Sagar Chakraborty

2013 - 2015

Alumni

Legatum Fellow

From:

India

Sector:

Energy/Utilities

Location:

India

Degree:

PhD-CEP & MBA, School of Engineering & Sloan

Sagar Chakraborty’s goal has always been to use his education to solve a real world problem. Renewable sources of energy, such as biofuels, are critically needed to solve the energy crisis and ensure a sustainable future. His venture is focused on enabling the use of municipal solid waste (MSW) for the production of low-cost biodiesel in India. The ease of availability of MSW near every major Indian town or city can facilitate the widespread adoption of this technology.

One of the major factors inhibiting the widespread application has been the cost of the feedstock. Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs) are an ideal substrate as they can be obtained at very low cost by fermenting municipal solid waste (MSW). This is an established technology whereby tons of MSW and sewage can be converted into streams of VFAs. However, using such VFAs as feedstock for biofuel production is a big challenge; such substrates are quite toxic to most microbes. As part of his doctoral studies, Sagar has had success in demonstrating robust growth and lipid production in certain lipid-storing microbes when grown on VFAs. Such lipids with chemical treatment yield biodiesel. Sagar will be developing a prototype of this two-stage bioprocess in India, where 55 million tons of MSW are generated annually in urban areas.

Apart from creating a stable source of low-cost eco-friendly fuel, the technology will also provide an incentive for municipalities to develop the infrastructure for waste collection, which can go a long way toward improving living conditions. Also, large masses of land currently used as landfills will be freed. The obvious benefits will be the reduction in prices of fuels as well as the lowering of greenhouse gas emissions.

Sagar completed his undergraduate studies at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur in Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering. He is currently enrolled in the PhD-CEP program in Chemical Engineering at MIT, which is an exclusive program for the pursuit of a joint PhD and MBA.