Chandigarh April 5, 2024-The two days prestigious International Conference on Catalysis for Clean Energy Technologies and Sustainable Development(CCETSD) successfully started in a hybrid mode (offline and online) today at Dr. SSBUICET, Panjab University.

Under the esteemed patronage of Prof. Renu Vig, Vice Chancellor of Panjab University, the conference has brought together eminent scholars, researchers, industry leaders and enthusiasts from across the globe to explore catalysis in the context of clean energy technologies and sustainable development, conveyed Prof. Anupama Sharma, Chairperson of Dr. SSB University Institute of Chemical Engineering & Technology and Conference Chair, CCETSD.

The inaugural ceremony started with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp followed by the welcome address by Prof. Sharma. Prof. Sushil Kansal, Organizing Secretary, CCETSD shared details of the conference. He told that the conference is themed to reflect key aspects of catalysis for emerging energy applications and its impact on sustainable development goals.

The Guests of Honour of the event were Prof. Y. P. Verma, Registrar, Panjab University, Chandigarh and Prof. Vasundhara Singh from PEC, Chandigarh. Prof. Verma, in his address, discussed the energy challenges faced by India and the multi-faceted approach involving policy interventions, technological innovation, financial investments, and collaborative efforts among governments, businesses, and civil society that are required.

Dr. R.V. Jasra, Senior Vice President, Head of Reliance R & D Centre, Vadodara and President of the Catalysis Society of India, graced the occasion as the chief guest, bringing his invaluable insights and expertise to the discussions. Dr. Jasra has developed 67 chemical processes out of which 28 have been commercialized in Industry, 27 have been demonstrated up to pilot plant and 12 developed at lab scale. His talk was focused on emerging novel catalytic technologies in Petrochemical’s sector and role of catalysis to meet the sustainability targets. According to him, chemical industry and catalysis have symbiotic relationship, strongly support each other.

In the presence of distinguished attendees, a book entitled "Energy Materials: A Circular Economy Approach (Emerging Materials and Technologies)" authored by Surinder Singh, Sushil Kumar Kansal, Suresh Sundaramurthy, Alex Ibhadon, Faisal Khan, and S.K. Mehta, 2024 was released.

The conference witnessed enthusiastic participation, with more than 200 attendees registering for poster and oral presentations over the course of two days.

The organizing team of the conference ensured the flawless and successful conduct of all the sessions.The vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Surinder S. Bhinder, Organizing Secretary of CCETSD.