Dr. E.V Ramasamy

Dr. E.V. Ramasamy
Professor & HOD
School of Environmental Sciences

Mahatma Gandhi University
Priyadarshini Hills P.O.
Kottayam, Kerala-686 560
Phone : +91 481 2732120 (O)
+91 9447095935 (Mob.)
Fax : +91 481 2732620
Email : evramasamy@gmail.com

Education:                                                   

•  M.Sc. Madras University (With University First Rank)
•  M.Tech Indian Institute of Technology [I.I.T], Kharagpur
•  Ph.D Pondicherry University

Experience:

• 3 years as CSIR – Research Associate (PDF), at Pondicherry University,
• 10 years as Lecturer / Senior Lecturer, Reader, School of Environmental Sciences

Administrative Experience:   Currently serving as Director , School of Environmental Sciences.

Research Specialization :

Environmental Biotechnology

•  Anaerobic wastewater treatment
•   Bioenergy
•   Solid waste management
•   Vermitechnology
•   Bioremediation – Phytoremediation
•   Water pollution monitoring and control

Currently operating FIVE major research projects worth Rs. 8.9 million.

1. Earthworm species diversity studies at Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve’ ( MoEF funded , Rs. 5.78 Lakhs) – Report is ready for submission
2. ‘Municipal Solid Waste Management with high-solid anaerobic digestion and vermitechnology ‘ ( UGC funded , Rs. 10.08 Lakhs )
3. ‘A comparative assessment, mapping, and modeling of Soil erosion in the upland sub-water sheds of Meenachil and Manimala Rivers’ (WGDP funded, 3.86 Lakhs)
4. ‘Chemical transformation and bioaccumulation of mercury in Vembanad wetland and Cochin near shore areas’ (MoES funded, 64.39 Lakhs)
5. ‘Assessment of Vegetation Carbon Pool at 8 districts of Kerala’ a prestigious National project undertaken in collaboration with ISRO, Department of Space, GOI, very recently the MoU has been signed between the school and Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) Dehradun (ISRO funded, 4.00 Lakhs).

Research Guidance:      PhD : Awarded – 3 ; Current scholars – 10
MSc / MPhil theses : 30

Reviewer of International / Indian Journals:

• International Journals: Journal of Environmental Management,
• Bioresource Technology , Ecological Engineering (All from Elsevier ), International
• journal of Environment and Waste Management ( Inderscience publ)
• Indian Journal of Chemical Technology [NISCAIR published]

Examiner:

• Served as external examiner for Ph D and M.Phil theses of other universities.
• R & D consultancy co-ordinated, Seminars co-organised
•  Coordinator of major collaborative extension project work with Brown University, USA
• (Rain water for humanity at Achinakom village , Kottayam)
• Two National seminars and one National Space Science Symposium: 2001-07
• Regional coordinator of a National project on Vegetation Carbon Pool Assessment
• Setting up a R & D unit on vermi-technology, sponsored by AICTE, New Delhi

Publications:

Technical publications : 62
Books : 02
Papers in journals /conferences : 60

Books

1. Biotechnological methods of pollution control , with S. A. Abbasi,1999. OrientLongman (Universities Press India Ltd.) Hyderabad, 168 pages
   2. Solid waste management with earthworms, with S. A. Abbasi, 2001. DiscoveryPublishing House, New Delhi, 178 pages.

