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International Symposium on Sustainable Waste Management (ISSWM – 2023)
22 – 24th September 2023
The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Institute of Engineering & Management Kolkata (Saltlake Campus), University of Engineering and Management, Kolkata is organizing the International Symposium on Sustainable Waste Management (ISSWM – 2023) from 22nd to 24th September, 2023. Under the theme of environmental sustainability, the symposium aims to address the pressing issues of resource depletion and waste management. The forum will act as a platform to enlighten and share knowledge among different stakeholders, offering deeper insight into the field of solid & liquid waste management including industrial waste, municipal solid waste, e-waste & plastic wastes, waste water, and sludge treatment. Eminent researchers from across the globe are participating in this event.
Prof. Arun Kumar Bar, Principal of the Institute of Engineering & Management, Kolkata emphasizes the importance of sustainability and waste management. To address these issues, he has promoted numerous initiatives on the campus itself, like a plastic-free campus, rainwater harvesting, tree plantation, installation of rooftop solar panels, and use of solar-powered lights across the campus.
The Department of Mechanical Engineering has also been actively involved in creating awareness among students and young researchers in the field of environmental sustainability and waste management. The Department has an Energy Simulation and Sustainability Laboratory, which enables students and faculty members to conduct research on various aspects associated with energy consumption. Various programmes related to Decarbonisation, Green building, and Energy Simulation have been conducted by the Department.
The symposium’s convener, Dr. Rahul Baidya (Assistant HoD and Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, IEM Kolkata) and co-convener, Ishita De (Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, IEM Kolkata), spoke about the importance of management as one of the most pressing issues across the globe. Nonetheless, in India also, waste management is a major issue. Similarly, for Kolkata, there is a need for creating awareness among people for effective waste management as source segregation is one of the most important aspects of waste management. The symposium, thus convened to share knowledge on the latest developments in the field of waste management from across the globe and create awareness among the people so that they can understand the need for sustainable waste management.
The symposium is graced by globally acclaimed speakers from India, Malaysia, Italy, Nigeria, Germany, Bangladesh, and Thailand. The keynote speech was initiated by renowned academician and globally-recognized researcher, Prof. (Dr.) Sadhan Kumar Ghosh (Former Dean of FET, Jadavpur University and President, ISWMAW, India) spoke about the major themes of sustainability – Circular Economy, SDGs, and Decarbonisation. He is also the Honorary Chairman of ISSWM – 2023 Another insightful speech was given by Prof. (Dr.) P. Agamuthu (Associate Dean, School of Interdisciplinary Studies, Sunway University, Malaysia), who gave an insight on the Impact of Microplastic Pollution on Fresh Water Ecosystem. This was followed by a talk by Prof. (Dr.) Sandhya Babel (School of Biochemical Engineering and Technology, Thammasat University, Thailand) on the topic of Environmental assessment of fly ash utilization for mass concrete production in Thailand. Industrialist, Mr. Ulhas Parlikar (Former Director, Geocycle Business, ACC Limited, India), also joined our symposium to talk about Leveraging Industrial symbiosis and Industrial Eco Parks for sustainable management of waste.
Dr. Sunil Kumar (Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), India) enlightened the participants on Landfill Fire Dynamics: Investigative Research and Emerging R&D Challenges. We were honoured to also have Prof. (Dr.) Francesco Di Maria (Department of Engineering, University of Perugia, Italy) shed light on EU policy in Waste Management: Sustainability aspects and recent trends. The final speaker, Prof. (Dr.) Md. Rafizul Islam (Department of Civil Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET), Bangladesh), laid emphasis on the topic of Open Dump Sites for Solid Waste Management and its Further Modification.
The symposium includes nine technical sessions with over 60 papers from across the globe, covering all domains of sustainability and waste management. The technical sessions will be followed by a field visit to Nimpith, West Bengal, on 24 September 2023. Participants will get a chance to have a first-hand view of Bio-energy and composting plants and other sustainable practices.
