Swapnil Shastri (BTech in Chemical Engineering, Class of 2023) and Arunima Singh (PhD Scholar in Chemical Engineering) recently won the Best Paper Award at PDEU University, Gandhinagar, for their study exploring the removal or degradation process of pharmaceutical compound from water using catalytic ozonation with Iron as the catalyst. The paper titled Regression-based analysis of a Fe catalysed ozone-based process for degradation of pharmaceuticals was presented at the 2nd International Conference on Advances in Water Treatment and Management under the guidance of Snigdha Khuntia, Assistant Professor, School of Engineering and Applied Science. 

Swapnil and Arunima's research identified the optimal conditions for removing a pharmaceutical micropollutant, Ciprofloxacin, from wastewater effluent. Swapnil says, "The presence of Ciprofloxacin in wastewater effluent poses a serious threat to the ecosystem and aquatic life. We utilised the ANOVA analysis to optimise the process and determine significant parameters that affect the removal process and the optimum range of parameters. Therefore, our research study provides a much-needed solution to this pressing environmental issue."

By identifying the optimal conditions for removing this compound from wastewater effluent, this research offers a more effective method for removing toxins and protecting public health and the environment. Arunima says, "Our study could potentially lead to developing more sustainable methods for treating wastewater in the pharmaceutical industry, thus reducing the industry's impact on the environment and improving public health outcomes." Arunima's research area at the School of Engineering and Applied Science is wastewater treatment.