Mihir Herlekar

@hbsu.ac.in

Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Science
The Institute of Science, Dr. Homi Bhabha State University

Mihir Herlekar


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https://researchid.co/mihir
• Ph. D. Botany: Green nanotechnology for domestic wastewater treatment.
• More than eight years of collective research, academic and professional work experience.
• Ability to initiate and execute independent research and work well in a team.

EDUCATION

1. Ph. D. Botany: KET’s V. G. Vaze College, University of Mumbai, 2018
Thesis Title: “In situ Nanoremediation of Lakes using Biologically Synthesized Metal Nanoparticles” under guidance of Dr. S. S. Barve

2. M. Sc. Environmental Science, The Institute of Science, University of Mumbai, Ist Class, 2006
Dissertation Title: Toxic Trace Metal Analysis Methods

3. PG Diploma in Environmental Pollution Control Technology, Garware Institute of Career Education and Development, University of Mumbai, Ist Class, 2004
Dissertation Title: Phytoremediation: The Green Cure

4. B. Sc. Microbiology, MVLU College, University of Mumbai, IInd Class, 1999-2002

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Water-Wastewater and Air quality monitoring & analysis, Green synthesis of Nanoparticles, Environmental Nanotechnology, Sustainable agriculture, Waste management, Green chemistry
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Scopus Publications

