Dr. Arulazhagan Pugazhendi

Personal Details Name: Dr. Arulazhagan Pugazhendi Date of Birth: 20-11-1979 Nationality: Indian Age: 32 Marital status: Single

Contact Details Office Address: Centre of Excellence in Environmental Studies, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Permanent address: 22A/2 Dhanapal Street, Panruti, Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu, India. E-mail: arulazhagan_p@yahoo.co.in Phone Number: +966-63620371 Mobile: +966-508215360

Educational Qualifications

Research Experience

• Experience on analysis of chemical and microbiological parameters of drinking water, domestic and industrial wastewater.
• Enriched bacterial consortium utilizing different polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
• Studied biological treatment of crude oil contaminated saline wastewater using bacterial consortium from saline environment.
• Isolated and identified hydrocarbon degrading bacterial strains using molecular techniques.
• Biodegradation of 1,4 dioxane degrading activated sludge process.
• Current research works on hydrocarbon degrading extremophilic bacterial consortia, Sludge reduction using nanomaterial for pretreatment, Sludge reduction and nutrient removal from domestic wastewater using A2O reactor.

Work Experience

• Worked as Analyst in project on “Biological treatment of High TDS wastewater from pharmaceutical industry” funded by Noveon Diamalt, Chennai (Jan 2003 - April 2003).
• Worked as Wastewater Analyst in “Biological treatment of Raava produced water” funded by Cairn Energy India Pvt Ltd. India (Aug 2003-Sep 2003).
• Worked as Microbiologist in “Rejuvenation of ooranies and ponds in Thirukalukundram” funded by Rural Development Department (RDD), Tamil Nadu State Government.India (Oct 2003 – March 2004)
• Worked as Junior Project Assistant in University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, India funded research Project on “Isolation and Characterisation of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degrading bacterial consortium from marine environment” (Apr 2004 to March 2007).
• Worked as Research Associate in a project on “Link between size of microbial ecosystem and diversity” at Laboratorie de Biotechnologie de l’Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Narbonne, France. (Sep 2008- Dec 2008)
• Reviewer in Marine pollution Bulletin (ELSEVIER), Chemosphere, International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, Journal of basic microbiology, Journal of Biodegradation and Biotechnology. African Journal of Biotechnology (2008 to till date).
• Worked as Postdoctoral Researcher/Lecturer at Zero Emission Centre, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Sung Kyun Kwan University, Suwon, South Korea (Feb2010 to Jan 2011).
• Currently working as Assistant Professor at Centre of Excellence in Environmental Studies, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Teaching Experience

• Assisted in Microbiology Practical class for M.E (Environmental Engineering) and M.Sc students in Environmental science (Jan 2003 to Oct 2008)
• Mentored Post graduate (M.E and M.Sc) students in research
• Lecturer for M.E Civil and Environmental Engineering at Sung Kyun Kwan University, Suwon, South Korea (Feb 2010 to Jan 2011).

Area of Specialization

• Biological treatment of domestic and industrial wastewater (Petroleum, Pharmaceutical, Textile and Tannery)
• Molecular Microbiology in wastewater treatment

Training

• Industrial training (June 2001) at Together Textile Mills, Coimbatore, India. Experience on the analysis of chemical parameters for textile wastewater
• Training on molecular microbiological techniques (Aug and Sep 2004) in INRA, Narbonne, France.
• Training on DNA fingerprinting, MATLAB, NANO Quant (DNA quantification) at INRA, Narbonne, France (Sep 2008-Dec 2008).

Trained on

• Isolation, purification and amplicification of DNA.
• Nanoquant (Quantification of DNA)
• Polymerase Chain Reaction Machine (PCR)
• Single Stranded Confirmation Polymorphism (SSCP)
• Real Time PCR
• 16S rRNA Sequencer

Instruments Handled during research

• High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) (KNAUER, Germany)
• Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) (Agilent)
• Ion Chromatography (Dionex)
• Bioreactor (Infors, Switzerland)
• Lyophilizer (Lyovac, Germany)
• Phase Contrast Microscope (Leica, Germany)
• Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) (Jeol)
• Surface-tensiometer (Kruss, Germany)
• Single stranded confirmation polymorphism (SSCP)
• Denaturation Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE)

