Dr. Sonu

About

Dr. Sonu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biotechnology at Sharda University Agra. Prior to joining Sharda University, he served as Assistant Professor in the Department of Biotechnology at Baba Mastnath University, Rohtak, Haryana, and worked as a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Renewable & Bio-Energy Engineering at CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar. He holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology from Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, and is a recipient of the Ph.D. Best Thesis Award. His doctoral research focused on sustainable biorefinery approaches for the valorization of lignocellulosic biomass for the production of bioethanol, biopesticides, and biofertilizers.

Dr. Sonu has extensive research experience in lignocellulosic biorefinery, industrial microbiology, enzyme biotechnology, environmental biotechnology, biofuels, biomass valorization, and sustainable bioprocess development. He has published 14 research articles in reputed international journals, authored book chapters with Springer, and presented his work at several national and international conferences. His research publications have received significant academic recognition, reflected in an h-index of 10.

His teaching interests include Microbiology, Industrial Microbiology, Fermentation Technology, Environmental Biotechnology, Bioprocess Engineering, Agricultural Microbiology, Cell Biology, and Bioinformatics. He is committed to fostering research-oriented learning and bridging the gap between academic knowledge and industrial applications in biotechnology.

Experience

2+ Years

Qualification

Ph.D.

Award & Recognition

Ph.D. Best Thesis Award

Research

14 Research paper and 3 book Chapters

PUBLICATIONS

1. Saini S, Chutani P, Kumar P, Sharma KK (2020). Development of an eco-friendly deinking process for the production of bioethanol using diverse hazardous paper wastes. Renewable Energy 146: 2362-2373. (IF- 9.1)
2. Saini, S., Kumar, A., Singhal, B., Kuhad, R.C. and Sharma, K.K., 2022. Fungal oxidoreductases and CAZymes effectively degrade lignocellulosic component of switchgrass for bioethanol production. Fuels, 328, p.125341. (I.F. 7.5)
3. Saini, S., Kuhad, R.C. and Sharma, K.K., 2023. Valorization of rice straw biomass for co-production of bioethanol, biopesticide and biofertilizer following an eco-friendly biorefinery process. Process Safety and Environmental Protection. 173, pp.823-836 (I.F. 7.8)
4. Saini S, Chandel AK, Sharma KK (2020). Past practices and current trends in the recovery and purification of first generation ethanol: A learning curve for lignocellulosic ethanol. Journal of Cleaner Production 268:122357. (IF- 10.0)
5. Saini S, Sharma KK (2021). Fungal lignocellulolytic enzymes and lignocellulose: A critical review on their contribution to multiproduct biorefinery and global biofuel research. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 193:2304-2319. (IF- 8.5)
6. Shankar, A., Saini, S. and Sharma, K.K., 2022. Fungal-integrated second-generation lignocellulosic biorefinery: utilization of agricultural biomass for co-production of lignocellulolytic enzymes, mushroom, fungal polysaccharides, and bioethanol. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 14, pp. 1117–1131 (Joint 1^st author) (I.F. 4.1)
7. Saini, S., Kumar, N., Dudi, K., Chaudhary, G., Chaudhary, N., & Kumar, N. (2024). Alkali-based lignin extraction from lignocellulosic material and upgradation of residual pulp as bio-packaging material towards sustainable biomass utilization. Bioresource Technology Reports, 26, 101853. (I.F. 4.3)
8. Saini, S., Jangra, J., Mittal, N., Chaudhary, G., & Chaudhary, N. (2025). Concomitant production of industrially important enzyme from a novel fungal culture Lasiodiplodia theobromae using low-cost agro-waste under solid-state fermentation. Preparative Biochemistry & Biotechnology, 1-10. (IF- 2.4.)
9. Kumar, R., Kumar, N., Chaudhary, G., Saini, S., & Singh, C. (2024). Development of a Two-Step Hydrothermal Pretreatment for Sugarcane Bagasse Delignification Surpassing Acidic and Chemical Methods. Waste and Biomass Valorization, 1-16. (IF- 3.2)
10. Chaudhary, G., Chaudhary, N., Saini, S., Gupta, Y., Vivekanand, V. and Panghal, A., 2023. Assessment of Pretreatment Strategies for Valorization of Lignocellulosic Biomass: Path Forwarding Towards Lignocellulosic Biorefinery. Waste and Biomass Valorization, 15, pp.1-36. (IF- 3.2)
11. Khaswal, A., Mishra, S. K., Chaturvedi, N., Saini, S., Pletschke, B., & Kuhad, R. C. (2024). Microbial enzyme production: Unlocking the potential of agricultural and food waste through solid-state fermentation. Bioresource Technology Reports, 101880. (I.F. 4.3)
12. Siwach, A., Saini, S., Giri, A., Khatri, P., Kuhad, R.C. and Kumar, A., 2025. Sustainable poultry feed formulations from fruit and vegetable residues for advancing animal health. Bioresource Technology Reports, p.102159. (I.F. 4.3)
13. Kumar, R., Kumar, N., Saini, S., Singh, C., Barnwal, P., & Panghal, A. (2025). Ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass: Pretreatment challenges and opportunities in sustainable waste management and energy Production. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, 19(6), 2712-2738. (I.F. 2.9)
14. Abdullahi, H. Y., Kumar, M., Mishra, S. K., Dashora, K., Pandit, S., Saini, S., … Kuhad, R. C. (2026). Spotlight on pectinase: a comprehensive review of large-scale production strategies. Critical Reviews in Biotechnology, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/07388551.2025.2587149 (I.F. 7.7)

