Dr Abhijit Debnath

Abhijit Debnath completed his PhD in Environmental Engg. from the Department of Civil Engineering, IIT (BHU) Varanasi. The topic of his Ph.D. thesis was "Risk Assessment of Metallic Contamination in River Sediments and their Remediation Using Combined Approach of Adsorption and Phytoextraction". Prior to that, he had completed my M.Tech in Environmental Engineering from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad.

His areas of interest are metallic contamination in river sediments, risk assessment, and transport dynamics in subsurface environments.
-Water and wastewater treatment using various eco-friendly and cost-effective viable hybrid methods.
-Removal of metals from sediments/aqueous solutions; Bioremediation, sorption studies
-Water quality analysis, experimental using various parameters; Microplastics in Rivers/Lakes
-Env. Remediation of contaminated sediments through conversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks etc.
-Synthesis of biochar; reactor design & development.
-Traffic Noise pollution and Model

EDUCATION

B.Tech. CAU Imphal (2014)
M.Tech. Environmental Engineering, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad (2017)
Ph.D. Civil Engineering, IIT (BHU) Varanasi (2025)

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Environmental Engineering, Water Science and Technology, Pollution, Civil and Structural Engineering

Scopus Publications

A Review of Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Research Outputs on Wastewater Treatment and Water Purification Through Sorption-Based Technologies
Abhijit Debnath, Anurag Mishra, Archana Pandey, Prabhat Kumar Singh, Yogesh Chandra Sharma, Rajnish Kaur Calay
Symmetry, 2026
This review focuses on research outputs of water purification, wastewater treatment, metallic remediation, and sorption-based experimental studies. It aims to identify the leading nations contributing to these areas and identify the journals that have published the highest number of papers from 2010 to 2025, and centers on yearly publication trends. A thorough quantitative analysis was carried out to examine key characteristics of adsorbents derived from various materials, as well as symmetry and asymmetry of wastewater treatment for the removal of metallic pollutants. Key adsorption mechanisms—including ion exchange, surface complexation, electrostatic attraction, and pore filling—are discussed alongside the structural roles of symmetric (ordered) and asymmetric (heterogeneous) adsorbent architectures. Data was collected from the Scopus database, focusing on specific keywords like “metal,” “water,” “removal,” “adsorption,” “purification,” “drinking water,” “nano adsorbent,” etc. Among approximately 29,598 publications encompassing research papers, reviews, short communications, conference papers, and book chapters, China emerged as the leading publisher with 11,957 papers, trailed by India (4324 papers), the USA (1825 papers), Iran (1739 papers), Saudi Arabia (1484 papers), Egypt (1318 papers), and Republic of Korea (1194 papers). The bibliometric mapping of conventional adsorbents and nanomaterials used in sorption-based technologies was analyzed using VOSviewer, revealing major research clusters, research hotspots, networks, and evolutionary patterns in wastewater treatment and sorption-based water purification. This study indicates that several journals from Elsevier Ltd. and Springer Nature are leading the field with a large number of publications per year. The analysis reveals a consistent upward trend in the number of research publications in recent years. In sum, the bibliometric data provided highlights the growing relevance of these areas among academicians and acts as a catalyst for further research, motivating researchers to investigate new adsorbents or modifications that could improve adsorption performance while maintaining economic viability and efficiency.
Geochemical characterization of heavy metal bearing phases in the sediments of Ganges, India: analyzing the toxicity status of sedimentary environment
Abhijit Debnath, Prabhat Kumar Singh, Yogesh Chandra Sharma
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2025
Pollution status of microplastics in the sediments of warm monomictic Dal lake, India: Abundance, composition, and risk assessment
Samreen Sajad, Bharat Kumar Allam, Abhijit Debnath, Pargin Bangotra, Sushmita Banerjee
Environmental Pollution, 2024
Spatial distribution of heavy metals in the sediments of River Ganges, India: Occurrence, contamination, source identification, seasonal variations, mapping, and ecological risk evaluation
Abhijit Debnath, Prabhat Kumar Singh, Yogesh Chandra Sharma
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2024
Mechanistic and recent updates in nano-bioremediation for developing green technology to alleviate agricultural contaminants
A. Hidangmayum, A. Debnath, A. Guru, B. N. Singh, S. K. Upadhyay, P. Dwivedi
International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 2023
