IIT Guwahati and the Centre for High Technology sign an agreement

Joint research to cover petroleum refining, petrochemicals and critical minerals

Guwahati, 03 November (H.S.): Amid global competition in clean energy, India is taking a major initiative to link its petroleum, natural gas and energy industry with cutting-edge research. In this context, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has signed an important agreement with the Centre for High Technology (CHT) of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Its aim, in fact, is to develop the country’s own technological capability in the fields of green hydrogen, energy storage, carbon capture, petrochemicals, critical minerals and clean fuels. Through this partnership, a comprehensive framework will be created, ranging from PhD research on the real challenges of industry to sponsored research, the establishment of centres of excellence, the development of testing facilities and the commercialisation of new technologies.

Notably, PhD researchers selected for the joint research will receive a fellowship 25 per cent higher than the prevailing CSIR, UGC-NET and institutional rates. This initiative comes at a time when, on the one hand, India faces the challenge of meeting rising energy demand, while on the other, it needs to move rapidly towards clean fuels, reduced carbon emissions and the net-zero target.

Through this partnership, the country’s institutions of higher learning and experts from the energy industry will conduct research together. This will open the way to tailoring technologies developed in laboratories to industrial needs and to their practical use.

Special fellowship for four years

The most important part of the agreement is the CHT-IITG Research Fellowship Programme. Under it, a maximum of three PhD researchers will be selected each year. At any one time, a maximum of ten researchers can be awarded fellowships under this programme. The distinctive feature of this arrangement is that the researchers will receive guidance from experts in both the academic and industrial fields. For each researcher, a faculty member of IIT Guwahati will be the supervisor, while an expert from the CHT or from an industry partner nominated by it will act as co-supervisor or mentor. A special fellowship will also be provided for four years.

Research in more than 20 areas, from green hydrogen to carbon capture

IIT Guwahati and the CHT have set out broad areas for research. These include several subjects connected with the energy system of the future, on which the world’s leading countries are working rapidly. Developing electrolyser and fuel cell technology for the production of green hydrogen will be a primary goal of this partnership. Alongside this, research will be conducted on energy storage systems, so that a better balance can be struck between the generation and use of renewable energy.

Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) is also among the major research areas. Through it, work will be done on developing technologies to capture the carbon dioxide emitted by industrial processes, to utilise it and to store it safely. Research will also be conducted on the possibilities of producing useful chemicals from carbon dioxide. For the petroleum industry, priority will also be given to producing chemicals directly from crude oil and to developing polymers, petrochemicals, catalysts and various chemical additives.

In addition, work will be done on corrosion engineering, coal and biomass gasification, process design and improving process efficiency. Water conservation, wastewater treatment, value addition from industrial waste, alternative fuels and nanotechnology will also fall within the scope of the research. Given the growing use of digital technology in the energy sector, special attention will also be paid to digitalisation and cybersecurity.

It should be noted that the importance of these subjects grows all the more because India must maintain environmental balance alongside energy production and industrial development. In this context, the development of new technologies can help reduce dependence on imports, make better use of resources and make industrial processes more efficient.

A joint energy think tank will be created

Under the agreement, there is also a plan to establish centres of excellence jointly at IIT Guwahati. Through these centres, a strong ecosystem of research, development and innovation will be built. An important initiative of this agreement is the establishment of a joint energy think tank. Its aim is to provide technical and research-based support to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in formulating energy sector policies.

In addition, testing facilities related to the refinery and energy industry will be set up jointly at IIT Guwahati. This will provide the institute with better infrastructure for testing new technologies and industrial processes.

Training from refinery experts

Under the partnership, national and international training programmes will be held regularly with the cooperation of the CHT and Indian refineries. These programmes will cover subjects such as petroleum refining and petrochemicals technology, corrosion and asset integrity, green hydrogen, carbon capture, fire and process safety, advanced process control, biofuels and the energy transition. In addition, provision will be made for short-term faculty sabbaticals and corporate adjunct fellowships for IIT Guwahati faculty members and industry experts in the fields of oil and gas, biofuels and green energy technologies.

On Tuesday, Professor Devendra Jalihal, Director of IIT Guwahati, said that this partnership with the Centre for High Technology links doctoral researchers directly with the oil and gas and energy industry. Through PhD research under joint supervision, sponsored projects and training programmes, it will help in developing solutions to the real challenges of industry. It will also pave the way for building the skilled workforce needed for India’s energy transition.

Agreement signed in Goa, senior officials of the ministry and the institute present

The memorandum of understanding was signed at ONGC’s Advanced Training Institute in Goa. On behalf of IIT Guwahati, Professor Sukumar Nandi, Dean of Administration, and Shankar Gunasekaran, Executive Director of the Centre for High Technology of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, signed the MoU. Present on the occasion were Dr Neeraj Mittal, Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Alok Tripathi, Joint Secretary (Gas), and Dr Sumit Kumar of IIT Guwahati’s Department of Chemical Engineering.

It is noteworthy that, amid India’s steps towards clean fuels, petrochemical integration and net-zero goals in the energy sector, this partnership is an important effort to link academic research with industrial needs. It could develop a common platform for developing energy technologies in the country, preparing skilled human resources and taking indigenous innovations to industry.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Mayank Chaturvedi