Dr Parimala Shivaprasad – Assistant Professor, Faculty of Engineering
I believe that modular processing units for biomass processing (extraction, reaction and separation) can enable distributed manufacturing and are the future for biomass as a feedstock
An introduction to BBNet member – Parimala Shivaprasad
I’m Parimala Shivaprasad, an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham
What work are you doing in the bioeconomy space?
My research focuses on developing a circular approach to processing horticulture waste to produce terpene based chemicals for the consumer goods sector.
What are you most excited about right now in your work?
The most exciting thing is to be able to test the research findings from the lab for commercial applications with industry partners like Unilever. The ability to demonstrate impact beyond publications is my research ambition and I am looking forward to working closely with industry to achieve this.
What do you see as the long-term potential and impact of your research or technology?
My research currently involves developing modular process technologies to allow for de-centralised proceeding of biomass feedstock. The long term impact is the global application of this technology to process a range of feedstock at their point of origin, reducing the need for transporting them to a central facility.
What got you interested in this area of research?
I am from India where we use flowers for various occasions which means there is a large amount of waste flower biomass which needs to be managed responsibly. As a chemical engineer by training, I wanted to contribute to the society and make a positive difference to the environment. This led to my research ambition of developing a flower waste biorefinery to produce building blocks for the fine chemical industry.
What challenges are you currently facing?
The research challenge is the heterogeneity of the flower waste feedstock. The compounds in flower vary between species, seasons and the geographical location. We are currently developing an enzymatic process to produce functional terpene molecules from crude flower oils. The fundamental knowledge in terms of enzyme selectivity and reaction kinetics will enable us to achieve control over the product yield and enzyme selectivity, eventually overcoming this challenge.
What has been your favourite collaboration so far?
The ongoing collaboration with Unilever and Bridge Farm (funded through the BBNet PoC award) is the favourite collaboration so far. The project aims to decarbonise production of fragrance ingredients using waste flowers and involves stakeholder from across the supply chain, maximising impact and engagement.
What do you see as the most promising technology for the future of biomass/biorefining?
I strongly believe that modular processing units for biomass processing (extraction, reaction and separation) which can enable distributed manufacturing is the future. This will alleviate the current challenge of heterogeneous distribution of biomass and lead to a place-based approach to processing biomass and hence regional, resilient economies.
What is your favourite thing about BBNet events?
The opportunity to engage and collaborate with the community which is focused on biomass research. This allows for testing an idea quickly, failing fast and re-innovating, which is further supported by a range of small grants allowing for successful collaborations.
What are you looking for from other network members?
I am keen on identifying relevant collaborators from industry and academia to diversify the research and test the commercial feasibility of the research outcomes.