Vehicular traffic noise modelling of urban area—a contouring and artificial neural network based approach
Abhijit Debnath, Prasoon Kumar Singh, Sushmita Banerjee
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2022
Sonochemical synthesis of silica supported iron nanoparticles for enhanced removal of Cr(VI) species from aqueous medium
Neelam Shukla, Abhijit Debnath, Sushmita Banerjee
Nanotechnology for Environmental Engineering, 2022
Adsorptive and photocatalytic performance of perovskite material for the removal of food dye in an aqueous solution
Sushmita Banerjee, Abhijit Debnath, Bharat Kumar Allam, Neksumi Musa
Environmental Challenges, 2021
Lanthanum cerate (La2Ce2O7), a perovskite nanomaterial, has been synthesized by using the gel combustion method to remove carcinogenic and neurotoxic dye FD&C Yellow 5 from its aqueous solution and the same has been also explored to investigate the photocatalytic behavior towards the degradation of food dye. The synthesized material has been extensively characterized using various techniques such as XRD, FT-IR, SEM, BET surface area and through pHZPC. The effect of various operational parameters like solution pH, temperature, and initial dye concentration were investigated to explore the optimum dye removal percentage. To gain the mechanistic perceptive of the dye removal process, various kinetic models were used. Pseudo-second order kinetic model was found to be well suited in describing the sorption system. The intra-particle diffusion model suggested that the film diffusion process controls the overall rate of the dye and perovskite interaction process.Further, equilibrium data interpretation was appraised through various isotherm models and adsorption data found to be consistent with the Freundlich model suggesting multilayer coverage of dye species over the surface of perovskite particles and maximum adsorption capacity was evaluated as 133.3 mg/g at 323 K. Thermodynamic parametric investigation indicated that the dye adsorption process was feasible, spontaneous and endothermic. The activation energy of the adsorbate-adsorbent interaction process was found to be 5.26 kJ/mol, suggesting a physisorption mechanism governs the adsorption process. Photocatalytic efficiency of the perovskite was also scrutinized for dye concentrations 10, 25 and 50 mg/L and dye degradation of 89%, 75% and 69% was observed for each tested concentrations, respectively.
Recent developments and application of bimetallic based materials in water purification
Bharat Kumar Allam, Neksumi Musa, Abhijit Debnath, Usman Lawal Usman, Sushmita Banerjee
Environmental Challenges, 2021
The shortage of clean drinking water is of great concern in many parts of the world. This problem results from a rapid population increase, defiling water resources, protracted droughts, and flooding due to climate change and anthropogenic activities. The scientific research that focuses on designing efficient materials to purify and recycle water is of paramount importance. Treatment of wastewater using traditional methods remain inefficient for providing sufficient, safe, and drinking water due to an increase in the water demand, coupled with the strict health guidelines for the level of contaminants in drinking water by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Presently, highly efficient wastewater treatment is attainable due to the availability of affordable multifunctional nanomaterials. Bimetallic nanomaterials are designed by incorporating two dissimilar metals. These bimetallic materials exhibit more efficient characteristics than parental metal precursors due to the extensive array of chemical and physical properties, synergistic effects, and different mechanisms of action. This review highlights the recent developments in the synthesis and applications of bimetallic nanomaterials to remove various pollutants from water.
Metallic contamination of global river sediments and latest developments for their remediation
Abhijit Debnath, Prabhat Kumar Singh, Yogesh Chandra Sharma
Journal of Environmental Management, 2021
Gum ghatti-alginate hybrid bead derived titania spheres for deep removal of toxic dye Remazol Brilliant Violet from aqueous solutions
Preeti, Sushmita Banerjee, Abhijit Debnath, Vandana Singh
Environmental Nanotechnology Monitoring and Management, 2021
Field performance and economic feasibility of self-propelled vertical conveyor reaper (VCR) for harvesting of rice in West Sikkim and a technological strategy for mitigation of air pollution through crop residue burning in India
Abhijit Debnath, Narvendra Singh Chauhan
Nature Environment and Pollution Technology, 2020
Development of a decision making tool for selection of waste water treatment technology based on urban water reuse
International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, 2018
Environmental traffic noise modelling of Dhanbad township area – A mathematical based approach
Abhijit Debnath, Prasoon Kumar Singh
Applied Acoustics, 2018

