IIT-Madras to research on energy and biofuels

The five-year joint-research agreement focuses on biofuels, data analytics, gas conversion, and transport, and is intended towards finding low-emission solutions. EMRE is the research and engineering arm of ExxonMobil Corporation, a global leader in oil, natural gas and petrochemicals.

Vijay Swarup, vice president (Research and Development), EMRE said, “The world is faced with dual challenges – providing energy to a growing middle class while reducing the risk of climate change. India has a very fast growing middle class and a strong desire to provide energy to its entire population. To achieve this, India must develop technical solutions, which starts at the research level.”

Collaborations like the one between EMRE and IIT-M are key in identifying such solutions, he said, according to a statement issued here.

One of the projects taken up under the research collaboration is to develop novel approaches to convert Indian agro residue biomasses to sugars and high value chemicals led by R Vinu, Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT-M.

Stating that the current trend is to develop fuels and fine chemicals from non-food biomass and agricultural residues, known as second generation biomass, he said biomass is the only source of renewable carbon with the ability to maintain carbon neutrality in the environment by reducing the net greenhouse gas emissions.

After China and Brazil, India is the third highest producer of agro residues globally, with surplus potential of over 230 million tonnes per year, the statement added.