Professor Kalpit Shah is a distinguished chemical and environmental engineer with more than 24 years of experience in industry and academia. He is currently Deputy Head of Research and Innovation in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at RMIT University and leads the Innovative Resources and Waste Technologies (iRWT) research group. His research focuses on thermochemical processing of biosolids and waste resources, including pyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction, gasification, biochar production, renewable fuels, hydrogen generation, carbon nanomaterials and PFAS destruction.
Professor Shah has led the development of several industry-focused technologies for transforming biosolids and organic wastes into high-value products, including the RMIT-patented PYROCO™ fluidised-bed pyrolysis technology for biosolids-to-biochar conversion. His work combines process engineering, reactor design, contaminant management, circular economy solutions and commercial translation through strong partnerships with water utilities, industry and government.
He has secured more than $45 million in research funding and has published extensively in the fields of thermochemical conversion, wastewater valorisation, biochar, renewable energy and resource recovery. His recent research includes pilot-scale biosolids pyrolysis, hydrothermal treatment of sewage sludge, PFAS fate during thermal processing, and advanced carbon materials derived from waste streams.
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