DESCRIPTION :

I have been closely associated with extractive metallurgy, focusing primarily on pyrometallurgical extraction of valuable metals and elements from industry waste, e-waste, lean-grade ores, mining waste, etc. I have hands-on experience in thermal plasma area, especially hydrogen plasma smelting reduction process through which green and clean steel was produced for the first time in 10-kg scale.

1.  Development of bio-carbon blends as a substitute to metallurgical coke
2.  Smelting of lean-grade ores, industrial wastes to recover metal values
3.  Ferro-alloys making using alternative reductants and different smelting routes
4.  Enrichment of metal concentration in lean-grade ores through scrubbing, sintering and magnetic separation
5.  Hydrogen Plasma Smelting Reduction of metal ores, lean ores, industrial waste, and electronic waste
6.  Development of energy materials and novel alloys from industrial wastes and electronic waste
7.  Critical metals (Nickel, Cobalt, and others) recovery from spent batteries
8.  Cold rolling mill oil sludge recycling to recover valuables and for reuse
9.  Production of phosphorous-free, high-strength chrome ore pellets

- Government of Australia International  Scholarship Award for Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering 2015

- Best Poster award in Indian Science Congress 2022, Bhubaneswar, 2-3 March 2022

- Best Paper award in the oral session in International Symposium on Accelerated Materials Design and Additive Manufacturing & 76th Annual Technical Meeting, Indian Institute of Metals, Hyderabad, 13-16 November 2022

- First prize in the oral session in the International Conference on Waste, Energy, and Environment ICWEE-2024 held at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai.

1. “Simultaneous Thermal Preparation of Ultra-pure ZnO nano-wires and Recovery of Pure MnO from Waste Alkaline Batteries”, Pravas Ranjan Behera, Rifat Farzana, Veena Sahajwalla. Ceramics International. In Press. 3rd February 2025.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2025.01.533

2. “Production of Ni-Fe alloy by combined recycling of waste nickel-metal hydride batteries and waste toner powder”, Pravas Ranjan Behera, Rifat Farzana, Veena Sahajwalla. Sustainable Materials and Technologies, Vol. 42, December 2024, e01175.

3. “Preparation of 97% pure nickel-cobalt alloy from waste Ni-MH batteries by using waste glass as a fluxing agent”, Pravas Ranjan Behera, Rifat Farzana, Veena Sahajwalla. Journal of Environmental Management, Vol. 369, October 2024, 122371.

4. “A Sustainable Technology to Produce Green and Clean Steel by Hydrogen Plasma Smelting Reduction”, Behera, P., Rajput, P., & Bhoi, B. (2022). IEI Conferences.

5. “Hydrogen plasma smelting: An alternative and sustainable technology to produce green and clean steel”, B. Bhoi, P.R. Behera, P. Rajput, S. Priyadarshini, R.K. Paramguru, and B.K. Mishra. Steel Tech., ISSN: 0976-4232, Vol. 14, No. 1. October 2019, pp 28-36.

6. “Hydrogen plasma smelting reduction of Fe2O3”, Pravas Ranjan Behera, Bhagyadhar Bhoi, Raj Kishore Paramguru, Partha Sarathi Mukherjee, Barada Kanta Mishra. Met. Trans. B. Vol. 50 B, February 2019, pp 262-270.

7. “Reduction of oxides obtained from waste Ni-MH battery’s positive electrode using waste plastics to produce nickel based alloy”, Pravas Ranjan Behera, Rifat Farzana, Veena Sahajwalla. Journal of Cleaner Production Vol. 249, November 2019, pp. 119407.

8. “Thermal nanosizing: Novel route to synthesize manganese oxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles simultaneously from spent Zn–C battery”, Farzana, Rifat., Rajarao, Ravindra., Hassan, Kamrul., Behera, Pravas Ranjan., Sahajwalla, Veena., September 2018, Journal of Cleaner Production. Vol.196, pp.478-488.

9. “Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles from Waste Zn-C Battery via Thermal Route: Characterization and Properties”, Farzana, Rifat., Rajarao, Ravindra., Behera, Pravas Ranjan., Hassan, Kamrul., Sahajwalla, Veena., September 2018, Nanomaterials. 8(9): 717.

- Filing no. IN 202321072957 - An improved process for recovery of graphite from discarded carbonaceous electrode waste.

- US9879331B2 - Green process for the preparation of pure iron.

- Filing no. 2464 DEL 2014: 29.08.2014) An Improved Green Process for the Preparation of Eco- friendly High Pure Iron.

1. Project No: GAP-416 “Preparation of 99% pure nickel-cobalt alloy and Ferronickel (66Fe:31Ni) from waste batteries and recovery of Rare Earth Elements in the form of oxides” (August 2024 to February 2026) PI

2. Project No: GAP-396 “Strategic Recycling of Cold Rolling Mill Oil sludge of Jindal Stainless Ltd. for value recovery in semi-pilot scale” (December 2023 to May 2025) PI

3. Project No: GAP-394 “Technology development for utilisation of spent EAF graphite electrodes to prepare high commercial value grapheme products” (December 2023 to May 2025) Co-PI

4. Project No: SSP-516 “Recovery of zinc, lead, and silver from plant tailings” (April 2024 to December 2025) Co-PI

5. Project No: SSP-486 “Feasibility studies on manufacture of building bricks using JSL HARSCO  slag and its property analysis” (May 2022 to April 2023 with extension) Co-PI

6. Project No: SSP-477 “Smelting and tapping of chromite and manganese ore in arc furnace in 10kg scale” (March 2023 to February 2024) Co-PI

7. Project No: SSP-473 “Strategic Recycling of Cold Rolling Mill Oil sludge of Jindal Stainless Ltd. for value recovery in laboratory scale” (December 2022 to October 2023) PI

8. Project No: SSP-471 “Arc/Plasma smelting studies of chrome/manganese ore and refining of slag” (January 2023 to December 2023) Co-PI

9. Project No: SSP-454 “Feasibility Studies for Metal Sulfide and Oxides Reduction Using Hydrogen Plasma” (January 2021 to March 2023) PI

10. Project No: SSP-426 “Sintering of iron ore using Sinter Aid of M/s Innocule: An optimization study” (March 2021 to June 2023) PI

11. Project No: SSP-408 “Pilot Scale Studies (150kg) of Chrome ore Pellet making of Jindal Stainless Ltd.” (May 2021 to June 2022) PI

12. Project No: SSP-403 “Pellet making of Chromite ores of M/s Jindal Stainless Ltd” (March 2021 to August 2021) PI

13. Project No: SSP-390 “Production of Green ferro-alloys (Fe-Mn and Fe-Cr) from low grade Mn and Cr ores using Hydrogen as a reductant” (February 2021 to June 2022) PI

14. Project No: MLP-60 “Development of Ferro alloys using Alternate Reductants: Syn gas/producer gas, Methane, and Hydrogen through  Pyrometallurgical Route” (March 2021 to March 2023) PI

15. Project No: HCP-54 “Utilisation of spent graphite electrodes for value addition & reuse in smelter” (September 2023 to June 2025) Co-PI

16. Project No: SSP-385 “A process to remove CaO, Al2O3, SiO2, MgO from Bag House Dust and Stainless Steel Pickling Sludge from Jindal Stainless Ltd.” (July 2020 to December 2020) PI

19. Project No: GAP-208 “Development of futuristic technology for carbon free iron production using alternate reductants like hydrogen with minimum or no CO2 emission- Smelting Reduction of Iron ore/ fines by Hydrogen Plasma and Elimination of CO2 Emission”, sponsored by Ministry of Steel, New Delhi. (April 2010 to September 2014)