BOOK CHAPTER

1. Saini S, Sharma KK (2021). Ligninolytic fungi from the Indian subcontinent and their contribution to enzyme biotechnology. In Satyanarayana T, Deshmukh SK, Deshpande MV (Eds.) Progress in Mycology. Springer, Singapore. pp. 139-184.
2. Saini, S., Chhillar, A., Sharma, K. K., & Kuhad, R. C. (2024). Lignocellulosic Biomass Based Biorefinery Employing Fungus and its Enzymes: Indian Perspective and Global Trend. In Biotechnology India-Reworking A Strategy in (pp. 235-251). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

• Saini S, Sharma KK (2017). Production and purification of cellulases and xylanases from Trichoderma sp. and their application in saccharification of pretreated rice straw. In International conference on ‘Microbes for Health and Wealth organized by Department of Microbiology, MDU, Rohtak, on 14^th November, 2017
• Saini S, Sharma KK (2018). Combination of mild-chemical and biological pretreatments for enhancing the delignification of rice straw. In International conference on ‘Microbes for Biotechnological Innovations organized by Department of Microbiology, MDU, Rohtak, on 7^th December, 2018.
• Saini S, Kumar A, Sharma KK (2019). Enzymatic delignification of rice straw using laccase isozymes overcomes the excessive use of chemicals: Green approaches towards environmental sustainability. In National conference on ‘Global Climate Change: Concerns and Solutions organized by Environment Sustainability Management Cell, MDU, Rohtak, on 15^th -16^th February, 2019.
• Saini S, Chutani P, Sharma KK (2019). Deinking of diverse hazardous paper wastes for the production of second-generation bioethanol: A sustainable approach towards renewable energy. In International conference on ‘Current Trends in Microbiology & Microbiome Research: A Global Perspective organized by Department of Microbiology, MDU, Rohtak, on 11^th -12^th October, 2019.
• Saini S, Bala S., Chaudhary G (2023). Production and Optimization of Fungal Exogenous Enzymes from Low-cost Lignocellulosic Materials for Sustainable Poultry Feed Applications. In International conference entitled “Recent Advances in Bio-Energy Research (ICRABR-2023)”, organized by SSS-NIBE, Kapurthala, Punjab on 09-12 October, 2023.

Area of Interest

Lignocellulosic Biorefinery, Biofuels and Bioenergy, Enzyme Biotechnology, Industrial Microbiology, Environmental Biotechnology, Biomass Valorization, Sustainable Animal Feed Development, Biopesticides and Biofertilizers