Dr. Haripada Bhunia has completed his Ph.D. degree in the field of polymer from IIT, Kharagpur and has expertise in the area of polymer and environment. After completing Ph.D., he joined Bakelite Hylam Limited, (R & D Center) as Assistant Manager (R&D) and worked in the field of resins and composites (Phenolics, amino resins, unsaturated polyester resins, etc.). Subsequently, he joined Thapar Centre for Industrial Research and Development as a Research Engineer and worked in epoxy resins based insulating varnishes for electrical applications (particularly motors and transformers). At present, he is working as Professor (since 2003) in Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, Patiala and is involved in the research areas of polymer blends and nanocomposites, environment, adsorption, carbon dioxide capture and utilizations. He has guided 34 M.Tech. Dissertations, 7 Ph.D. and is guiding 8 Ph.D. students at present. Dr. Haripada Bhunia has published over 65 research papers in peer reviewed journals and 67 in Conferences/Symposia/Seminars, coauthored 2 book
Project Title:- Biopolymers from bagasse. Phase 1: fractionation of bagasse components
From 2002 to 2004
Summary
Detailed Characterization of bagasse and its fractionation in to the main constituents’ cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin has been optimized. The fractionated cellulose will be utilized for the preparation of biopolymers, cellulose acetates for various applications. It was a multi-institutional project under the CSIR scheme of NMTI.
Funding Agency
Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, (CSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi, Delhi, India-110012
Project Title:- Photocatalytic Treatment of Textile Effluent
From 26/02/2007 To 26/2/2009
Summary
The research project was of a 2-year grant which involved kinetic study of photocatalytic degradation of simulated textile effluents containing azo dyes. Effect of various parameters affecting the performance was studied. It also involved deactivation kinetics and study of different intermediates formed and finally techno economic feasibility of different processes.
Degradation kinetic studies of individual dye as well as mixture of dyes have been studied using reactive black 5 (RB5) and reactive red (RR120).
Funding Agency
All India Council for Technical Education - Research Promotion Scheme, (AICTE-RPS) Delhi, India – 110002.
Project Title:- Development of biodegradable polymeric blends for packaging applications
From 05-03-2008 To 05-03-2010
Summary
The research project was a 2-year grant which involved development of biodegradable polymeric blends having optimum performance properties based on poly (lactic acid) using non-biodegradable polymers, e.g., linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE). Effects of blend composition and compatibilizer content on the physical and mechanical properties of blends were also studied.
The research project was sponsored by All India Council for Technical Education-Research Promotion Scheme. Lead Principal Investigator: Dr. Anita Rajor, Associate Professor of Department of Biotechnology and Environmental Sciences, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology and Co- Principal Investigator:. Professor Haripada Bhunia, Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology.
Funding Agency
All India Council for Technical Education-Research Promotion Scheme (AICTE-RPS) New-Delhi, India – 110002.
Project Title:- Development of adsorbents for CO2 capture from flue gases
From 01.04.2010 To 31.03.2013
Summary
The research project was of 3-year grant which involved the creation of a new generation of adsorbents - solids that can ‘soak up’ CO2 – from the flue gases of power plants for sequestration. It can be achieved by two ways namely (i) modification of conventional adsorbents and (ii) development of nanostructured adsorbents.
Melamine–formaldehyde resin and mesoporous silica (template) using nanocasting technique has been used to develop a large surface area, nanostructured adsorbents for CO2 capture. Performance evaluation under simulated flue gas conditions by dynamic method and adsorption kinetics, binary system adsorption equilibria and thermodynamics have been performed.
The research project was sponsored by Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi. Lead Principal Investigator: Professor Pramod Kumar Bajpai, Distinguished Professor in Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology and Co-Principal Investigator: Professor Haripada Bhunia, Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Research Team: Dr. Chitrakshi Goel.
Funding Agency
Department of science and Technology, (DST) New-Delhi, India – 110016.
Project Title:- Department of science and Technology
From 1/4/2011 To 31/3/ 2013
Summary
The research project was of 3-year grant which involved development of effective adsorption technology, stable under the acidic/oxidizing conditions of flue gas, for the continuous removal of CO2 from a range of fossil fuel energy producing technologies.