Conferences

• Poster presentation on “Role of plasmid in the degradation of hexadecane by Pseudomonas fluorescens NS1” in 47th Annual conference of Association of Microbiologists of India (AMI) held on December 6-8, 2006 at Barkatullah University, Bhopal, India.
• Participated in the workshop on “Sustainable Landfill Management” on Dec 3-5, 2003 at Centre for Environmental Studies, Anna University, Chennai India.
• Participated in the International Conference on “Advances in Industrial Wastewater Treatment on Feb 9-11, 2005 at Centre for Environmental Studies, Anna University, Chennai India.
• Participated seminar on “Industrial-Academic Interfacia - Petrotech 2007” on Jan 17-18, 2007at New Delhi, India
• Participated in the 48th Annual Conference of Association of Microbiologists of India (AMI) held on December 18-21, 2007 at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Chennai, India.
• Poster presentation on “Degradation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons by a halophilic bacterium” in International Symposium on Environmental Biotechnology, July 9-13, 2006 at Leipzig, Germany.
• Poster presentation on “Link between size of microbial ecosystem and diversity?” in National conference on anaerobic digestion and renewable energy through microbes (ADREM 2009) Jan 13-15, 2009 at BITS, Goa, India.
• Oral Presentation on “Role of halotolerant bacterial consortium in biodegradation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons under saline condition” (Microbes in wastewater treatment – IWA) Jan 24-27, 2011 at BITS, Goa India.

List of Publication

• N. VASUDEVAN, S. BHARATHI and P. ARULAZHAGAN (2007) “Role of plasmid in the degradation of petroleum hydrocarbon by Pseudomonas fluorescens NS1” Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A, 42,1141–1146.
• N.VASUDEVAN and P.ARULAZHAGAN (2007) “Surfactants mediated recovery of anthracene and pyrene from contaminated soil” Asian Jr. of Microbiol. Biotech. and Environ. Sci Vol 9,No(2),237-242.
• P.ARULAZHAGAN and N.VASUDEVAN (2009) “Role of moderately halophilic bacterial consortium in biodegradation of polyaromatic Hydrocarbons” Marine Pollution Bulletin. Vol 58 (2), 256-262.
• P.ARULAZHAGAN, N.VASUDEVAN and I.T.Yeom (2010) “Biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by a halotolerant bacterial consortium from marine environment”. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology. Vol 7 (4), 639-652.
• P.ARULAZHAGAN and N.VASUDEVAN (2011) “Biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by a halotolerant bacterial strain Ochrobatrum sp. VA1” Marine Pollution Bulletin. Vol 62 (2), 388-394.
• P.ARULAZHAGAN and N.VASUDEVAN (2011) “Role of nutrients in the utilization of PAHs by halotolerant bacterial strain” Journal of Environmental Science Vol 23 (2), 282-287.
• SIVARAMAN .C, ARULAZHAGAN .P, DIRK WALTHER, VASUDEVAN .N (2011). “Feasibility Studies for Reuse of Constructed Wetlands Treating Simulated Nickel Containing Groundwater”. Universal Journal of Environmental Research and Technology. Vol 1(3), 293-300.
• UAN D.K, YEOM I.T, ARULAZHAGAN P, RAJESH BANU.(2011) “A study on the effects of sludge pretreatment on sludge reduction in a lab-scale anaerobic/anoxic/oxic system treating domestic wastewater”. Submitted in International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology
• P.ARULAZHAGAN and I.T.Yeom (2011) “Role of additional carbon substrate on biodegradation of 1,4 dioxane using bacterial consortium”. Journal of Environmental Science (to be communicated)
• Jean-Jacques Godon, Pugazhendi Arulazhagan, Jean-Philippe Steyer et Jérôme Hamelin (2011) “Relationship between size and microbial diversity: the example of the termite digestive microbiota of Elephants” (to be communicated).

Patent

N.VASUDEVAN and P.ARULAZHAGAN (Inventors) “Method for biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in wastewater” – filed Indian Patent through Intellectual Property Rights, Guindy, Chennai. (F.No.460/CHE/2009).

Other details

• Annual member in International Water Association (IWA)
• Life member in Association of Microbiologists of India.
• Held the post of Block Representative in Anna University Hostel (2005).

References

• Dr. N.Vasudevan- Professor
  Centre for Environmental Studies, Anna University, Guindy, Chennai-600 025, India.
  Email : nvasudevan@annauniv.edu
  Phone : +91 44 22359018



• Dr. Michel Torrijos- Research Engineer
  Laboratorie de Biotechnologie de l’Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Avenue des Etangs – 11100, Narbonne, France
  Email: torrijos@supagro.inra.fr
  Phone: 00 33 4 68 42 5185



• Dr. Jean-Jacques Godon- Research Scientist
  Laboratorie de Biotechnologie de l’Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Avenue des Etangs – 11100, Narbonne, France
  Email: godon@supagro.inra.fr
  Phone: 00 33 4 68 42 5154



• Dr.Srikanth Mutnuri- Assistant professor
  Biological Sciences Group, BITS- Pilani, Goa Campus, NH17B, Bye Pass Road, Zuarinagar – 403726, Goa, India
  Email: srikanth.mutnuri@gmail.com
  Tel.(O): 91-832 - 2580125
  Fax: 832 – 2557033