Waste-Derived Carbon Nanostructures (WD-CNS): A Novel Approach to Waste Utilization M. Suguna Devakumari, A. Asha Monicka Conversion and Utilization of Wastes into Sustainable Products Volume II Sustainable Nanostructures Synthesis for Waste Conversion, 2026 The accumulation of non-biodegradable materials has caused serious land degradation and ecosystem disruption. This crisis is compounded by unequal access to waste management resources and limited public awareness of responsible practices, highlighting the urgent need for innovative, holistic solutions to global waste challenges. Transforming waste into valuable products offers a promising approach to address these issues. Converting waste into recycled goods, biofuels, or compost reduces landfill pressure, minimizes raw material extraction, and lowers greenhouse gas emissions from conventional disposal. Such waste-to-product strategies advance the circular economy by creating closed-loop systems where materials are continuously reused. In addition, this transformation generates economic benefits through job creation, innovation, and strengthened pathways for resource-efficient societies. A critical focus has been the conversion of waste materials (WMs) into high-value products, particularly polymers and nanomaterials (NMs). Engineered NMs exhibit unique physicochemical properties that make them vital for environmental remediation, catalysis, energy applications, biomedicine, and sensor technologies. Among these, carbon-based nanomaterials (CNs)—including carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanofibers (CNFs), biochar, and graphene—have gained attention for their high porosity, functionalization potential, large surface area, and excellent electrical conductivity. Their applications extend to agriculture, sensors, catalysts, and pollution control. Producing CNs from waste presents both opportunities and challenges. Methods such as pyrolysis, exfoliation, and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are employed to synthesize CNs. Using waste as feedstock reduces production costs and solid waste volumes, making the process more sustainable. High-carbon wastes, including plastics, serve as key precursors for CN production. However, achieving CNs of comparable quality to those produced via conventional synthesis remains a significant hurdle. Furthermore, scaling up these processes in ecofriendly and cost-effective ways is essential for broader adoption. The synthesis of waste-derived CNs (WD-CNs) represents a next-generation solution that aligns environmental protection with technological progress. By transforming discarded materials into functional nanostructures, this approach simultaneously addresses waste reduction, resource recovery, and advanced material demands. Research in this area is expanding rapidly, exploring optimized synthesis methods, diverse applications, and strategies for industrial-scale production. This chapter therefore examines the synthesis, applications, and future prospects of WD-CNs. Emphasis is placed on their role in promoting a greener environment while supporting circular economy principles. Ultimately, the conversion of WMs into WD-CNs exemplifies how scientific innovation can turn a global waste challenge into an opportunity for sustainable development and resource-efficient growth.
Nature’s Source of Functional Carbon: Carbon Materials Derived from Biomass and the Latest Developments in their Use M. Suguna Devakumari, A. Asha Monicka Conversion and Utilization of Wastes into Sustainable Products Volume I Natural and Industrial Wastes for Functional Materials Applications, 2026 Chars, activated carbons, one-dimensional carbon nanotubes, and two-dimensional graphene nanosheets are examples of materials made of carbon. They have a lot of potential for use in many different contexts. Any precursor with a large amount of carbon in its composition can be used to create these materials. Although fossil fuels have been extensively used as precursors, their unstable cost and supply and negative environmental impacts have led to the synthesis of carbon materials from biomass. Biomass is the aggregate term for all organic resources, including animal waste and both living and dead plant materials. It is a renewable resource and can be used to create value-added goods in an environmentally responsible manner. The carbon compounds derived from biomass exhibited favorable properties that broadened their potential applications. Because of the advantages of their physical and functional diversity, carbon compounds such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, activated carbon (AC), and porous carbon are currently employed in the energy storage industry and the need for environmentally friendly and sustainable energy storage materials has grown as science and technology have progressed. Because of its structural diversity, changeable physical and chemical properties, environmental friendliness, and substantial value in trade and industry, carbon generated from biomass has attracted a lot of interest. The carbon materials formed from biomass also display natural structural diversities, such as 0D spherical, 1D fibrous, 2D lamellar, and 3D spatial structures, because nature endows biomass with strange microstructures. Furthermore, it's critical to tailor the properties of bio-derived carbon materials (B-d-CMs) to the intended use. Diverse methods are being explored for the production and modification of carbon materials. In the last few decades, far more advanced nanosized or nanostructured carbon materials have been created. Research on carbon materials is currently underway, with a focus on the newest nanocarbons as well as macroscopic carbons such carbon fibers. These carbon compounds made from biomass have uses in biomedical, electrical, electromagnetic, electrochemical, and environmental fields. As a result, there is a lot of research being done on novel carbon materials made from biomass, which have great scientific and technological significance. This review's primary goal is to provide the most current and pertinent knowledge in carbon synthesis from biomass for sustainable uses.