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

A Review of Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Research Outputs on Wastewater Treatment and Water Purification Through Sorption-Based Technologies
A Debnath, A Mishra, A Pandey, PK Singh, YC Sharma, RK Calay
Symmetry 18 (5), 865 , 2026
2026
Geochemical characterization of heavy metal bearing phases in the sediments of Ganges, India: analyzing the toxicity status of sedimentary environment
A Debnath, PK Singh, YC Sharma
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 197 (8), 958 , 2025
2025
Citations: 4
Pollution status of microplastics in the sediments of warm monomictic Dal lake, India: Abundance, composition, and risk assessment
S Sajad, BK Allam, A Debnath, P Bangotra, S Banerjee
Environmental Pollution 363, 125247 , 2024
2024
Citations: 11
Spatial distribution of heavy metals in the sediments of River Ganges, India: Occurrence, contamination, source identification, seasonal variations, mapping, and ecological …
A Debnath, PK Singh, YC Sharma
Marine Pollution Bulletin 198, 115910 , 2024
2024
Citations: 52
Mechanistic and recent updates in nano-bioremediation for developing green technology to alleviate agricultural contaminants
A Hidangmayum, A Debnath, A Guru, BN Singh, SK Upadhyay, P Dwivedi
International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 20 (10), 11693 … , 2023
2023
Citations: 99
Physico-Chemical Characterization of Sawdust Derived Low Cost Biochar For Potential Application in Immobilization of Metallic Contaminations From River Sediments
A Debnath, PK Singh, YC Sharma
8th European Bioremediation Conference (EBC-VIII) 8 (ISBN 978-618-5558-01-7 … , 2022
2022
Sonochemical synthesis of silica supported iron nanoparticles for enhanced removal of Cr (VI) species from aqueous medium
N Shukla, A Debnath, S Banerjee
Nanotechnology for Environmental Engineering 7 (1), 11-22 , 2022
2022
Citations: 13
Vehicular Traffic Noise Modelling of Urban Area-A Contouring & Artificial Neural Network Based Approach
A Debnath, PK Singh, S Banerjee
Environmental Science and Pollution Research , 2022
2022
Citations: 26
Recent developments and application of bimetallic based materials in water purification
BK Allam, N Musa, A Debnath, UL Usman, S Banerjee
Environmental Challenges 5, 100405 , 2021
2021
Citations: 41
Adsorptive and photocatalytic performance of perovskite material for the removal of food dye in an aqueous solution
S Banerjee, A Debnath, BK Allam, N Musa
Environmental Challenges 5, 100240 , 2021
2021
Citations: 26
Vehicular Traffic Noise Modelling of Urban Area- A Contouring & Artificial Neural Network-Based Approach
A Debnath, PK Singh, S Banerjee
PREPRINT, 1-51 , 2021
2021
Metallic contamination of global river sediments and latest developments for their remediation
A Debnath, PK Singh, YC Sharma
Journal of environmental management 298, 113378 , 2021
2021
Citations: 142
Gum ghatti-alginate hybrid bead derived titania spheres for deep removal of toxic dye Remazol Brilliant Violet from aqueous solutions
Preeti, S Banerjee, A Debnath, V Singh
Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring & Management 15, 100459 , 2021
2021
Citations: 22
Field performance and economic feasibility of self-propelled vertical conveyor reaper (VCR) for harvesting of rice in west Sikkim and a technological strategy for mitigation of …
A Debnath, NS Chauhan
Nature Environment and Pollution Technology 19 (2), 521-538 , 2020
2020
Citations: 6
In-situ & Ex-situ remediation of heavy metals from contaminated river sediments- Applications around the world
A Debnath, PK Singh, YC Sharma
International Conference on Sustainable Water Resources Management under … , 2020
2020
Assessment of trace metal species using SEM-EDAX analysis in the sediments of Ganges (ISBN: 978-93-86238-86-3)
A Debnath, PK Singh, YC Sharma
International Conference on Energy and Environmental Technologies For … , 2020
2020
Characterization and presence of heavy metals in the River sediments of Ganges: Impact of industrial & urban discharges
A Debnath, PK Singh, YC Sharma
International Conference on Water Energy and Environmental Sustainability … , 2020
2020
Changing Paradigm- River Water Quality to River Health
S Saxena, A Debnath, R Singh
International Conference on River Health: Assessment to Restoration (RHAR … , 2019
2019
Source Apportionment Study and Effects of Nutrient and Heavy Metals from Surface Water to River Sediment of Ganges: A Review on River Health
A Debnath, PK Singh, YC Sharma
International Conference on River Health: Assessment to Restoration (RHAR … , 2019
2019
Development of a decision making tool for selection of waste water treatment technology based on urban water reuse
SP Maurya, A Ohri, PK Singh, A Debnath
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (IJCIET) 9 (2 … , 2018
2018
Citations: 14

