product thereof" (Indian patent No. 413302; granted (2022); Inventors: Nishith Verma, Haider Ali, Dhananjay Gupta)

  • "Electrode substrate for electrochemical sensing of biomolecules" (Indian patent No: 391276; granted (2022); Inventors: Nishith Verma, Haider Ali)

  • "Process for the treatment of wastewater" (US Patent 11,168,011; granted (2021); Nishith Verma (IIT Kanpur), Kaushik Basak and Arin Von Mourik (Shell International Research Maatschappiz BV, The Netherlands))

  • "Process for preparing a catalyst and use thereof" (US Patent 11,014,084; granted (2021); Inventors: Nishith Verma (IIT Kanpur), Kaushik Basak and Arin Von Mourik (Shell International Research Maatschappiz BV, The Netherlands))

  • "A multi-analyte electrochemical sensor (MAES) for simultaneous detection of glucose, creatinine and cholesterol" (Indian patent no. 392734; granted (2020); Inventors: Nishith Verma, Pallab Bairagi, Surabhi Shrivastava)

  • "Use of carbon fibers for removing soil toxic metals and increasing micronutrient supply to plants" (Indian patent No: 389453; granted (2020); Inventors: Nishith Verma, Arun Kumar)

  • "Preparation of graphitic carbon micro-nanofiber-based electrodes, asymmetrically dispersed with bimetal nanoparticles, and applications thereof in energy devices" (Indian patent No. 340306 (granted) 2020; Inventors: Nishith Verma, Shiv Singh)

  • "Process for the treatment of wastewater" (US patent 20200308030A1, filed, 2020; Inventors: Ashish Yadav, Nishith Verma (IIT Kanpur), Kaushik Basak and Arin Von Mourik (Shell International Research Maatschappiz BV, The Netherlands))

Recent Publications
  • JK George, N Verma, "Super-hydrophobic/Super-oleophilic carbon nanofiber-embedded resorcinol-formaldehyde composite membrane for effective separation of water-in-oil emulsion", Journal of Membrane Science (2022) 654 (15).

  • U Alam, K Pandey, N Verma, "Photocatalytic Oxidation of Glyphosate and Reduction of Cr(VI) in Water over ACF-supported CoNiWO4-gCN Composite under Batch and Flow Conditions", Chemosphere (2022) 297 (134119).

  • RA Omar, N Verma, PK Arora, "Successive Bacterial Desulfurization and Regeneration of Liquid Fuel over Ni-doped Carbon Beads using a Single Enterococcus Faecium Strain Isolated from an Industrial Wastewater", Fuel (2022) 309 (122209).

  • Gupta, P., Pandey, K., Verma, N., "Augmented Complete Mineralization of Glyphosate in Wastewater via Microbial Degradation post CWAO over Supported Fe-CNF", Chemical Engineering Journal (2022), 428, 132008.

  • Alam, U, Verma, N., "Direct Z-scheme-based novel cobalt nickel tungstate/graphitic carbon nitride composite: Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants and oxidation of benzyl alcohol", Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, (2021) 630, 127606.

  • Pandey, K, Gupta, P, Verma, N, Singh, S. , "CeO2 Sprinkled Graphitic Novel Packed Bed Anode-Based Single-Chamber MFC for Treatment of High Organic-Loaded Industrial Effluent in Upflow Continuous Mode", Journal of Materials Chemistry A, (2021) 9, 23106-23116.

  • George, JK, Verma, N., Bhaduri, B., "Hydrophilic graphitic carbon nitride-supported Cu-CNFs: An efficient adsorbent for aqueous cationic dye molecules", Materials Letters (2021) 129762, 1-5.

  • Singh, S, Pophali, A., Omar, RA, Kumar, R, Mondal, P., Pada, D, Pant, D., Verma, N. , "A nickel oxide-decorated in situ grown 3-D graphitic forest engrained carbon foam electrode for microbial fuel cells", Chemical Communications (2021) 57, 879-82.

  • Gupta, P, Verma, N. , "Evaluation of degradation and mineralization of glyphosate pollutant in wastewater using catalytic wet air oxidation over Fe-dispersed carbon nanofibrous beads", Chemical Engineering Journal (2021) 417, 1-14.

  • Pophali, A, Singh, S., Verma, N. , "A dual photoelectrode-based double-chambered microbial fuel cell applied for simultaneous COD and Cr (VI) reduction in wastewater", International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (2021), 46 (4), 3160-70.

  • RA Omar, N Verma, PK Arora. , "Sequential desulfurization of thiol compounds containing liquid fuels: Adsorption over Ni-doped carbon beads followed by biodegradation using environmentally isolated Bacillus zhangzhouensis", Fuel (2020) 277, 118208.

  • Shrivastava, S., Bairagi, P., Verma, N. , "Spermine biomarker of cancerous cells voltammetrically detected on a poly(β-cyclodextrin) - electropolymerized carbon film dispersed with Cu - CNFs", Sensors and Actuators, B: Chemical (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2020.128055.

  • Jejurkar, S., Khanna, A., Verma, N. , "Maldistribution Effects in an Industrial Scale Trickle Bed Reactor", Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (2020). https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.0c00115.

  • Singh, S., Noori, MT., Verma, N. , "Efficient bio-electroreduction of CO2 to formate on a iron phthalocyanine-dispersed CDC in microbial electrolysis system", Electrochimica Acta (2020), 338, 1-9.

  • Kumar, A., Gahoi, P., Verma, N. , "Simultaneous scavenging of Cr(VI) from soil and facilitation of nutrient uptake in plant using a mixture of carbon microfibers and nanofibers", Chemosphere (2020) 239, 124760.