Technologies for Converting Food Waste to Energy: Current State and Prospects A. Asha Monicka, M. Suguna Devakumari, G. Jeevarathinam Conversion and Utilization of Wastes into Sustainable Products Volume I Natural and Industrial Wastes for Functional Materials Applications, 2026 One of the basic needs for the mankind is food. In the journey from harvest to consumer a significant amount of food is lost and wasted. Similarly after reaching the consumer 17% of total food available is thrown into bins by the consumers, retailers and restaurants according to the data given by the United Nations environmental program (UNEP). Food waste index report 2024 estimates that, around US$1 trillion worth of food is wasted every year. However income can be generated through food waste by converting it into a gaseous fuels, bio based liquids, enzymes or fertilizers. On this basis, this chapter reviews the scope, technical, social, and economic challenges of existing technologies available for the food waste treatment like pyrolysis, landfill, incineration, composting, anaerobic digestion, and biochemical conversion. Also elucidate the emerging techniques on the hydrogen production from food waste through various techniques like dark fermentation and hydrothermal gasification process. Hydrothermal carbonization, hydrothermal liquefaction, and integrated biological food waste management are also discussed in this chapter.
Infrared-Assisted Hot Air Drying of Turmeric Slices: Effects on Drying Kinetics, Quality, Efficiency, Energy Considerations, and Mathematical Modeling G. Jeevarathinam, R. Pandiselvam, T. Pandiarajan, J. Deepa, S. Dinesh Kumar, P. Preetha, T. Krishnakumar, A. Asha Monicka, M. Balakrishnan, D. Amirtham Heat Transfer, 2025 The commercial value of turmeric is significantly influenced by the percentage of volatile compounds. Drying techniques reported in previous studies for turmeric showed a reduction in volatile compounds, which negatively affected the quality and market value. In this investigation, drying trials were conducted on turmeric slices with bed thicknesses ranging from 10–25 and 10–50 mm using infrared drying, hot air drying (HAD), and infrared‐assisted hot air drying (IR‐HAD) methods at temperatures of 50°C, 60°C, and 70°C. The air velocity was maintained at 2 m/s, with an infrared radiation intensity of 3.02 W/cm². The results indicated that IR‐HAD at 70°C with a bed thickness of 25 mm achieved the best outcomes in terms of drying rate, efficiency, specific energy consumption, and CO₂ emissions. Conversely, IR‐HAD at 60°C with a bed thickness of 25 mm was optimal for retaining quality parameters, such as curcumin, oleoresin, color, and starch content. Notably, the drying time at 70°C for the 10–25‐mm bed thickness was 54.54% shorter compared with 50°C for IR‐HAD. Statistical analysis revealed significant effects (p < 0.01) of drying techniques, bed thickness, and drying temperatures on quality parameters. IR‐HAD at 60°C with a bed thickness of 25 mm emerged as the preferred operating condition for producing high‐quality turmeric. Nonlinear regression analysis confirmed the suitability of seven different thin‐layer drying models, with the page model being the most accurate predictor of turmeric slice drying under varied conditions. IR‐HAD demonstrated its potential to accelerate the drying rate during the initial stage of the process, with reduced thickness proving more effective due to the increased surface area facilitating faster moisture removal. IR‐HAD at 60°C retains the maximum percent of volatile compounds and maintains the quality by faster and uniform drying. Therefore, employing IR‐HAD offers a more energy‐efficient sustainable method while ensuring quality retention in dried turmeric slices.
