Environmental Engineering, Waste Management and Disposal, Water Science and Technology, Environmental Science
5
Scopus Publications
128
Scholar Citations
3
Scholar h-index
2
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
In-Vessel Aerobic Composting of Organic Waste Using Synthetic and Natural Bulking Agents Amit Dharnaik, Satish Patil Compost Science and Utilization, 2025 The escalating growth in municipal solid waste production underscores the imperative need for efficient waste management, especially given that a substantial portion of MSW comprises biodegradable materials suitable for composting. This study investigates the impacts of using a synthetic bulking agent (perforated plastic balls) in conjunction with biochar, a natural bulking agent, on the aerobic composting of kitchen waste. The study aim to evaluate the effectiveness of this combined approach in optimizing the composting process. Four trials, each spanning 30 days, were conducted to assess the effects of different combinations of synthetic and natural bulking agents. The study uses a uniform-size perforated synthetic bulking agent in combination with biochar to enhance the composting process. Results indicate that incorporating the perforated plastic balls (8% by weight) alongside biochar significantly influenced key composting parameters. This approach accelerated the initial rise in temperature to 55°C, enhanced the reduction of total organic carbon, improved total Kjeldahl nitrogen retention, and facilitated the achievement of optimal carbon-nitrogen (C/N) ratios ranging from 19 to 20. Furthermore, the analysis of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) loss during composting revealed that potassium is more susceptible to leaching than phosphorus due to its higher mobility. The study concludes that the addition of a uniform-size perforated synthetic bulking agent, constituting 8% (by weight), in conjunction with a natural bulking agent, effectively enhances the composting process.
In-vessel aerobic composting with leachate recirculation and biochar for enhanced compost quality Amit Dharnaik Materials Research Proceedings, 2025 The increasing generation of municipal solid waste emphasizes the critical necessity for effective waste management strategies, particularly given that a significant fraction of municipal solid waste comprises biodegradable materials that are amenable to composting. The study investigated the potential impact of leachate recirculation, preheating, and biochar as a bulking agent on in-vessel aerobic composting efficiency. Four setups (T1 to T4) were tested over 30 days: T1 (control), T2 (with bulking agent), T3 (bulking agent + preheating), and T4 (bulking agent + preheating + leachate recirculation). The results revealed that T4 significantly enhanced the composting process, leading to a 45% reduction in Total Organic Carbon and a decrease in the C/N ratio from 28:1 to 17:1. Additionally, T4 maintained an optimum pH of 7.6 and moisture content of 55%, conditions favourable for microbial activity. Leachate recirculation in T4 also minimized phosphorus loss (40.75%) and potassium loss (63.31%) compared to the control. These studies show the effectiveness of integrating leachate recirculation, preheating, and biochar as bulking agents to accelerate organic matter degradation and produce nutrient-rich, stable compost.
In-Vessel Aerobic Composting of Food Waste Using Biochar as Bulking Agent and Jaggery as Accelerator Amit Dharnaik, Rushikesh Bandgar, Satish Patil Compost Science and Utilization, 2025 This study investigated the potential of jaggery as an accelerator for the aerobic composting of food waste. The experimental trials were conducted over 30 days with varying jaggery concentrations (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) to determine its effect on decomposition rate and compost quality. Key parameters like total organic carbon, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio, phosphorus and potassium loss, heavy metal content, and maturity indices were analyzed. Results showed that jaggery significantly accelerated the composting process, evidenced by faster TOC reduction (from 52.8–53.8% to 40.21–42.5%), increased TKN (from 0.95–0.99% to a maximum of 1.69%), and a more rapid decline in the C/N ratio (from 53.33–56.63 to a minimum of 24.38), particularly in trials with higher jaggery content. However, the accelerated decomposition also led to greater phosphorus (up to 72.13% loss) and potassium (up to 65.04% loss) losses. Despite these losses, all compost samples met the standards for Class A compost, indicating their suitability for organic farming. This study concluded that jaggery effectively enhanced food waste composting, but optimizing its concentration was crucial to balance nutrient release and retention for producing high-quality compost.
A Review on Composting of Organic Solid Waste Amit S Dharnaik, Pramodini Pol Iop Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science, 2024 Solid waste generated in large quantity is creating major issue of solid waste management in many countries. The major portion of solid waste generated is dumped on land, creating an environmental problems like flooding, air, soil and water pollution and also has an impact on human health. A large amount of organic waste is present in solid waste generated. The organic waste content in solid waste can be converted into useful end product called as compost by processing the waste, which will help recycling and reduce load on landfill. In composting process, it reduces volume of waste and convert it to useful end product. Composting is one of the good options for treatment of organic waste at the point of generation and the process depends on many parameters like temperature, moisture content, pH, C/N ratio, etc. Numerous parameters can be used to regulate the rate of composting. The understanding of composting will help to treat organic waste in proper manner and will reduce environmental problems due to improper solid waste management. This review paper contains different method of composting such as aerobic and anaerobic composting and their types and the factors affecting for composting.
Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] removal by the electrochemical ion-exchange process Amit Shivputra Dharnaik, Pranab Kumar Ghosh Environmental Technology United Kingdom, 2014 In the present investigation, the performance of a laboratory-scale plate and frame-type electrochemical ion-exchange (EIX) cell on removal of hexavalent chromium from synthetic wastewater containing 5 mg/l of Cr(VI) was evaluated under varying applied voltages. Ruthenium dioxide-coated titanium plate (RuO 2/Ti) was used as anode and stainless steel plates as cathode. The EIX cell was run at different hydraulic retention time (HRT). Before using in the electrochemical cell, the capacity of ion-exchange resin was evaluated through kinetic and isotherm equilibrium tests in batch mode. The batch kinetic study result showed that the equilibrium time for effective ion exchange with resin is 2 h. The isotherm equilibrium data fit well to both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms. Maximum capacity (qm) of resin calculated from Langmuir isotherm was 71.42 mg/g. Up to 99% of chromium removal was noticed in the EIX cell containing fresh resin at applied voltages of 10 V and higher. Migration of chromium ion to anode chamber was not noticed while performing the experiment with fresh resin. As high as 50% removal of chromium was observed from the middle chamber containing exhausted resin at an applied voltage of 25 V when the influent flow rate was maintained at 45 min of HRT. The performance of the reactor was increased to 72% when the influent flow rate was decreased to maintain at 90 min of HRT. Build-up of chromium in the anode chamber took place when exhausted resin was used in the process.
RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
In-Vessel Aerobic Composting of Food Waste Using Biochar as Bulking Agent and Jaggery as Accelerator AS Dharnaik, R Bandgar, S Patil Compost Science & Utilization 32 (3-4), 181-191 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 1
In-Vessel Aerobic Composting of Organic Waste Using Synthetic and Natural Bulking Agents A Dharnaik, S Patil Compost Science & Utilization 32 (1-2), 1-10 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 1
A review on composting of organic solid waste AS Dharnaik, P Pol IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1326 (1), 012130 , 2024 2024.0 Citations: 9
A Review of Composting of Organic Matter in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Amit S. Dharnaik International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management … , 2022 2022.0
The Bacteriological Analysis Of The Groundwater Sources At Doddaballapura, Karnataka State MZ Raghunandan Koppad, Amit S. Dharnaik, Apurva Deshpande International Journal of Future Generation Communication and Networking 13 … , 2020 2020.0
REMOVAL OF HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM (Cr VI) IN WASTEWATER BY USING MORINGAOLEFIERA (DRUMSTICKS) ASD Ajinkya Gadhave NCWES , 2018 2018.0
Determination of wastewater quality index of municipal wastewater treatment plant using fuzzy rule base SB Raut, GS Anaokar, AS Dharnaik European Journal of Advances in Engineering and Technology 4 (10), 733-738 , 2017 2017.0 Citations: 14
Hexavalent chromium [Cr (VI)] removal by the electrochemical ion-exchange process AS Dharnaik, PK Ghosh Environmental technology 35 (18), 2272-2279 , 2014 2014.0 Citations: 103
In-vessel aerobic composting with leachate recirculation and biochar for enhanced compost quality A Dharnaik, SB PATIL Materials Research Proceedings 48 , 0
REMOVAL OF HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM (CR VI) IN WASTEWATER BY USING MORINGA OLEFIERA (DRUMSTICKS) A Gadhave, AS Dharnaik
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Hexavalent chromium [Cr (VI)] removal by the electrochemical ion-exchange process AS Dharnaik, PK Ghosh Environmental technology 35 (18), 2272-2279 , 2014 2014.0 Citations: 103
Determination of wastewater quality index of municipal wastewater treatment plant using fuzzy rule base SB Raut, GS Anaokar, AS Dharnaik European Journal of Advances in Engineering and Technology 4 (10), 733-738 , 2017 2017.0 Citations: 14
A review on composting of organic solid waste AS Dharnaik, P Pol IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1326 (1), 012130 , 2024 2024.0 Citations: 9
In-Vessel Aerobic Composting of Food Waste Using Biochar as Bulking Agent and Jaggery as Accelerator AS Dharnaik, R Bandgar, S Patil Compost Science & Utilization 32 (3-4), 181-191 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 1
In-Vessel Aerobic Composting of Organic Waste Using Synthetic and Natural Bulking Agents A Dharnaik, S Patil Compost Science & Utilization 32 (1-2), 1-10 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 1
A Review of Composting of Organic Matter in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Amit S. Dharnaik International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management … , 2022 2022.0
The Bacteriological Analysis Of The Groundwater Sources At Doddaballapura, Karnataka State MZ Raghunandan Koppad, Amit S. Dharnaik, Apurva Deshpande International Journal of Future Generation Communication and Networking 13 … , 2020 2020.0
REMOVAL OF HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM (Cr VI) IN WASTEWATER BY USING MORINGAOLEFIERA (DRUMSTICKS) ASD Ajinkya Gadhave NCWES , 2018 2018.0
In-vessel aerobic composting with leachate recirculation and biochar for enhanced compost quality A Dharnaik, SB PATIL Materials Research Proceedings 48 , 0
REMOVAL OF HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM (CR VI) IN WASTEWATER BY USING MORINGA OLEFIERA (DRUMSTICKS) A Gadhave, AS Dharnaik
