What we do
Chemical and material solutions across three connected research themes, aimed at India's decarbonisation.
Research themes
We develop chemical- and material-based technological solutions that aid sustainability and decarbonisation, spanning renewable-powered carbon capture, waste-to-fuel conversion, and next-generation catalysis.
Renewables-Powered Carbon Capture
Capturing CO2 from emission streams is essential to decarbonise India's coal-heavy power grid and hard-to-abate manufacturing sectors (steel, cement). We develop novel adsorbents and renewable-powered processes to cut the energy cost of capture and improve scalability for Indian industry.
- Novel adsorbents for TVSA carbon capture
- Solar-powered carbon capture
- Electrochemical carbon capture
- Reactive carbon capture (capture coupled with utilisation)
Waste-to-Fuel
Fuels like methanol, hydrogen and syngas can be produced from captured CO2 and waste streams instead of fossil feedstocks. We develop synthesis, reforming and electrolysis routes that convert these inputs into clean, storable fuel, making use of surplus renewable power in the process.
- Renewable methanol synthesis from CO2 and waste
- Catalytic reforming of waste
- CO2-to-fuel electrolysis
- Hydrogen storage
Next-Generation Catalysis
The performance of both our carbon-capture and fuel-production work ultimately depends on catalyst design. We develop new catalytic systems and reaction-engineering strategies that improve the selectivity and energy efficiency of chemical conversion.
- Novel catalyst design and mechanism
- Selective bond activation
- Reaction engineering for energy-efficient conversion
R&D Office, IIT Kanpur
Kesavan Center, IIT Kanpur
Dept. of Sustainable Energy Engineering
Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, USC Dornsife
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Weizmann Institute of Science, SAERI Fellowship
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, European Commission
EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award (Cambridge Enterprise)
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)