Melamine–formaldehyde resin and mesoporous silica (template) using nanocasting technique has been used to develop a large surface area, nanostructured adsorbents for CO2 capture. Performance evaluation under simulated flue gas conditions by dynamic method using Thermo gravimetric analyser (TA, Q500) and adsorption kinetics, binary system adsorption equilibria and thermodynamics have been performed.
The research project was sponsored by All India Council for Technical Education-Research Promotion Scheme (AICTE-RPS). Lead Principal Investigator: Professor Pramod Kumar Bajpai, Distinguished Professor in Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology and Co-Principal Investigator. Professor Haripada Bhunia, Professor of Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology.
Funding Agency
All India Council for Technical Education-Research Promotion Scheme (AICTE-RPS), New-Delhi, India, 110001.
Project Title:- Preparation and characterization of polylactide (PLA)-polyethylene blends and its degradability studies
From 01/02/12 To 31/01/15
Summary
Plastics are ubiquitous in daily lives and play a crucial part in packaging and other consumer products. The two most important and common polyolefins are polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) and they are very popular due to their low cost and wide range of applications. However, these polymers are not biodegradable and the quantum of waste generated from post-consumer accumulates in our surroundings, hence the problem of plastic waste management remains a challenge and their increasing accretion in the environment has been a threat to the planet. To overcome this problem associated with currently available polyethylene; this research project involved the modification of polyethylene by blending with polylactide (PLA). Efforts were made to develop biodegradable or degradable polyethylene. We have reported the degradation of polyethylene (HDPE) in terms of their physical, mechanical, and thermal behavior. The results would be validated by measuring the CO2 evolution by using the Biodegradability Test Apparatus. It is expected to be a major break-through in reaching the goal of producing degradable and environment-friendly polyethylene.
Lead Principal Investigator: Professor Haripada Bhunia, Professor of Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Co- Principal Investigator: Professor Pramod Kumar Bajpai, Distinguished Professor in Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology. Research Team: Dr. Gaurav Madhu, Reseach Associate.
Funding Agency
Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, (CSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi, India-110012
Project Title:- Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the sludge accumulated in the bed of Buddha Nallah at various locations along with thickness of the sludge above the permeable surface
From 01.10.2012 To 30.09.2014
Summary
The research project was of 2-year grant which involved to device a sampling strategy for Buddha Nallah sludge at different locations & different depths, characterization of sludge (organic/inorganic) N&P contents, heavy metals, etc. and to recommend appropriate strategy for disposal/utilization of sludge.
The research project was sponsored by Punjab Pollution Control Board, Punjab. Lead Principal Investigator: Professor Pramod Kumar Bajpai, Distinguished Professor in Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Co-Principal Investigator: Professor Haripada Bhunia, Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology
Funding Agency
Punjab Pollution Control Board, Punjab (PPCB).
Project Title:- Synthesis and characterization of high capacity adsorbents for CO 2 capture
From 11.03.2014 To 31.03.2017
Summary
The research project was of 3-year grant which involved the creation of a new generation of adsorbents - solids that can adsorb CO 2 from the flue gases of power plants for sequestration. It can be achieved by two ways namely (i) modification of conventional adsorbents and (ii) development of nanostructured adsorbents.
Melamine–formaldehyde resin, epoxy and urea-formaldehyde (precursors) and mesoporous zeolite (template) using nanocasting technique have been used to develop a large surface area, nanostructured adsorbents for CO 2 capture. Performance evaluation under simulated flue gas conditions by dynamic method using fixed bed adsorption system and adsorption kinetics, isotherm, thermodynamics, energy calculation have been carried.
The research project was sponsored by Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi. Lead Principal Investigator: Professor Haripada Bhunia, Professor of Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology PIs: Professor Pramod Kumar Bajpai, Distinguished Professor of Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology. Research Team: Deepak Tiwari, PhD Research Scholar.
Funding Agency
Department of Science and Technology, (DST), New-Delhi, India – 110016.
