Mubarak Ahmad Khan

The Sonali Bag is a cellulose-based biodegradable bioplastic alternative to plastic bags, particularly polythene bags. The cellulose used in Sonali Bags is extracted from jute, a major vegetable fiber crop grown across the globe. "Sonali Bag" was named by Bangladesh Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2017. The Sonali Bag (biopolymer) is made of natural ingredients like jute based cellulose, binder (a natural polymer), and vegetable color. This is a biopolymer without any plastic. So, the preparation method and instrument of the biopolymer is different then that traditional plastic.

Mubarak Ahmad Khan works on environmental science, material science, health care, agriculture and biological science. He is working on sustainable material and also working on nano-technology. He has invented biodegradable polybag (Sonali Bag) from jute fibre to remove plastic pollution. He work on deafferents type of composite materials, in this continuing he has invented Jute Reinforcement Corrugated Sheet (Commercial name is Jutin). He used to mix jute with polymer for the making of Jutin. He invented an advanced wound dressing material from cow bone, biodegradable PPE from jute with chitosan, biodegradable sanitary napkin from jute based superabsorbent, Natural Dye Sensitized Solar Cell l. He has invented natural plant growth promoter from prawn shell, liquate biofertilizer from textile effluent, etc. In 2016 he created non-harmful proteins as an alternative to harmful formalin for human body. He also invented numerous essential things with jute.

In recognition of his success in research on jute, Bangladesh Academy of Sciences gave the gold medal in 2010 to Mubarak Ahmed. Apart from this, he was awarded the National Jute Award in 2016, the Federation of Asian Chemical Society Award in 2017, National Environment Awards in 2019, MIT Solve Health Security & Pandemic Awards (2020).

The world's various scientific research organizations publish documents on his work. In 1998, his name was published in the publication of 'Who's Who'. His publication list more than 800 and 20 book chapters. He has three research patents.

Mubarak Ahmad Khan was born in a Muslim family in Manikganj district in Bangladesh. He was one of five children of school teacher Muhammad Murshid Khan and Nurjahan. Mubarak Ahmad completed his bachelor's degree and master's degrees at Jahangirnagar University. In 1991, he completed a Ph.D. degree in polymer and radioactive chemistry and later earned post doctoral degrees from Germany, Japan and the United States.

In 1990, Khan was IAEA fellow in University of New South Wales, Australia. In 1995 and 2014 he was a DAAD fellow in Technical University in Berlin, Germany and Jacob University in Bremen, Germany. In 1997, he worked in "The Matsumae International Foundation (MIF)", Japan. In 2000, he was a visiting professor at Michigan State University, USA. In 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2014, he was Alexader von Humboldt fellow (AvH) in Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research and University of Kassel, Germany. In 2017, he worked for the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Kumamoto University, Japan.

In 1984, Mubarak Ahmad Khan started his professional career as a Scientific Officer in Radiation and Polymer Chemistry Laboratory, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission. During 1990–2000, he was a Senior Scientific Officer and from 2001 to 2009, he was Principal Scientific Officer and Group Leader in that laboratory. From 2009 to 2015, he was the Chief Scientific Officer and Director of Institute of Radiation and Polymer Technology, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission. From 2015 to 2017, he was served as a Director General in Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission. Starting in 2017, he is acting as a Scientific Advisor of Bangladesh Jute Mill's Corporation and he has served as a consultant in many private companies in Bangladesh.

Mubarak Ahmed Khan has been a faculty member at institutions like Mirzapur College (1982–1984), Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (1991–2002), Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University (2010–2016) and from 2012 to present is an adjunct professor of the University of Dhaka.