Research Papers in International Journals

1. Utilization of biowaste solids by extracting volatile fatty acids with subsequent conversion into methane and manure, with Abbasi, S.A, The Journal of Solid Waste Technology andManagement, (USA),Vol. 26 (3 & 4),pp 133–139,Nov 1999.
2. High – solids anaerobic digestion for the recovery of energy from municipal solid waste(MSW), with Abbasi,S.A., Environmental Technology (Selper, UK),, Vol. 21, pp 345-349,2000.
3. Energy recovery from dairy wastewater-impact of biofilm support systems on anaerobic CST reactors, with. Abbasi,S.A., Applied Energy (Elsevier , UK), 65 , pp 91-98, 2000.
4. Potential of two epigeic and two anecic earthworm species in vermicomposting of water hyacinth,with Gajalakshmi,S , and Abbasi ,S.A., Bioresource Technology (Elsevier, UK), Vol.76, pp 177-181, 2001.
5. Enhancement in the treatment efficiency and conversion to energy of dairy wastewaters by augmenting CST reactors with simple biofilm support systems, with Abbasi,S.A.,Environmental Technology(Selper,UK) , vol. 22, pp 561 – 565, 2001.
6. Towards maximising output from vermireactors fed with cowdung spiked paper waste, with Gajalakshmi,S , and Abbasi ,S.A., Bioresource Technology (Elsevier), Vol. 79, pp 67-72,2001.
7. Screening of four species of detritivorous (Humus–former) earthworms for sustainable vermicomposting of paper waste, with Gajalakshmi,S , and Abbasi ,S.A., Environmental Technology(Selper, UK) , vol. 22, pp 679 – 685, 2001.
8. Assessment of sustainable vermiconversion of water hyacinth at different reactor efficiencies employing Eudrilus eugeniae Kinberg , with Gajalakshmi,S , and Abbasi ,S.A., Bioresource Technology (Elsevier), Vol. 80, pp 131-135, 2001.
9. High-rate composting and vermicomposting of water hyacinth ( Eichhornia crassipes. Mart.Solms.), with Gajalakshmi,S , and Abbasi Bioresource Technology (Elsevier,UK), vol.83, pp 235 -239, 2002.
10. Feasibility studies on the treatment of dairy wastewaters with upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors, with Gajalakshmi,S., Sanjeevi, R., Jithesh, M.N.,and Abbasi, S.A., Bioresource Technology (Elsevier,UK), vol.93, pp 209-212, 2004.
11. High-solids anaerobic digestion for the recovery of energy and manure from Taro (Colocasia esculenta), with Bindu,T., Journal of Solid Waste Technology and Management (USA), Vol.31 (2), pp 69 – 77 , May 2005.
12. Vermicomposting of Taro, (Colacosia esculenta) with two epigeic earthworm species, with Kurien, J., Bioresource Technology (Elsevier) , 97, 1324-1328 (2005).
13. Extraction of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from water hyacinth using inexpensive contraptions,and the use of VFAs as feed supplement in conventional biogas digesters with concomitant final disposal of water hyacinth as vermicompost , with Sankar Ganesh , P., Gajalakshmi,S.,and Abbasi, S.A., Biochemical Engineering Journal (Elsevier,UK), 27, 17 – 23 , ( 2005 ).
14. Composting and Vermicomposting of leaf litter ensuing from the trees of Mango (Mangifera indica ), with Gajalakshmi,S., and Abbasi, S.A., Bioresource Technology (Elsevier), 96,1057-1061 (2005).
15. Recovery of energy from Taro ( Colocasia esculenta ) with solid-feed anaerobic digesters (SOFADs), with Bindu.T., Waste Management (Elsevier), 28, 396 – 405, (2008)
16. Recovery of methane-rich gas from solid-feed anaerobic digestion of Ipomoea (Ipomoea carnea) with P. Sankar Ganesh , R. Sanjeevi , S. Gajalakshmi , and S.A. Abbasi,Bioresource Technology (Elsevier), 99, 812 – 818, (2008).
17. Pollutant removal from domestic wastewater with Taro (Colocasia esculenta) planted in a subsurface flow system, with Bindu,T., Sylas, V.P., Mahesh, M., Rakesh, P.S. Ecological Engineering (Elsevier), 33, 68-92, (2008).
18. Changes in structural attributes of plant communities along disturbance gradients in a dry deciduous forest of Western Ghats , India, with Anitha, K., Shijo Joseph, N. Prasad .Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (Springer), 155: 393-405 (2009).
19. Decontamination of water polluted by heavy metals with Taro (Colocasia esculenta) cultured in a hydroponic NFT system, with Bindu,T., Sumi,M.M. Environmentalist (Springer), 30, 35– 44 , (2010).
20. Tree species diversity and community composition in a human-dominated tropical forest of Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India, with Anitha, K., Shijo Joseph, Chandran R.J., N.Prasad. Ecological Complexity (Elsevier), DOI : 10. 1016 / j.ecocom.2010.02.005 , 2010 (Inpress).