Project Title:- Development of non-ecotoxic polyolefins with controlled environmental degradation by using high energy radiation
From 1/4/2014 To 31/3/2018
Summary
Polyolefin based commodities are widely used in our modern industrial society. However, the inertness of polyolefins has led to the environmental pollution. To overcome the problems associated with currently available commercial grade polypropylene; this research project involves the modification of polypropylene formulations –ï§-irradiation (grafting) or addition of pro-oxidants into polypropylene. It will be explored to develop pre-irradiated polypropylene by ï§-rays and grafting with acrylic acid monomer. With the aim of developing degradable polypropylene, addition of pro-oxidants and pre or post ï§-irradiation with polypropylene will be explored. The lifetime of the polypropylene will be measured using (bio) degradation tests. The biodegradable polypropylene should be able to prove its complete utilization by microorganisms over a deï¬nite time period. If not completely utilized, the degradation should be expressed as percentage biodegradability, which quantifies the fraction of the material that can be converted to CO 2 and CH 4 in a definite time frame, as is the requirement in various national/international standards.
Lead Principal Investigator: Professor Haripada Bhunia, Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Co-Principal Investigator: Professor Pramod Kumar Bajpai, Distinguished Professor of Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Research Team: Dev Kumar Mandal, SRF & Ph.D. Research Scholar.
Funding Agency
Department of Atomic Energy, Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences, (DAE- BRNS) in collaboration with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, India – 400085
Project Title:- Investigation of hydrodynamics and RTD of pulp digester using radiotracer technique
From 1/7/2014 To 31/3/2018
Summary
Radiotracer technique has been used to measure the residence time distribution (RTD) of the continuous pulp digester. Radiotracer experiments have been performed by injecting the pulse of radiotracer in the liquid phase of the digester. The RTD experiments have been carried out in SATIA industry using 82 Br radio isotope as a radiotracer.
The input for second and third tube was non-ideal and the numerical convolution procedure was adopted to deal with it. The obtained results were analysed to explain the flow behaviour, degree of dispersion and flow abnormalities existing in the pulp digester. Overall, the conversion of the highly dispersed flow regime into the plug-flow regime was observed in the whole digester.
Lab scale three tube continuous digester has been designed and fabricated. Soda pulping of wheat straw at different operating conditions has been performed.
Lead Principal Investigator: Dr. Avinash Chandra, Assistant Professor of Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Co-Principal Investigators: Professor Haripada Bhunia, Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology and Professor Pramod Kumar Bajpai, Distinguished Professor of Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Research Team: Meenakshi Nandal, SRF & Ph.D. Research Scholar.
Funding Agency
Department of Atomic Energy, Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences, (DAE- BRNS) Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, India – 400085
Project Title:- Study of hydrodynamics and residence time distribution of effluent treatment process (biological) using radiotracer Technique
From 1/8/2015 To 1/8/2018
Summary
This BRNS funded project is a 3-year grant to investigate the hydrodynamics and performance of full scale industrial aeration tank, secondary clarifier and activated sludge process using residence time distribution (RTD) techniques with the help of a suitable radiotracer and identify flow anomalies present in the system based on the obtained RTD data. From the RTD results, suitable hydrodynamic models will be developed for the aeration tank, secondary clarifier and activated sludge process. The project emphasis is on the application of radiotracers for the study of efficient working of industrial wastewater treatment units.
Lead Principal Investigator: Dr. Visas Kumar Sangal, Associate Professor of Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Co-Principal Investigators: Professor Haripada Bhunia, Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology and Professor Pramod Kumar Bajpai, Distinguished Professor of Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Research Team: Metali Sarkar, JRF & Ph.D. Research Scholar.
