HAMPTON, Va. — Pancopia LLC has appointed Chandra Mouli Tummala, PhD, as Environmental Engineer. In this role, he will lead commercial system development and deployment efforts for Pancopia’s Modular Advanced Phosphorus Separator (MAPS) platform and provide engineering support for the FreshFlush™ nitrogen and water management system for swine & dairy operations.
Dr. Tummala joins Pancopia at a pivotal stage of growth. His appointment strengthens the company’s transition from pilot-scale validation to field-ready commercial systems, with a direct focus on delivering practical nutrient and water management solutions for agricultural producers.
Dr. Tummala earned his PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Wayne State University (2024), his Master of Science from Bradley University (2017), and his Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, India (2015). His expertise spans applied environmental engineering, adsorption media development, nutrient remediation, and treatment technologies for emerging contaminants.
At Wayne State University, Dr. Tummala developed a low-cost adsorption media derived from waste nutshells for the removal of phosphate and other nutrients from water and wastewater systems. This research aligns closely with the technical objectives of Pancopia’s MAPS platform, which is designed to separate and recover phosphorus from agricultural waste streams at commercial scale. He also holds a provisional U.S. patent application (No. 63/692,423) for a technology that extracts rare earth elements from phosphate-derived materials and other unconventional sources, demonstrating deep expertise in phosphorus chemistry and resource recovery.
Following completion of his PhD, Dr. Tummala conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His research focused on the design and evaluation of passive-active modular stormwater biofilter systems to improve PFAS remediation in stormwater runoff. He also investigated wildfire-driven metal enrichment in urban parks near Los Angeles and examined the removal, resuspension, and transport of microplastics in stormwater best management practices through laboratory and field-based studies. His wildfire-related research received regional media attention, highlighting UCLA-led soil testing and environmental assessment efforts in fire-affected communities. His postdoctoral work also included environmental sampling, analytical method development, and field deployment planning across multiple stormwater treatment projects, experience closely aligned with the engineering requirements of Pancopia’s FreshFlush™ system for nitrogen and water management in dairy and other intensive livestock operations.
Dr. Tummala’s research has received national recognition. He was named a recipient of the Graduate Student Award in Environmental Chemistry from the American Chemical Society (2024) and received the Best Presentation Award at the RemPlex 2023 Global Summit, hosted by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. His peer-reviewed research has been published in leading journals, including Separation and Purification Technology, Environmental Research, and Chemical Engineering Journal. He has also presented at national and international conferences, including meetings of the American Chemical Society (ACS), American Geophysical Union (AGU), Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP), and RemPlex.
“Chandra brings exactly the technical depth we need at this stage,” said William Cumbie, Founder & CEO of Pancopia LLC. “His background in nutrient remediation and water treatment system design is directly relevant to both MAPS and FreshFlush™. We are focused on building systems that perform in real-world conditions, and he has the experience to help us do that.”
In his new role, Dr. Tummala will support engineering execution across commercial system development, including field implementation, performance monitoring, environmental data analysis, and design refinement. This announcement does not include proprietary project details.
About Pancopia LLC
Pancopia LLC is an environmental technology company headquartered in Hampton, Virginia, focused on developing and commercializing technologies that maximize the asset value of waste. The company adapts water technologies originally developed for NASA to address pressing challenges in agriculture and other resource-intensive industries. For more information, visit www.pancopia.com.
Media Contact:
Pancopia LLC
bill@pancopia.com
Hampton, Virginia