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

Metallic contamination of global river sediments and latest developments for their remediation
A Debnath, PK Singh, YC Sharma
Journal of environmental management 298, 113378 , 2021
2021
Citations: 142
Mechanistic and recent updates in nano-bioremediation for developing green technology to alleviate agricultural contaminants
A Hidangmayum, A Debnath, A Guru, BN Singh, SK Upadhyay, P Dwivedi
International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 20 (10), 11693 … , 2023
2023
Citations: 99
Environmental traffic noise modelling of Dhanbad township area–A mathematical based approach
A Debnath, PK Singh
Applied Acoustics 129, 161-172 , 2018
2018
Citations: 92
Spatial distribution of heavy metals in the sediments of River Ganges, India: Occurrence, contamination, source identification, seasonal variations, mapping, and ecological …
A Debnath, PK Singh, YC Sharma
Marine Pollution Bulletin 198, 115910 , 2024
2024
Citations: 52
Recent developments and application of bimetallic based materials in water purification
BK Allam, N Musa, A Debnath, UL Usman, S Banerjee
Environmental Challenges 5, 100405 , 2021
2021
Citations: 41
Vehicular Traffic Noise Modelling of Urban Area-A Contouring & Artificial Neural Network Based Approach
A Debnath, PK Singh, S Banerjee
Environmental Science and Pollution Research , 2022
2022
Citations: 26
Adsorptive and photocatalytic performance of perovskite material for the removal of food dye in an aqueous solution
S Banerjee, A Debnath, BK Allam, N Musa
Environmental Challenges 5, 100240 , 2021
2021
Citations: 26
Gum ghatti-alginate hybrid bead derived titania spheres for deep removal of toxic dye Remazol Brilliant Violet from aqueous solutions
Preeti, S Banerjee, A Debnath, V Singh
Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring & Management 15, 100459 , 2021
2021
Citations: 22
Development of a decision making tool for selection of waste water treatment technology based on urban water reuse
SP Maurya, A Ohri, PK Singh, A Debnath
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (IJCIET) 9 (2 … , 2018
2018
Citations: 14
Sonochemical synthesis of silica supported iron nanoparticles for enhanced removal of Cr (VI) species from aqueous medium
N Shukla, A Debnath, S Banerjee
Nanotechnology for Environmental Engineering 7 (1), 11-22 , 2022
2022
Citations: 13
Pollution status of microplastics in the sediments of warm monomictic Dal lake, India: Abundance, composition, and risk assessment
S Sajad, BK Allam, A Debnath, P Bangotra, S Banerjee
Environmental Pollution 363, 125247 , 2024
2024
Citations: 11
Field performance and economic feasibility of self-propelled vertical conveyor reaper (VCR) for harvesting of rice in west Sikkim and a technological strategy for mitigation of …
A Debnath, NS Chauhan
Nature Environment and Pollution Technology 19 (2), 521-538 , 2020
2020
Citations: 6
Geochemical characterization of heavy metal bearing phases in the sediments of Ganges, India: analyzing the toxicity status of sedimentary environment
A Debnath, PK Singh, YC Sharma
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 197 (8), 958 , 2025
2025
Citations: 4
A Review of Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Research Outputs on Wastewater Treatment and Water Purification Through Sorption-Based Technologies
A Debnath, A Mishra, A Pandey, PK Singh, YC Sharma, RK Calay
Symmetry 18 (5), 865 , 2026
2026
Physico-Chemical Characterization of Sawdust Derived Low Cost Biochar For Potential Application in Immobilization of Metallic Contaminations From River Sediments
A Debnath, PK Singh, YC Sharma
8th European Bioremediation Conference (EBC-VIII) 8 (ISBN 978-618-5558-01-7 … , 2022
2022
Vehicular Traffic Noise Modelling of Urban Area- A Contouring & Artificial Neural Network-Based Approach
A Debnath, PK Singh, S Banerjee
PREPRINT, 1-51 , 2021
2021
In-situ & Ex-situ remediation of heavy metals from contaminated river sediments- Applications around the world
A Debnath, PK Singh, YC Sharma
International Conference on Sustainable Water Resources Management under … , 2020
2020
Assessment of trace metal species using SEM-EDAX analysis in the sediments of Ganges (ISBN: 978-93-86238-86-3)
A Debnath, PK Singh, YC Sharma
International Conference on Energy and Environmental Technologies For … , 2020
2020
Characterization and presence of heavy metals in the River sediments of Ganges: Impact of industrial & urban discharges
A Debnath, PK Singh, YC Sharma
International Conference on Water Energy and Environmental Sustainability … , 2020
2020
Changing Paradigm- River Water Quality to River Health
S Saxena, A Debnath, R Singh
International Conference on River Health: Assessment to Restoration (RHAR … , 2019
2019