Scopus Publications

  • Distribution Pattern of Microplastics in Aquatic Sources
    Akshay Botle, Sayli Salgaonkar, Divyanka Thakur, Mihir Herlekar, Gayatri Barabde
    Occurrence Detection and Fate of Microplastics in Freshwater Ecosystems, 2025
  • Abatement of pharmaceutical compounds in wastewater using green nanomaterials: An eco-friendly alternative to conventional nanomaterials
    Akshay Botle, Sayli Salgaonkar, Gayatri Barabde, Mihir Herlekar
    Detection and Treatment of Emerging Contaminants in Wastewater, 2024
    Pharmaceuticals and their remnants have been acknowledged for their ability to save many lives, but they have also developed a new set of emerging pollutants due to the difficulty in treating them in wastewater worldwide. Increased consumption of drugs has led to adverse impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Even at low levels, these contaminants cause various problems because of their persistent nature and long-lasting negative effects. Therefore, various conventional methods such as activated sludge process, chemical precipitation, membrane filtration, ozonation, adsorption, and photocatalysis have been proposed for their removal. These are limited by high costs, inefficient removal, the production of toxic materials, and the need for significant investment. Nanotechnology has begun to explore various effective strategies for treating wastewater with the help of various nanomaterials. Nanomaterials have been inspected for their potential to eradicate water impurities and improve the effectiveness of conventional technologies. However, the conventional methods of producing nanomaterials involve the usage of hazardous and toxic substances, which create additional pollution. Green nanomaterials present plenty of promising avenues for wastewater treatment and have been recognized to be efficient in providing clean and affordable removal of pharmaceuticals, with features such as increased surface area, higher reactivity, target specificity, low energy and cost consumption, sustainability, improved physical and chemical properties, and effective regeneration. This has led to the development of innovative trends for creating novel, environmentally friendly nanomaterials for the removal and degradation of pharmaceutical substances. This paper focuses on these new trends in the development of greener nanomaterials globally and evaluates their performance for the abatement of pharmaceuticals from wastewater. The paper concludes with the beneficial aspects of green nanomaterials over conventional technologies and the future scope of research.
  • Assessing feasibility of sewage sludge composting in rotary drum reactor
    Anju Singh, Megha Sawant, Mihir Herlekar, Enrique Aymerich, Markus Starkl
    Bioresource Technology, 2024
  • Micro-Nanoplastics from Stormwater Runoffs to Water Bodies: An In-Depth Investigation
    Sayli Salgaonkar, Akshay Botle, Gayatri Barabde, Mihir Herlekar
    Management of Micro and Nano Plastics in Soil and Biosolids Fate Occurrence Monitoring and Remedies, 2024
  • Circular Waste Management System and Greenhouse Gases Reduction
    Akshay Botle, Sayli Salgaonkar, Rahul Tiwari, Gayatri Barabde, Mihir Herlekar
    Environmental Engineering and Waste Management Recent Trends and Perspectives, 2024
  • Impact of Health Care Management Workshops on the Health‑Seeking Behavior of Traffic Police in Bhubaneswar
    Abba E. Joseph, Vaishali Singh, Mihir Herlekar, Kalpana Sahoo, Srikanta Kanungo, Puspanjali Mishra, Rajashree Balaram
    Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2024
    Background: Sustainable development goals (SDGs) 3.9.1 and 11.6.2 call for a reduction in deaths and illnesses from air pollution, improving the air quality of cities. The above goals motivate us to organize workshops to improve the health of traffic police, who bear the brunt of air pollution. The paper examines the effect of workshops on the health-seeking behavior of the traffic police in Bhubaneswar city. Methods: The study conducted two workshops as a quasi-experimental, single-group study at an academic institution in Bhubaneswar. It included 20 traffic police officers (11 male and 9 female). The Kirkpatrick 4-level model was used to assess the effectiveness of the workshops. A paired t-test was used to compare pre- and postworkshop scores. Results: Thirteen traffic police officers rated the workshop sessions as excellent. The score before the workshop ranged from zero to three, with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) of 2.81 (1.0). The postworkshop score had a minimum to maximum score of three to five with a mean (SD) of 4.41 (0.7) (P < 0.005). The effect size dcohen (confidence interval [CI]) was 1.87 (3.27–4.71). The mean (SD) of absolute and relative gain was 1.6 (1.0) and 0.93 (1.02), respectively. All 20 traffic police officers showed improvement in health-seeking behavior. The significant lifestyle changes after the workshops ranged between 5% and 75%. Conclusion: The test scores indicated statistically significant improvement as the P value recorded was smaller than 0.05. This concludes that the improvement in understanding of the session was statistically significant because of the training imparted.
  • Noise Levels in Urban and Rural Settlements of Bhubaneswar: A Case Study
    G. Ayush, A. Elizabeth, V. V. Patil, M. Herlekar
    Nature Environment and Pollution Technology, 2022
    Noise is an underestimated threat that can cause several short- and long-term health problems. It is increasingly becoming a potential hazard to health, physically and psychologically, and affects the general well-being of an individual. The objective of the current study was to examine noise levels at ten different locations in the city of Bhubaneswar, Odisha State, India based on the land use pattern in urban and rural setup. The paper focuses on deploying geospatial techniques using ArcGIS desktop to perform better sampling and further interpolate the statistical data using the Kriging technique to generate a surface representing the distribution of noise levels in various areas. In addition, a health impact survey enabled us to understand the perspectives of the people in and around the monitoring location where health issues like stress, headache, hypertension, and sleeping disorders emerged as some of the most common issues faced. Noise levels were in the range of 43.0 to 74.5 (A) Leq. in rural areas and 61 to 96.5 dB (A) Leq in urban areas. In the current study, noise levels in rural and urban areas exceeded the recommended noise limits as per The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000.
  • Comparative toxicity study of chemical pesticide and biopesticide by Daphnia Bioassay
    Amrita I. Kakka, Mihir D. Herlekar, Shivani Awale
    Nature Environment and Pollution Technology, 2021
    A comparative study was conducted to evaluate the toxicity of a biopesticide and a chemical pesticide using Daphnia magna as a model aquatic faunal species. The primary survey revealed that Neemark and Tafgor are being commonly used by the farmers. The acute toxicity tests were conducted on Daphnia magna for two series of concentration ranges 100 ppm to 1000 ppm and 1000 ppm to 4000 ppm. The (Lethal Concentration) LC50 values for series 1 of Neemark and Tafgor were 522.86 ppm and 439.46 ppm, respectively, whereas it was 1840.48 ppm and 1335.97 ppm, respectively for for Series 2. A significant difference in the mortality rates between Neemark and Tafgor in the concentration range of 1000 ppm to 4000 ppm was observed (t = 2.483, p < 0.05). A combination treatment of Neemark and Tafgor in different proportions showed that the 2:1 v/v (Neemark: Tafgor) ratio showed the lowest toxicity with a LC50 value of 1067.78 ppm, suggesting its preferability in application on the field. Two–way ANOVA shows that the concentration of pesticides plays a significant role in the mortality of Daphnia (F = 19.729, p < 0.05) and so does the combination ratio treatment (F = 7.166, p < 0.05). These results suggest that these two factors along with the selection of a suitable plant-based pesticide play a critical role in the reduction in mortality rates of aquatic organisms.
  • Performance evaluation of a decentralized wastewater treatment system in India
    Anju Singh, Megha Sawant, Sheetal Jaisingh Kamble, Mihir Herlekar, Markus Starkl, Enrique Aymerich, Absar Kazmi
    Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2019
    A Decentralized Wastewater Treatment System (DEWATS) provides an economically feasible and efficient wastewater treatment solution especially in developing countries. It has an enormous potential for developing a sustainable environmental sanitation system. In this study, the treatment efficiency of eight DEWATS plants was evaluated in the state of Maharashtra, India, for their performance in terms of selected physico-chemical parameters of the wastewater. Although the efficiency of some of the plants was lower than that reported in literature, the effluent quality of all the plants was within the permissible discharge limits of the Central Pollution Control Board for all the parameters. Comprehensive assessment of Plant I was carried in terms of its technical and socio-economic aspects. Moreover, LCA tool has been utilized to evaluate the environmental impacts of the operation stage of DEWATS. The midpoint, CML 2001 (April 2015) methodology was adopted, in which 11 impact categories were considered. From the life cycle impact assessment and interpretation, the main impacts are identified as releases of COD, P-PO43−, and N-NH4+ to water bodies and disposal of sludge. Due to negligible energy consumption, the operation stage was found to be less damaging to the environment. It was concluded that DEWATS can be a good alternative for treating wastewater with negligible energy and chemical consumption.
  • Sewage management challenges in mega cities in india: A case study of mumbai
    A., Singh, A. Kazmi, M. Starkl, S. Sayanekar, M. Herlekar
    Desalination and Water Treatment, 2018
  • Chemical speciation and source assignment of particulate (PM10) phase molecular markers in Mumbai
    Mihir Herlekar, Abba Elizabeth Joseph, Rakesh Kumar, Indrani Gupta
    Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 2012