Amar Mohanty, PhD

Brief Bio

Amar Mohanty is a Full Professor and Distinguished Research Chair in Sustainable Biomaterials at the Ontario Agriculture College and is the Director of the Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. He is a former Michigan State University professor and currently holds Distinguished Professor position at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, in India and a Visiting Professor status at the University of Portsmouth, in the UK.

Prof. Mohanty is an international leader in the field of bioplastics, biocomposites and advanced biorefinery. His research focuses on engineering value-added uses of biomass wastes and industrial co-products from agro-food and biofuel industries. Circular economy, environmental sustainability, waste plastic valorization, biodegradable plastics as single-use plastic alternatives, biocarbon based composites and 3D printing of sustainable materials are other areas of his expertize.  

Prof. Mohanty is the Editor-in-Chief of Sustainable Composites, Composites Part C -Open Access; an ELSEVIER journal.

Awards, Honours, and Distinctions

Research Interests

Biomaterials

• Natural Fiber Composites and All Green Composites
• Nanostructure Controlled Bioplastics and Hyperbranched Polymers
• Nanocomposites (Polymer-clay and Polymer-Carbon Nanotubes) and Nanoblends
• Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes and Clays
• Renewable Resourse-based Biodegradable polymers (Polylactides, Polyhydroxyalkanoates, Cellulose esters and Starch plastics)
• Petroleum-based Biodegradable Polymers (Aliphatic Polyesters and Aliphatic-aromatic Copolyesters)
• Polytrimethylene Terephthalate (SoronaT) based Composites, Blends and Nanocomposites
• Reactive extrusion, Injection Molding, Thermoforming and Co-Injection Molding
• Soy-based Bioplastics (Soy oil-based Thermoset Resins and Soy Protein-based Thermoplastic)
• Polyols from Plant Oils and Biobased Polyurethanes
• Biobased Polyesters/Epoxies and their biomaterials
• Biodegradable Polymers and Sustainable Packaging
• 3D Printing

Biofuels, Biorefinery and Sustainability

• Value-added Applications of Downstream Co-products from Dry-milling Corn Ethanol Industries e.g. Distillers' Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) and Carbon Dioxide as Biocomposites, Bioadhesives and Biochemicals
• Value-added Applications of Corn Gluten Meal (Co-product from Wet-milling Corn ethanol Industries) as Biodegradable Plastics and Biocomposites
• Value-added Applications of Coproducts from Soy Biodiesel Industries e.g. Soy meal and Glycerol as Biodegradable Plastic, Biocomposites and Biochemicals
• New Uses of Lignin and Residual Biomass from Cellulosic Ethanol in Value-added Applications
• Pretreatment of Biomasses for Biofuels
• Sustainability Issues of Biofuel Industries and Biorefinery

Selected Recent Peer-Reviewed Journal Publications

Complete List of Publications

• Pal, A.K., Misra, M., Mohanty, A.K. (2023). "Silane treated starch dispersed PBAT/PHBV-based composites: Improved barrier performance for single-use plastic alternatives". International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 229, 1009-1022.
• Roy, P., Mohanty, A.K., Dick, P., Misra, M. (2023). "A review on challenges and choices for food waste valorization: Environmental and economic impacts". ACS Environmental Au.
• Harder, N., Rodriguez-Uribe, A., Snowdon, M., Misra, M., Mohanty, A.K. (2023). "Hop natural fiber reinforced poly (butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate)(PBSA) biodegradable plastic: effect of fiber length on performance of biocomposites". Materials Advances.
• Zytner, P., Pal, A.K., Wu, F., Rodriguez-Uribe, A., Mohanty, A.K., Misra, M. (2023). "Morphology and Performance Relationship Studies on Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)/Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)-Based Biodegradable Blends". ACS Omega, 8(2), 1946–1956.
• Tripathi, N., Rodriguez-Uribe, A., Weldekidan, H., Misra, M., Mohanty, A. (2022). "Upcycling of waste jute biomass to advanced biocarbon materials: the effect of pyrolysis temperature on their physicochemical and electrical properties". Material Advances 24 (2022).
• Surendren, A., Mohanty, A.K., Liu, Q., Misra, M. (2022). "A review of biodegradable thermoplastic starches, their blends and composites: recent developments and opportunities for single-use plastic packaging alternatives". Green Chemistry, 2022, 24, 8606-8636.
• Gonzalez de Gortari, M., Misra, M., Mohanty, A. K. (2022). "Polyphthalamide polymers: A review on synthesis, properties, and advance manufacturing and emerging applications". Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 139 (40),  52965.
• Debevc, S., Weldekidan, H., Snowdon, M., Vivekanandhan, S., Wood, D.F., Misra, M., Mohanty, A.K. (2022). "Valorization of almond shell biomass to biocarbon materials: Influence of pyrolysis temperature on their physicochemical properties and electrical conductivity". Carbon Trends, 9, 100214.
• Mensah, R.A., Vennström, A., Shanmugam, V., Försth, M., Li, Z., Restas, A., Neisiany, R.E., Sokol, D., Misra, M., Mohanty, A.K., Hedenqvist, M., Das, O. (2022). "Influence of biochar and flame retardant on mechanical, thermal, and flammability properties of wheat gluten composites". Composites Part C: Open Access.
• Feijoo, P., Mohanty, A.K., Rodriguez-Uribe, A., Gámez-Pérez, J., Cabedo, L., Misra, M. (2022). "Biodegradable blends from bacterial biopolyester PHBV and bio-based PBSA: Study of the effect of chain extender on the thermal, mechanical and morphological properties". International Journal of Biological Macromolecules.