Funding Agency
Department of Atomic Energy, Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences, (DAE- BRNS) in collaboration with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, India – 400085 and Shreyans Paper Mill, Ahmedgarh (Punjab)
Project Title:- Measurement of circulation time and optimization of mixing process for ethyl acetate reactor using radiotracer technique
From 16/11/2015 To 15/11/2018
Summary
In this project radiotracer (Bromine-82) is used to perform residence time distribution (RTD) studies in an industrial ethyl acetate reactor. An impulse input of radiotracer was introduced to a system of two reactors in series. Final output tracer concentrations were used to model both the reactors individually and as a combination. The RTD model very accurately matched the normalized experimental output tracer concentration. The RTD studies also estimated the amount of dead volume in the reactors, bypassing percentage and mean residence time of the reactors. Lab scale RTD experiments on a laboratory scale ethyl acetate reactor are underway and will be modelled following the principles of impulse input and RTD. The corresponding abnormalities associated with the laboratory scale reactor will also be quantified.
Lead Principal Investigator: Dr. Raj Kumar Gupta, Associate Professor of Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Co-Principal Investigators: Professor Haripada Bhunia, Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Research Team: Arghya Datta, JRF & Ph.D. Research Scholar.
Funding Agency
Department of Atomic Energy, Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences, (DAE- BRNS) in collaboration with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, India – 400085 and Indian Organics Chemicals Ltd., Barnala (Punjab)
Project Title:- Development of electron beam cured carbon fibre/epoxy laminate filled with carbon nano tubes for mechanical joints
From 5/7/2017 To 4/7/2020
Summary
The mechanical joints with fasteners such as bolts, pins, screws, and rivets have a high load carrying capability and exhibit good detectability, reparability and replaceability. But these joints are usually weak points in structures due to complicated stress field in the vicinity of the hole. When these joints are subject to environmental conditions such as rain, heat etc., their strength is greatly affected. It is due to the reason that the seepage of water is easy in the joints where the holes are drilled for inserting the fasteners. Regardless of the application, once cracks have formed within polymeric materials, the integrity of structure is significantly compromised.
This project deals with the strengthening of these mechanical joints using the development procedure of the laminates as well as the addition of Carbon Nano Tubes (CNTs) as the filler materials. The nano-filler material acts as barrier for the environmental conditions. The carbon fibre reinforced composite laminates with CNTs as the filler material will be prepared using Electron-beam curing. The laminates will be prepared with hand lay-up technique. From the prepared laminates, the samples with different geometric parameters for single-hole configuration will be made. The prepared samples will be exposed to different aging conditions for different time periods. The samples will be tested for their strength before and after the aging conditions. Thereafter, numerical model will be developed which will be validated with the experimental results.
Lead Principal Investigator: Dr. J.S. Saini, Associate Professor of Department of Mechanical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Co-Principal Investigator: Professor Haripada Bhunia, Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Research Team: Mr. Mohit Kumar, JRF & Ph.D. Research Scholar.
Funding Agency
Department of Atomic Energy, Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences, (DAE-BRNS) in collaboration with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, India – 400085
Project Title:- Electro-reduction of CO 2 to ethanol using From nanostructured copper-based electro-catalysts
From 9/2017 To 8/2020
Summary
This work is about converting the CO 2 (a well-known greenhouse gas) selectively into ethanol instead of its capture and geological sequestration. To overcome the problem of use of noble or expensive materials as electrocatalyst, multiple liquid products and low efficiency, this research project envisages the development of a Cu-based nanostructured catalyst by electronucleation of Cu nanoparticles from CuSO 4 solution onto the nitrogen enriched carbons. The objective of this project is to develop a novel class of nanostructured copper electroctalaysts for efficient reduction of carbon dioxide to ethanol with high activity, selectivity and durability at ambient temperature and pressure using different electrolytes.
Lead PI: Professor Haripada Bhunia, Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Co-PIs: Dr. Neetu Singh, Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Research Team
Funding Agency
Department of Science and Technology - Science and Engineering Research Board (DST- SERB), New Delhi, India
Project Title:- Polylactide-polypropylene blends: Preparation,characterization, degradability and eco-toxicity studies
From 10/2017 To 10/2020
Summary
This funded project is a 3-year grant to develop biodegradable blends having optimum performance properties based on polypropylene and polylactide with and without compatibilizer with pro-oxidant and nanofillers (nanocaly and nano calcium carbonate). The effects of blend composition and compatibilizer content on the physicomechanical properties of blends will be studied. The degradation kinetics of abiotic and biotic degradability of blended polypropylene films and the eco-toxicity (after biodegradation) of the blended polypropylene films will also be tried.
