Chemicals from non-petroleum resources

Solan, September 13

Shoolini University claims to have developed new sustainable substitutes for obtaining chemicals from non-petroleum resources.

Vice Chancellor, PK Khosla, said a research group from the School of Chemistry headed by Dr Neeraj Gupta has recently developed a metal free catalyst for the hydrogenation of alkenes. This study was published in Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) journal, which is among the top 10 global journals in the field of catalysis.

He added that the group is also trying to isolate chemicals from plant waste, such as fallen leaves of pine or its bark to make important chemicals that are currently derived from the petroleum industry only. The project is funded by Himachal Pradesh Council of Science Technology and Environment.

“The process, if developed on a large scale, will open gateway to replace the petroleum industry with new bio-refineries. The concept was recognized internationally and the work was highlighted in journals published by reputed publishers,” said Dr Neeraj Gupta. — TNS