MEABR
Project Overview
About
Textile dyeing consumes large amounts of water and energy while producing wastewater containing dyes, salts and organic pollutants. MEABR uses naturally occurring bacteria growing on flexible electrodes to break down these contaminants. As the bacteria process the waste, released electrons are captured as electricity, reducing the energy demands of treatment. Its textile-based electrodes are more affordable than precious-metal alternatives and generate more power than standard carbon cloth. Following successful tests with factory effluent, a 200-litre pilot reactor has been installed at a textile plant.
Team
Rahul Kandpal
Dr. Rahul Kandpal, originally from Uttarakhand, India, completed his PhD at the School of Interdisciplinary Research, IIT Delhi, building on earlier degrees in Biochemical and Biomedical Engineering. His research develops flexible electrodes for bioelectrochemical systems that treat wastewater while recovering energy, driven by a passion for ridding the planet of pollution. This work has produced two granted Indian patents for microbial fuel cell electrode designs and earned him the 2025 NRF Scholar Award for Best Experimental Research. He researched at University College London under a Commonwealth Split-Site Scholarship. His current project, MEABR, is a bioelectrochemical reactor for energy-positive wastewater treatment.