Lead Principal Investigator: Professor Haripada Bhunia, Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology; Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Ahuja, Department of Chemical Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology.
Funding Agency
Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, (CSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi, India-110012
Books
Pramod.K. Bajpai and Haripada. Bhunia (Eds), “Proc. Advances in Chemical Engineering 2”, Macmillan Publishers India Ltd., New Delhi, 2011, ISBN: CORP-000185.
Pramod. K. Bajpai and Haripada. Bhunia, “Bio-plastics in the Waste Stream” Intertech Pira, USA - a division of PIRA International, U.K. 2011.
“Stabilized Inorganic Oxide Supports and Adsorbents Derived there from for Carbon Dioxide Capture”, Indian Patent (866/MUM/2014) dated 14.03.14 (jointly with Reliance Industries Ltd.: S. Reddy Akuri, S. Sengupta, R. Dongara, A.K. Das, V.K. Amte, A.H. Yadav, P.K. Bajpai, H. Bhunia).
“Stabilized Inorganic Oxide Supports and Adsorbents Derived therefrom for Carbon Dioxide Capture”, Patent No. WO2015136390A1 (Application No.: PCT/IB2015/050636 dated 28.01.15) (jointly with Reliance Industries Ltd.: S. Reddy Akuri, S. Sengupta, R. Dongara, A.K. Das, V.K. Amte, A.H. Yadav, P.K. Bajpai, H. Bhunia).
“Stabilized Inorganic Oxide Supports and Adsorbents Derived therefrom for Carbon Dioxide Capture”, Publication No. EP3116832A1 (European Patent Application No.: 15760686.4 – 137 dated 19.10.16) (jointly with Reliance Industries Ltd.: S. Reddy Akuri, S. Sengupta, R. Dongara, A.K. Das, V.K. Amte, A.H. Yadav, P.K. Bajpai, H. Bhunia).
“Stabilized Inorganic Oxide Supports and Adsorbents Derived therefrom for Carbon Dioxide Capture”, Publication No. CN106163997 A (Application No. CN 201580019659) (jointly with Reliance Industries Ltd.: S. Reddy Akuri, S. Sengupta, R. Dongara, A.K. Das, V.K. Amte, A.H. Yadav, P.K. Bajpai,
“Stabilized Inorganic Oxide Supports and Adsorbents Derived therefrom for Carbon Dioxide Capture”, Publication No. US 2017/0080400 A1 (Application No. 15/124,696 dated Sep. 9, 2016) (jointly with Reliance Industries Ltd.: S. Reddy Akuri, S. Sengupta, R. Dongara, A.K. Das, V.K. Amte, A.H. Yadav, P.K. Bajpai, H. Bhunia).
List of ongoing PhDs
| Details | Date from | Date to |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE), (LM-57424) | 2008 | LM (Life member) |
| Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE), LM-57424) | 2003 | LM (Life member) |
| Punjab Academy of Sciences, Punjab, India), (LM-864) | 2006 | LM (Life member) |
| Metrology Society of India (MSI, India), (LM-926) | 2008 | LM (Life member) |
| International Award | Date |
|---|---|
| Grant to attend International Conference on Application of Radiation Science and Technology (ICARST-2017) at IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, Austria was awarded by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) | 24-26/4/2017 |
My areas of interest are as follows:
Bio-based Polymers and Environment
Plastic waste disposal is one of the serious environmental issues being tackled by our society today. Polyethylene, particularly in packaging films, has received criticism as it tends to accumulate over a period of time, leaving behind an undesirable visual footprint. Degradable polyethylene, which would enter the eco-cycle harmlessly through biodegradation, would be a desirable solution to this problem.
