Table Of ContentALKALINE BIOLEACHING OF MUNICIPAL
SOLID WASTE INCINERATION FLY ASH WITH
INDIGENOUS EXTREMOPHILES
THULASYA RAMANATHAN
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
2015
ALKALINE BIOLEACHING OF MUNICIPAL
SOLID WASTE INCINERATION FLY ASH WITH
INDIGENOUS EXTREMOPHILES
THULASYA RAMANATHAN
(B.Tech, Anna University, India)
A THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
DEPARTMENT OF
CHEMICAL AND BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
2015
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this thesis is my original work and it has been written by me in
its entirety. I have duly acknowledged all the sources of information which have been
used in the thesis.
This thesis has not been submitted for any degree in any university previously.
Thulasya Ramanathan
Date: 06/08/15
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Undertaking this PhD has been truly a life-changing experience for me and it would
not have been possible without the support of the following people.
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude and heartfelt thanks
to my Supervisor, Associate Professor Yen-Peng Ting, for his valuable time,
insightful scientific advice and constant encouragement. He has been very supportive
and gave me the freedom to carry out independent research. His push for perfection
and love for research was contagious and highly motivational for me. His unwavering
enthusiasm, patience, genuine caring and concern, and faith in me pushed me further
than I thought I could go. It was through him that I learnt to effectively articulate and
communicate my ideas, and face the scientific community with confidence. At this
juncture, I wish to extend my sincere thanks to all the teachers who have molded me
into what I am today.
I would also like to thank my thesis committee members, A/P Kun-Lin Yang and A/P
Bai Renbi, for their constructive criticisms and excellent research advice. I greatly
acknowledge the invaluable contributions and guidance of Assistant Professor Dr.
Rajasekar Aruliah who has helped me with various facets of my project. I would also
like to thank NUS for the financial support and NEA for providing MSWIFA.
I greatly appreciate the support of my lab officer Ms. Sylvia Wan, instrument
operators (Mr. Chia, Mr. Boey, Mr. Ng, Dr. Yang Liming, Dr. Yuan, Samantha,
Sandy, Alistair, Kwee Mei, Zhicheng and Evan) and other administrative staff, lab
technicians and safety coordinators for their kind assistance in numerous issues
during my study.
The members of my lab have greatly contributed to my personal and professional
development during my PhD tenure. I am very thankful to my seniors Abhilasha,
Amit and Gayathri who assisted me in performing experiments and operating
equipment, and gave me valuable academic and career advice. I pay my sincere
gratitude to Dr. Qiu, a kind and friendly post doc in my lab, for inspiring me through
his commitment and hard work. His thought-provoking comments and ideas helped
me look at my research with a different perspective. I greatly appreciate my lab mate
and senior from Undergrad, Divya, for being a very understanding friend and
magnificent guide. Big thanks to Gayathri and Divya for encouraging me and helping
me survive the stress during challenging periods. I would also like to acknowledge
the support and friendship rendered by my colleagues Shruti, Magdalene, Subhabrata
and all the FYPs I have mentored.
I express my deepest thanks to my friends cum family here at Singapore. I am very
grateful to my housemates Sonali and Anusha and my friend Rachit who have always
been there by my side throughout the entire PhD motivating me through tough times.
They have helped me evolve from the shy girl that I was to a mature and confident
woman. I am very thankful to my housemates Jayashree, Subhashri and Parvathy who
have made my stay in Singapore very pleasant. I have never felt home sick while at
Singapore due to the love and care I received from all my housemates. Very big
thanks to my friend, Bhargav, for his endless support. Managing the modules in the
department would have been extremely difficult if not for his teaching. I am also very
grateful to Arghya and Hari, my two very close friends who have always been there
to support and encourage me through all my endeavors. They have been a source of
inspiration and have enlightened me with their constructive criticisms and thoughtful
advice. I also wish to thank my close friends Neha and Ankit for their infinite care
and support. Stay in Singapore would not have been this enjoyable and memorable if
not for this family. I greatly appreciate my department mates and friends
Rajaletchumy, Prhashanna, Maninder, Valavan, Akshay and Bharat for all the
intellectual discussions we have had, and entertaining outings and jovial time we have
shared. I also wish to thank Devaki, a staunch supporter and special friend, who
strongly believed in me and constantly encouraged me.
Distance never stopped my friends from India, Gayathri, Vanchi and Sankar, to love
me, care for me and offer me emotional support in these four years. I am lucky to
have such great friends. They have a special place in my heart which only they will
ever occupy. I wish to thank all my other friends especially my schoolmates who
have cheered me throughout this PhD journey.
Above all, I am eternally indebted to my family. My grandmother (Mrs.
Vijayalakshmi), aunts (Mrs. Sushila, Mrs. Rajalakshmi, Mrs. Vasantha, Mrs. Prema,
Mrs. Sriranjani, Mrs. Geetha and Mrs. Vasanthi), uncles (Mr. Balasubramanian, Mr.
Viswanathan, Mr. Sriram, Mr. Sridharan) and all my cousins deserve my
wholehearted thanks for their continual encouragement, support and indefinite love. I
wish to pay my deepest regards to my late uncle Mr. P. Balasubramanian who would
have been delighted and proud to read my dissertation.
My acknowledgements would be incomplete without paying thanks to my parents and
sister. Very big thanks to my little sister who taught me how to care and share. She is
the biggest fan of mine, through whom I have seen myself as a capable and intelligent
woman. I am very grateful to my parents who have sacrificed their lives for me and
my sister, and have loved us unconditionally. They have always been my role models
who instilled good qualities and values in me and taught me about hard work,
perseverance and self-respect. I would not have made it this far without them.
I dedicate this thesis to my parents and sister for giving me strength to reach for the
stars and chase my dreams.
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