GRANT DETAILS

1. Awarded SERB International Travel Scheme (ITS) Grant (June-2022) by DST, Govt. of India to attend 8th European Bioremediation Conference (EBC-VIII), Technical University of Crete, Greece (INR 137377/-).
2. Institute Ph.D. Fellowship cum Teaching Assistantship, IIT(BHU) Varanasi (2017-2022) by MOE (formerly MHRD), Govt of India.
3. Student Travel Grant Support (STGS) (June-2022) by IIT (BHU) Varanasi for attending EBC-VIII 2022 Conference in Technical University of Crete, Greece (INR 50000/-).
4. Student Travel Grant Support (STGS) (Feb-2020) by IIT (BHU) Varanasi for attending CHEM-CONFLUX 2020 conference in MNNIT Allahabad (INR 10000/-).
5. Student Travel Grant Support (STGS) (Jan-2020) by IIT (BHU) Varanasi for attending WEES 2020 Conference in NIT Durgapur (INR 10000/-).

Industry, Institute, or Organisation Collaboration

INTERNSHIP/TRAININGS
1. Industrial training on “Waste generation & management process in Tripura Asset, ONGC” in Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd., Tripura Asset, Agartala ,16th June – 14th July, 2016.
2. Summer training on “Environment Impact Assessment in Offshore Drilling Process” in ONGC Ltd., Betul, Goa, 30th May – 10th June, 2016.
3. Summer training in Environment Department, BCCL (A Subsidiaries of Coal India Limited), Pootkee- Balihari Area (VII), Dhanbad, Jharkhand, 10th May – 30th May, 2016.
4. Training on “ESDP on Computer Hardware and Networking” organized by GSWC, Agartala under IIE, Guwahati, 29th December, 2014 -10th March, 2015.
5. Vocational trainee in Fatigue Lab, Escorts Agri Machinery Ltd., Faridabad, 3rd March - 3rd April, 2014.
6. Summer vocational trainee in Product Training Centre, Tractor and Farm Equipment Ltd., (TAFE), Chennai, 3rd June - 28th June, 2013.

WORK EXPERIENCE
Watershed Development Team Member, PMKSY Division, SLNA Tripura, IWMP, Department of Agriculture, Gov. of Tripura (3 mo.) 2015
Supervision of Project Works & Implementation of Gov. Schemes