Spectroscopy food functionality and safety G. Jeevarathinam, J. Deepa, P. Bhava Nishevidha, A. Siva Janika, S. Nandhakumar, C.S. Neethu, S. Ganga Kishore, A. Asha Monicka, R. Pandiselvam Advances in Food and Nutrition Research, 2025
Biopolymer-based edible packaging: a critical review on the biomaterials, formation, and applications on food products B. Leya, R. Shan Franklin, M. M. Pragalyaashree, A. Asha Monicka, D. Tiroutchelvame, C. Blessy, R. Freeda Blessie Journal of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, 2024 Food substances are highly susceptible to spoilage due to their inherent properties and environmental factors during transit from farm to fork. Hence, it is necessary to protect the food from various factors by safeguarding it in proper packaging. The packaging materials include flexible pouches and rigid containers, and they have their own merits and demerits. Most of the packaging materials used nowadays are polymer-based, which takes a long time to degrade and poses a dangerous threat to terrestrial and aquatic life. Edible packaging evolved to be an alternative to conventional packaging due to its natural biopolymers, which are hyper-degradable and consumable. They exhibit improved barrier and organoleptic properties, mass transfer selectivity, and reduced migration properties of packaging ingredients into food and environmental pollution. They are classified as coatings, films, and pouches and can be used as either food wraps or heat-sealed into pouches that are applied directly on the food surface. Thus, edible packaging is a potential approach in the food packaging industry. This review explains in detail the biomaterials used for film preparation, various processes involved in film formation, different coating methods, and recent applications in the area of eco-friendly edible packaging.
A comprehensive review of indirect solar drying techniques integrated with thermal storage materials and exergy-environmental analysis AA Monicka, P Shree, R Freeda Blessie, H Tazeen, B Navaneetham, ... Environment, Development and Sustainability 27 (10), 25769-25813 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 11
Ozone to Control Virus: Mechanisms And Applications RF Blessie, AA Monicka, MM Pragalyaashree, RS Franklin, H Tazeen Ozone Applications in the Food Industry, 21-55 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 1
Application Of Ozone In Preservation Of Fruit Juices M Vignesh, J Deepa, H Tazeen, A Monicka, SG Kishore Ozone Applications in the Food Industry, 211-237 , 2025 2025.0
Infrared‐Assisted Hot Air Drying of Turmeric Slices: Effects on Drying Kinetics, Quality, Efficiency, Energy Considerations, and Mathematical Modeling G Jeevarathinam, R Pandiselvam, T Pandiarajan, J Deepa, ... Heat Transfer 54 (3), 1965-2000 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 16
Spectroscopy food functionality and safety G Jeevarathinam, J Deepa, PB Nishevidha, AS Janika, S Nandhakumar, ... Advances in Food and Nutrition Research 115, 225-292 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 2
Erratum to “Experimental investigation of indirect solar dryer integrated with wicked heat pipe” VK Sachithanandhan, AA Monicka, AB Solomon, G Jeevarathinam, ... Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology 38 (9), 5173-5173 , 2024 2024.0
Experimental investigation of indirect solar dryer integrated with wicked heat pipe VK Sachithanandhan, AA Monicka, AB Solomon, G Jeevarathinam, ... Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology 38 (8), 4397-4408 , 2024 2024.0 Citations: 7
Biopolymer-based edible packaging: a critical review on the biomaterials, formation, and applications on food products B Leya, RS Franklin, MM Pragalyaashree, AA Monicka, D Tiroutchelvame, ... Journal of Applied Biology & Biotechnology 12 (6), 42-57 , 2024 2024.0 Citations: 16
Mathematical modelling of banana slices in natural convection indirect solar dryer AA Monicka, D Kumar, AB Solomon, SD M E3S Web of Conferences 455, 01004 , 2023 2023.0 Citations: 4
Effect of Silver Nitrate and Silver Nanoparticles on Shelf Life and Quality of Table Grapes var. Muscat Hamburg VGUC Nishanth A.C.1, V. Suresh2*, A. Asha Monicka2, B. Madhumitha2, B. Vidhya3 Biological Forum – An International Journal 15 (5), 563-568 , 2023 2023.0
Development and performance evaluation of dehusked coconut grading machine AA Monicka, T Pandiarajan, S Ganapathy Progress in Agricultural Engineering Sciences 17 (1), 37-48 , 2021 2021.0 Citations: 1
Development of weight grader for dehusked coconut AA Monicka, T Pandiarajan, AB Solomon, S Ganapathy Agricultural Engineering International: CIGR Journal 23 (3) , 2021 2021.0
