Area of Interest

Sonochemistry involves the application of ultrasound to induce chemical and physical effects in liquid media through the phenomenon of acoustic cavitation - the formation, growth, and transient collapse of microbubbles. The extreme localized conditions generated during bubble collapse (temperatures ~5000 K, pressures >1000 atm, and rapid cooling rates) enable highly reactive environments at normal laboratory conditions. During this process, it generates highly reactive species such as hydroxyl radicals (*OH), hydrogen radicals, and superoxide, which can effectively degrade organic contaminants, dyes, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals. Sonochemistry also enables a green and controlled fabrication of nanomaterials, catalysts, and composites with tailored properties, owing to the unique high-energy microenvironments created during bubble collapse.

Our research group focuses on the development and application of Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) for wastewater treatment and environmental remediation. We investigate a wide range of AOPs, including ozonation, photocatalysis, Fenton and photo-Fenton reactions, persulfate activation, and sonochemical methods, to generate highly reactive species such as hydroxyl radicals (*OH) and sulfate radicals (SO4*–) to achieve efficient degradation of recalcitrant organic pollutants, industrial effluents, and emerging contaminants. A key emphasis is placed on hybrid and synergistic approaches, process optimization, and energy-efficient operation, with the overarching goal of advancing sustainable, scalable, and cost-effective treatment technologies for real-world water and wastewater management.

Pyrolysis of waste biomass and plastics offers a promising thermochemical route for sustainable resource recovery by converting waste into valuable products such as biofuels, biochar, and bio-chemicals under oxygen-limited conditions. This process addresses critical challenges of waste management, fossil fuel dependence, and greenhouse gas emissions by producing renewable liquid fuels and functional biochar with applications in carbon sequestration, soil improvement, and environmental remediation. This approach not only addresses waste management challenges but also contributes to renewable energy generation, resource recovery, and circular economy practices, making pyrolysis a promising strategy for sustainable environmental management.

Green hydrogen production is emerging as a sustainable solution for clean energy systems, with electrochemical water splitting being one of the most promising approaches. This process relies on renewable electricity to drive the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), ensuring zero carbon emissions at the point of generation. However, conventional water electrolysis suffers from high energy requirements due to the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER). To address this challenge, our research group has mostly focused on urea electrooxidation as an alternative anodic reaction using sonochemically and hydrothermally synthesized catalysts, which proceeds at a much lower potential compared to OER. By integrating urea oxidation with HER, the overall energy consumption of the process can be significantly reduced while simultaneously achieving wastewater remediation. Thus, coupling water splitting with urea electrooxidation represents a versatile and sustainable strategy for large-scale green hydrogen generation, offering advantages in both clean energy development and environmental protection.