Carbon capture and sequestration
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) (or Carbon capture and sequestration), is the process of capturing waste carbon dioxide (CO2) from large point sources, such as fossil fuel power plants, transporting it to a storage site, and depositing it where it will not enter the atmosphere, normally an underground geological formation. The aim is to prevent the release of large quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere (from fossil fuel use in power generation and other industries). It is a potential means of mitigating the contribution of fossil fuel emissions to global warming and ocean acidification. Although CO2 has been injected into geological formations for several decades for various purposes, including enhanced oil recovery, the long term storage of CO2 is a relatively new concept. Rapid industrialization has brought about global warming via the greenhouse effect route. Greenhouse gases consist of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane etc. among others. CO2 is of chief importance amongst these due to the highest concentrations present in the atmosphere. This is primarily due to fossil fuels and their derivatives being the primary fuel sources in industries and for power generation. All carbon capture methods can be divided into 2 part s- physicochemical and biological. Physicochemical methods include – absorption, adsorption, cryogenic distillation and membrane separation. Capturing, transporting and storing CO2 – the three stages of CO2 capture and sequestration by physical means are expensive processes.
Adsorption (Chemical Method)
To overcome the problems associated with current CO2 capture techniques, this research involves the creation of a new generation of adsorbents - solids that can ‘soak up’ CO2 – from the flue gases of power plants for sequestration. The adsorbents work on the principal that CO2 is a weak acid that can be trapped onto a solid base with the right characteristics and well-developed pore-structure. Solid adsorbents will be created using stable polymers, with numerous active sites to soak up CO2. 'Nanocasting' a technique that uses various inorganic materials as templates will be used to give the polymer a tailored pore structure, a series of microscopic holes and cavities, to create a large surface area for CO2 capture. The properties and ability of these novel materials to capture CO2 will be measured in the laboratory and using specially built equipment to simulate the conditions and make up of power station flue gases. Techniques for regeneration will be devised for selectively removing CO2 and other gases. The lifetime of the adsorbents will be measured using multiple adsorption and regeneration cycles. The ultimate goal of the project is to demonstrate the adsorbent materials in real power plant environments to capture CO2 for its further sequestration.
Algal Photosynthesis (Biochemical Method)
Biological/micro-algal capture of CO2 is amongst the most economically feasible carbon capture technologies. It mimics the natural process of photo-synthesis and it converts CO2 to a stable form. Biological methods are restricted to photosynthesis by plants and plant-like organisms. CO2 is fixed by photosynthesis. Sustainability is a key principle in natural resource management, and it involves operational efficiency, minimisation of environmental impact and socio-economic considerations; all of which are interdependent. It has become increasingly obvious that continued reliance on fossil fuel energy resources is unsustainable, owing to both depleting world reserves and the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their use. Therefore, there are vigorous research initiatives aimed at developing alternative renewable and potentially carbon neutral solid, liquid and gaseous biofuels as alternative energy resources. However, alternate energy resources akin to first generation biofuels derived from terrestrial crops such as sugarcane, sugar beet, maize and rapeseed place an enormous strain on world food markets, contribute to water shortages and precipitate the destruction of the world's forests. Second generation biofuels derived from lignocellulosic agriculture and forest residues and from non-food crop feedstocks address some of the above problems; however there is concern over competing land use or required land use changes. Therefore, based on current knowledge and technology projections, third generation biofuels specifically derived from microalgae are considered to be a technically viable alternative energy resource that is devoid of the major drawbacks associated with first and second generation biofuels. Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms with simple growing requirements (light, sugars, CO2, N, P, and K) that can produce lipids, proteins and carbohydrates in large amounts over short periods of time. These products can be processed into both, biofuels and valuable co-products.
CO2 utilization
CO2 utilization is about converting the CO2 (a well-known greenhouse gas) selectively into ethanol instead of its capture and geological sequestration. To overcome the problem of use of noble or expensive materials as electrocatalyst, multiple liquid products and low efficiency, development of a Cu-based nanostructured catalyst by electronucleation of Cu nanoparticles from CuSO4 solution onto the nitrogen enriched carbons for efficient reduction of carbon dioxide to ethanol with high activity, selectivity and durability at ambient temperature and pressure using different electrolytes.