Determination of key parameters for grading dehusked coconut using principal component analysis AA Monicka, T Pandiarajan, S Ganapathy Journal of Applied Horticulture 23 (1), 15-18 , 2021 2021.0 Citations: 3
Study on Varability Between Dehusked Coconuts Using Principal Component Analysis A Monicka International Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 397-399 , 2018 2018.0
Storage Stability and Antioxidant Activity of Encapsulated Carotenoid from Pumpkin Pulp AA Monicka, CI Rani, P Rajkumar Madras Agricultural Journal 104 (march (1-3)), 1 , 2017 2017.0
Characterization of attributes in dehusked coconut AA Monicka, T Pandiarajan, S Ganapathy, CI Rani, R Sathy Journal of Agricultural Engineering 54 (4), 36 , 2017 2017.0 Citations: 5
Jackfruit processing and utilization of its waste: A review * Munusamy M. Pragalyaashree1, Asha Monikca2, Freeda Blessie1 and ... Asia-Pacific Journal of Science and Technology 28 (4), APST-28-04-06. , 0
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Infrared‐Assisted Hot Air Drying of Turmeric Slices: Effects on Drying Kinetics, Quality, Efficiency, Energy Considerations, and Mathematical Modeling G Jeevarathinam, R Pandiselvam, T Pandiarajan, J Deepa, ... Heat Transfer 54 (3), 1965-2000 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 16
Biopolymer-based edible packaging: a critical review on the biomaterials, formation, and applications on food products B Leya, RS Franklin, MM Pragalyaashree, AA Monicka, D Tiroutchelvame, ... Journal of Applied Biology & Biotechnology 12 (6), 42-57 , 2024 2024.0 Citations: 16
A comprehensive review of indirect solar drying techniques integrated with thermal storage materials and exergy-environmental analysis AA Monicka, P Shree, R Freeda Blessie, H Tazeen, B Navaneetham, ... Environment, Development and Sustainability 27 (10), 25769-25813 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 11
Experimental investigation of indirect solar dryer integrated with wicked heat pipe VK Sachithanandhan, AA Monicka, AB Solomon, G Jeevarathinam, ... Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology 38 (8), 4397-4408 , 2024 2024.0 Citations: 7
Characterization of attributes in dehusked coconut AA Monicka, T Pandiarajan, S Ganapathy, CI Rani, R Sathy Journal of Agricultural Engineering 54 (4), 36 , 2017 2017.0 Citations: 5
Mathematical modelling of banana slices in natural convection indirect solar dryer AA Monicka, D Kumar, AB Solomon, SD M E3S Web of Conferences 455, 01004 , 2023 2023.0 Citations: 4
Determination of key parameters for grading dehusked coconut using principal component analysis AA Monicka, T Pandiarajan, S Ganapathy Journal of Applied Horticulture 23 (1), 15-18 , 2021 2021.0 Citations: 3
Spectroscopy food functionality and safety G Jeevarathinam, J Deepa, PB Nishevidha, AS Janika, S Nandhakumar, ... Advances in Food and Nutrition Research 115, 225-292 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 2
Ozone to Control Virus: Mechanisms And Applications RF Blessie, AA Monicka, MM Pragalyaashree, RS Franklin, H Tazeen Ozone Applications in the Food Industry, 21-55 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 1
Development and performance evaluation of dehusked coconut grading machine AA Monicka, T Pandiarajan, S Ganapathy Progress in Agricultural Engineering Sciences 17 (1), 37-48 , 2021 2021.0 Citations: 1
Application Of Ozone In Preservation Of Fruit Juices M Vignesh, J Deepa, H Tazeen, A Monicka, SG Kishore Ozone Applications in the Food Industry, 211-237 , 2025 2025.0
Erratum to “Experimental investigation of indirect solar dryer integrated with wicked heat pipe” VK Sachithanandhan, AA Monicka, AB Solomon, G Jeevarathinam, ... Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology 38 (9), 5173-5173 , 2024 2024.0
Effect of Silver Nitrate and Silver Nanoparticles on Shelf Life and Quality of Table Grapes var. Muscat Hamburg VGUC Nishanth A.C.1, V. Suresh2*, A. Asha Monicka2, B. Madhumitha2, B. Vidhya3 Biological Forum – An International Journal 15 (5), 563-568 , 2023 2023.0
Development of weight grader for dehusked coconut AA Monicka, T Pandiarajan, AB Solomon, S Ganapathy Agricultural Engineering International: CIGR Journal 23 (3) , 2021 2021.0
Study on Varability Between Dehusked Coconuts Using Principal Component Analysis A Monicka International Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 397-399 , 2018 2018.0
Storage Stability and Antioxidant Activity of Encapsulated Carotenoid from Pumpkin Pulp AA Monicka, CI Rani, P Rajkumar Madras Agricultural Journal 104 (march (1-3)), 1 , 2017 2017.0
Jackfruit processing and utilization of its waste: A review * Munusamy M. Pragalyaashree1, Asha Monikca2, Freeda Blessie1 and ... Asia-Pacific Journal of Science and Technology 28 (4), APST-28-04-06. , 0
